theblackkeys' "Starting Strength" log

[theblackkeys]

Well I finally got to the doctor today. I had to wait to get covered through my wife's employer (HS teacher).

He said I have patellar femoral pain (AKA chondromalacia), and it's not related to my prior knee injury (10 yrs ago). I will schedule an appointment with physical therapy because I want to be active.

Anyways, he said that the kneecap isn't moving the right way, so it rubs the knee cartilage the wrong way. I guess it has something to do with some quad muscles being more dominant than others.

I asked him whether I could continue working out, and he said if I am squatting I shouldn't be going heavy. He specifically said I should find a weight where I can do 20 reps without being wrecked, and do a higher rep workout. I'm not sure if he thinks this is correct in healthy individuals, or just for people with this injury. Anyways, I'm not going to workout until I see the physical therapy place, and I will follow their recommendations.

He also warned me about "bulking up" and adding muscle mass. He said it increases blood pressure, and that is dangerous. I'm really confused. I'd like some thoughts on this. I specifically mentioned I'm not trying to become a bodybuilder or anything, he still said adding muscle mass will increase bp. Whatever, I'm pretty sure he's wrong. He's just the primary care guy, not a specialist or anything.

I might even search medical journals to find the answer to this myself. If I find he's wrong, I'm going to show him the evidence.