Management
It is possible to manage physical therapy on your own, as long as you strictly adhere to your physician’s instructions, notes the American Academy of Family Physicians. Expect to spend about 20 minutes daily performing your physical therapy exercises. You will need patience for the process. You may not see improvement in your symptoms for six weeks or longer.

A: I tore two ligaments in my right knee a few months ago and these are the exercises my Physical Therapist gave me. They worked.
1. Lay on your back on a bed or couch and try to press the back of your knees down into the bed using your thigh muscles only. Hold for five seconds then relax for five seconds. Do this ten times, relax for about five minutes and repeat.
2. Lay on your side with your legs straight. Raise the upper leg to about 45 degrees slowly and hold for five seconds then slowly lower it. After ten Reps roll over and do the other leg. Do this ten times, relax for about five minutes and repeat.
3. Lay on your back. Bend one knee and slowly raise your other leg (keep it straight) slowly until your thighs are at the same level, hold for five seconds and lower it slowly. Then repeat using your other leg. Do this ten times, relax for about five minutes and repeat.
4.Do the same thing as #3 but this time drag your heal until both legs are bent at the same angle then slide your heal forward until your leg is straight again. Again, do this ten times then do the other leg. Do this ten times, relax for about five minutes and repeat.
I hope this helps. It worked wonders for me and you are never putting any weight on your knees.
I found it ironic that I played Football and Soccer all through High School, served with the 82nd Airborne for ten years and never had knee problems. I crouch down to fix some plumbing under the sink and screw up my knee.
Getting old sucks!

Arthritis and gout are more common, but chondromalacia is still unknown. Chondromalacia is a knee-joint problem that requires serious attention and proper treatment.

Chondromalacia of the patella, or patellofemoral pain, is a term for pain experienced between the patella (kneecap) and the lower thighbone (femur). The softening of the cartilage below the kneecap leads to little areas of breakdown and pain near the knee. Rather than moving smoothly over the knee, the patella rubs against the thighbone, whenever the knee moves. These changes range from mild to complete destruction of the cartilage.

This condition is normally common among young women, especially those suffering from a little misalignment in the kneecap. Teenage girls are normally at high risk as the knee cartilage is exposed to plenty and uneven pressure exerted by the physiological changes accompanying the growth spurts of puberty. Adults over 40 can have this condition due to the wear-and-tear process, likely causing arthritis of the kneecap or osteoarthrities of the knee joint. Chondromalacia can also occur due to accidents and trauma, or high pressures on the knee-joint, common amongst the athletes.

Pain and swelling resulting from chondromalacia of the patella are experienced in the front or within the knee. The kneepain worsens if seated for long time like arising from a chair and while climbing stairs. A grating or grinding sensation may be experienced whenever the knee is extended or straightened.

Many times, traditional treatments for chondromalacia are exercise programs that strengthen the muscles near the knee and restore the original alignment of the knee cap. These exercises must be authorized by a physical therapist to selectively strengthen the thigh muscles (the quads) and restore the knee cap.

Many patients generally improve just with traditional treatment and without requiring any other therapy. Only in a few instances where kneepain persists or deteriorates, knee joint surgery is needed. Though it may be difficult to prevent chondromalacia, few steps could be taken to lower the risk of trauma and injuries, and undue stress on the knee. Rehabilitation programs concentrating on flexibility and strength training of the muscles controlling your kneecaps can vastly aid in the prevention of its occurrence in many instances. Non-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs and other arthritis pain relief medications can be prescribed to ease suffering from pain and inflammation.

If you can buy a stationary bike for your home, do it. Best investment I ever made (got mine on sale through amazon). It’s a lifetime thing, protecting tricky knees, so I totally think it’s worth it. I once had to undergo a lot of physical therapy for my knees. Every knee problem is different, and every physical therapy routine is tailored to the individual, but my guy uses the stationary bike with almost everyone.

We also did a variety of stretches, massages, resistance band exercises, and exercises with some heavy ankle weights, but I would not recommend doing these without careful research, if not help from a professional. But stationary bike you can do right away.

Try this: while you’re cycling, really think about those muscles on the lower part of your thigh, above the knee — from time to time as I cycled, my physical therapist would put his hands on the top and sides there to keep me focused on working those muscles. Expect soreness, it’s a workout. But if you ever start feeling any PAIN (actual joint-related pain), slow down and stop (no sudden stops), readjust and realign yourself, and slowly start up again. You do need a good amount of resistance on your bike, enough that it’s hard and sweaty work (if it’s too loose, you’re more likely to jerk around and use momentum as opposed to your muscles, leading to further injury). Hard resistance, firm and steady pedaling, NOT fast cycling. Don’t forget careful stretching after your workout and no bouncing through the stretches!

Eventually, strengthening those muscles protected my knees and kept my kneecaps better aligned, and the pain went away and flexibility returned. (Obviously, our problems are different, but this might be helpful anyway.)

I don’t know what your fitness level is, but probably stay off the weights for now, or go very easy. And I’d say do NOT do squats until your knees are in better shape and your leg muscles feel stronger from the bike work. I absolutely love squats and they’re one of my favorite exercises now that my knees are better. But you gotta go slow and steady with something as tricky as knees, and you don’t want them to get worse by straining them before you’re ready. Good luck!