Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

What is 'patellofemoral pain'?

Patellofemoral pain is a very common problem, and there is no one cause of patellofemoral pain. Sometimes it's called chondromellatio patellae: chrondro means cartilage; mellatio means softening of; and patella means kneecap. It can also be due to a malalignment syndrome, where the kneecap is being pulled off joint, out of center. It can be due to a bursa over the kneecap. But patellofemoral pain is a generalized term which means pain over the front of the knee.