How to relieve the pain of patellar syndrome, and with what type of brace?

The patellofemoral joint is made up, as its name suggests, of the femoral condyles, which act as a pulley within which the kneecap glides — the kneecap being a bone inclusion of the quadriceps femoris.

The kneecap's role is to guide the action of the quadriceps but also to increase its strength by moving the quadriceps away from the axis of the knee.

If the kneecap glides badly, drifting off its natural physiological axis, and if the quadriceps is weaker, the kneecap will essentially tend to glide between the two femoral condyles while pressing on the lateral condyle and stretching the medial patellar retinaculum.

Over time, this malfunction causes pain in the cartilage and ligaments, with patellar syndrome as its immediate consequence.

If nothing is done, this patellar syndrome can turn fairly quickly into painful patellofemoral osteoarthritis, with a shrinking range of motion, particularly disabling during prolonged sitting and when climbing or descending stairs, combined with weakness of the quadriceps muscle.

Muscle strengthening is fundamental to restore a quadriceps capable of stabilising the knee in extension, but also — through the action of the vastus medialis — of realigning the kneecap properly in order to relieve the cartilage of the kneecap and the lateral condyle.

Any other dynamic exercise should be avoided.

Cryotherapy can be used for its pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory action.

All positions with the knee bent under body weight should be avoided (stairs, squats at the gym, kneeling work, lifting heavy loads... all sports with high mechanical stress on the knee).

Favour walking and front-crawl swimming with a straight, smooth, steady leg kick.

In some cases, a dynamic brace such as the "Reaction" will relieve the joint during physical or sporting activities by recentring the kneecap and reducing patellar stress.