[QUOTE=IronFist;1204138]I have grade 3/4 chondromalacia in my left elbow (4 is the worst). Much of the cartilage is gone. Pain comes and goes throughout the day, and sometimes my elbow pops. Sometimes those pops relieve the pain, and sometimes they make it worse.
The doctor doesn’t know what caused it because I am in my early 30s and haven’t had any traumatic injury to my elbow, nor even a regular injury. What’s weird is the pain started during a 9 month break I took from working out 
Most people believe cartilage doesn’t regenerate so my goal is to keep it from getting any worse. My doctor said glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM might help, so I have started taking those.
I think they are testing some stem cell treatments that can regrow cartilage. Hopefully in 5-10 years that will be perfected.
Any advice for dealing with joint issues/supplements/etc. is appreciated. I’ve also heard type II collagen supplements may help, but it’s hard to find info about that kind of thing.
Most of the results I see in Google for chondromalacia are for the knee. I haven’t come across any other references of it affecting an elbow.
Pronounced “con-dro-muh-LAY-shee-uh.”[/QUOTE]
in the absence of trauma, idiopathic degredation at one joint can be due to dysfunction of another joint nearby or even more distant, leading to abnormal tensional / compressional forces at the joint in question; as a general rule, when one or more areas are restricted, other area(s) have to move more to make up for it; it’s possible (not saying for certain, as I haven’t examined you) that you have some restriction at you shoulder, or rib cage or cervical / thoracic spine proximally or forearm / wrist / hand distally that contributes to the breakdown at the elbow; these are general considerations, it’s where I’d start looking if I were to treat you; of course, the issue could be anywhere: lumbars, pelvis, hips, cranium: but usually it’s the same region or quarter of the body (by the time an ankle dysfunction gets around to causing u headaches, u have used up pretty much every compensatory mechanism in between, lol);
I’d go find a skiled manual therapist (PT, DO, DC, LMT, Rolfer, Tuina, etc.) who understands how to teat the body as an interrelated structure; they should be treating u both locally at the elbow and more globally as well; this may not grow back ur cartiledge, but u might b surprised how it can help relieve ur symptoms nevertheless…
as far as glucosamine, my question has always been as to how this supplement finds its way through ur digestive system into the offending joint in question with such specificity…my personal experience with patients taking it is that either it doesn’t work, or they feel better way to quickly for it not to be placebo effect (which is an excellent method of decreasing systemic inflammation, so it’s not that it’s not real, it’s just a different mechanism…);
good luck
