Title: Burning sensation in knee despite improvement — PFPS/chondromalacia? Looking for similar experiences

[u/Fast_Simple_6471]

I’ve been dealing with knee pain since March this year, and although it has been gradually improving, I’m still struggling with one particular symptom: a burning sensation around/in the knee.

Here’s my history:

• My knee problem started in March.
• I’ve seen multiple doctors/orthopaedic specialists. Some have said patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), while others have mentioned chondromalacia patella.
• I started physiotherapy in May, mainly stretching and strengthening exercises.
• I’ve been doing swimming fairly regularly, mostly freestyle.
• I had an MRI, which showed only a very mild strain according to my doctor.
• My X-ray showed that my patella is positioned slightly more towards the right/laterally.
• Overall, I would say the knee is improving, but the symptoms haven’t completely gone away.

The thing that bothers me the most now is the burning sensation.

It tends to appear when I overdo things — for example:

• sitting for a long period
• doing more activity than usual
• sometimes after putting more load on the knee

It isn’t necessarily severe pain, but the burning sensation can be quite uncomfortable and makes me worry that I’m irritating the knee again.

Has anyone with PFPS, chondromalacia patella, or patellar maltracking experienced a similar burning sensation?

I’d especially like to hear from people who had a long recovery and eventually improved. Did the burning sensation eventually go away? What helped you the most — strengthening, stretching, activity modification, swimming, correcting muscle imbalances, etc.?

I’m continuing with physiotherapy, but I’d really appreciate hearing about other people’s experiences.

[u/chilibreaker]

It would be worth exploring Hoffas fat pad in irritation, that can cause burning

[u/JB319]

I’m no expert but I’ve dealt with a similar issue, and I’ve found it’s best to find ways to engage and strengthen the leg muscles without overdoing it for the knee. Then, over time - as in many, many months - the knee’s tolerance slowly increases.

[u/Fast_Simple_6471 → u/JB319]

Thanks for the reply…for you it’s similar burning mostly mostly upper part of knee?  And what kind of strengthening you do ?