title: Joint hypermobility in patients with chondromalacia patellae.
abstract: The relationship between joint mobility and chondromalacia patellae was reported in a prospective study. A total of 115 patients with chondromalacia patellae were compared with 110 healthy individuals without chondromalacia patellae, matched for age and sex, who served as a control group. The degree of joint mobility was scored on a scale of 0-9. The number of individuals with hypermobile joints and the total mobility scores were significantly higher in patients with chondromalacia patellae when compared to the control group (P < 0.001). There were more hypermobile knees among knee joints with chondromalacia patellae when compared with the knees of the control group (P < 0.01). Chondromalacia patellae were bilateral in 57% of our patients. It occurred more frequently in the longer leg and was associated with quadriceps muscle wasting in 50% of patients. Flat feet and backache were reported significantly more often in patients compared with the control group (P < 0.05). It is concluded that hypermobility of the knee joint may be a contributing factor in the pathogenesis of chondromalacia patellae.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Baghdad, Iraq.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: al-Rawi
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Nessan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002357:Cartilage Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005413:Flatfoot / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007592:Joint Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007593:Joint Instability / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000473:pathology; D010329:Patella / Q000473:pathology; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular