Skiing with patellofemoral pain syndrome (runners knee)

Wear a brace if you got one. Depending on how hard you ski and what not, it might or might not further damage the knee. I used to ski on patellar tendonitis (jumpers knee) would've hurt like a bitch but there were 2 things I did that made it skiable. A) wear a brace/compression strap, etc. and B) tons of exercise/rehab.

SteezMcGeeWear a brace if you got one. Depending on how hard you ski and what not, it might or might not further damage the knee. I used to ski on patellar tendonitis (jumpers knee) would've hurt like a bitch but there were 2 things I did that made it skiable. A) wear a brace/compression strap, etc. and B) tons of exercise/rehab.

I’ve got a knee brace, I’m about to take 6-8 weeks of rehab while skiing lightly. Would icing frequently and taking Advil help?

Don't case super

JemsI’ve got a knee brace, I’m about to take 6-8 weeks of rehab while lightly. Would icing frequently and taking Advil help?

Had jumpers knee so long ago that I cant remember if I frequently iced or not. Call or email a physiotherapist or something like that, that's a question for them. However, the basic concept of icing is that it reduces swelling, but swelling means your body is working hard to heal the injury. Not sure if this is the kind of injury where you wanna use a heat pack to increase swelling or if this is an ice injury.

pattyeiksDon't case super

That's a good tip

I have runners knee and it gets me after a long hike etc. I would be cautious about using a leg brace, my PT said it can make it worse. Your best bet is to do exercises with elastic bands to strengthen your knee. Yoga actually really helps too and will most likely cure it. Say what you want about doing Yoga but it will actually vastly improve your skiing form and prevent injury etc.

SuspiciousFishoga actually really helps too and will most likely cure it. Say what you want about doing Yoga but it will actually vastly improve your skiing form and prevent injury etc.

Got any links for good workout sets?

The Rodney Yee DVDs are good. I would get the Yoga for Beginners one and the AM Yoga one. Do the Standing Poses in the morning before you hit the slopes and it will make a huge difference. After a while you will also notice that your focus and body awareness will really increase while you ski too.

I'm sorry to say but your only option is surgery. I had this for several years and tried a lot of things to work through it. The good news is I was skiing one month after surgery and have not had a problem since, that was 5 years ago.

I skied and lived life with this for about 3-4 years, to the point where near the end I would ski would ski with most weight on my good leg.

Hi, I’m a doctor. Patello femoral syndrome, or runners knee, is a degenerative change in the knee that causes grinding and inflammation. It is similar to arthritis in many ways. Degenerative changes (wear and tear essentially) are not reversible, but the resulting inflammation and pain can be changed significantly by physical therapy, modifying your activity, supportive devices, and NSAID medications (antiinflamatories). Activities where the foot impacts the ground (running, jumping) are much worse than low impact activities like skiing, so skiing resorts and powder will be less painful and damaging than jumps and rails. A supportive device like a neoprene sleeve while skiing or doing other supports will minimize inflammation and damage during the activity. PT or yoga to strengthen your leg muscles, as suggested by others in the thread, will help your muscle mass support your joint. NSAID pills before and after activity can help reduce pain and inflammation. Aleve (naproxen) is the strongest and longest lasting one you can get over the counter, much better than Advil/Motrin, take 2 aleve in the AM before skiing, 2 aleve at night after skiing (take with food to avoid stomach irritation). I disagree with the poster above about surgery, it is not usually considered as a treatment for runners knee unless there are other problems present, I suspect he had other damage or his case was extreme and refractory to other treatment.
Ask your doctor about the right supportive device and PT options for your particular case. If it was me, I wouldn’t hesitate to ski with runners knee, but I would take aleve before and after and I would minimize impact on hard surfaces. Pm me for more info.

I live in Minnesota so powder is nonexistent, but I was thinking hitting only rails (maybe small jumps). I’ve got what I’m sure is a neoprene brace with metal inserts on the side that I wear to school. Would skiing during PT be a good or bad idea? I’ve already missed a month of skiing and I wouldn’t want to miss another.

pattyeiksDon't case super

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