runners knee.....did i mess it up even more??? please read

[Lolagurl]

i posted earlier about my knee pain, and having bursitis in my hip in the same leg and flat feet. i saved up money to go to the doctor and it turns out i have runners knee (chondromalacia) i work at safeway as a courtesy clerk, so i have to go get carts and stuff, which really hurt my knee, but i didn't think it was anything serious, so i have probably had this for at least 2 months before going to the doctor. anyways, a couple days ago i was just standing at work when suddenly i got a very sharp pain on the side of my knee (the bad one) it hurt really bad and i could hardly walk on it. ever since then, my knee has been hurting way worse and it hurts really bad when i do my stretches, i don't know if i messed it up even more, this happened after one of my managers made me do the carts because i forgot to get a doctors note saying i should stay off of them. it also turns out my spine is curved now from putting so much weight on my left leg. does anyone have any idea what the sharp pain was? and why my knee hurts so bad now? i would go to the doctor again but i don't have enough money right now....

[Heidi]

Hi

Sorry to hear that your problems have got worse.

I am curious about your Doctors diagnosis as runners knee is not the same thing as chondromalacia. Here are the two different pages:

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/front/knee/irunnersknee.html

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/front/knee/indexcmp.php

You need to get the Doctors note so you don't have to do anything strenuous at work, this will only make it worse. Rest it as much as possible, ice it after any periods of standing or walking, using a compression support if possible. All of these things may help.

[Lolagurl]

i thought they were the same thing because when you search for runners knee on wikipedia it redirects you to chondromalacia

[Heidi]

That is the problem with Wikipedia sometimes I am afraid. You cannot always rely 100% on the information.
I think runners knee is a term also given to patellofemoral pain syndrome occasionally, and this and chondromalacia sometimes get confused, but again they are different things.
Chondromalacia can be caused by patellofemoral pain syndrome.