New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Reference Terms
from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Runner's knee

Chondromalacia Patellae (also known as CMP, Patello-femoral Pain Syndrome, or Runner's Knee) is a degenerative condition of the cartilage surface of the back of the knee cap, or patella. It produces discomfort or dull pain around or behind the patella. It is common in young adults, especially soccer players, cyclists, rowers, tennis players and runners. Rugby players are also prone to this injury, especially those playing in positions where the knees are under great stress, such as Prop. The condition may result from acute injury to the patella or from chronic friction between the patella and the groove in the femur through which it passes during motion of the knee. CMP specifically refers to a knee that has been structurally damaged, while the more generic term Patello-femoral Syndrome refers to the earlier stages of the condition, where symptoms might still be fully reversible.

Related Stories
 


Health & Medicine News

July 3, 2026

Some brains appear to fight back against Alzheimer's by helping immature brain cells survive damage instead of succumbing to it. Understanding this natural resilience could point researchers toward entirely new ways to protect memory and slow ...
Scientists at UCLA discovered a surprising reason aging muscles heal more slowly. In older muscle stem cells, a protein called NDRG1 builds up and acts like a brake, slowing the cells’ ability to jump into repair mode after injury. But there’s a ...
Scientists have discovered that a common type of stroke may have a very different cause than doctors once thought. Instead of fatty plaque clogging arteries, the strongest link was found with enlarged and damaged blood vessels deep within the brain. ...
A protein called “Mitch” may hold the key to a new generation of obesity treatments. Researchers found that disabling it in human cells boosts fat burning, increases energy use, and makes it ...
A new spray-on powder developed by KAIST can stop life-threatening bleeding in about one second by instantly forming a strong gel over a wound. It works on deep and irregular injuries where conventional hemostatic products often struggle and remains ...
Scientists at the University of Oxford have created a calculator that predicts a person's individual risk of serious muscle disorders from statin medications. Their analysis found that more than 98% ...
A massive national study found that nearly half of Americans with kidney failure who are referred for a transplant never even begin the evaluation process, and only 19% make it onto the transplant waitlist. Researchers discovered that factors such ...
A surprising discovery is overturning a long-held assumption about how the brain’s movement center works. Researchers found that two key cerebellar cell types—thought to be tightly linked—often ...
Could something as simple as vitamin C help support a healthier aging brain? In a study of more than 2,000 older adults in Japan, researchers found that people with lower vitamin C levels in their blood also tended to have less gray matter and ...
Scientists have solved a long-standing mystery by discovering the missing genetic ingredient that helps melanoma cells become effectively immortal. The breakthrough could open the door to new treatments aimed at disrupting one of cancer's most ...
Researchers have uncovered an unexpected antiviral defense system in sea anemones that works very differently from the one humans use. The discovery suggests evolution developed multiple ways to combat viruses, challenging long-held ideas about how ...
A Colorado research team has created experimental osteoarthritis treatments that appear to regenerate damaged joints rather than just relieve pain. In animal studies, a single injection restored arthritic joints to a healthy state within weeks, ...

Latest Headlines

updated 12:56 pm ET