RE: How can a person prevent further ........
>I have this Cracking "feel"....is there anything I can be
>doing to prevent any progression or further damage? Did I
>develop this by using incorrect form? Lifting too heavy for
>me? Doing too much step(not enough crosstraining?)?
You could have tracking problems from a muscle imbalance (often the outer quads are stronger than the inner quads and they pull on the knee), which could be from exercise or just your own anatomy. There are some knee exercises that you can do to help strengthen the muscles right around the knee. Two that several PTs have shown me are:
1) Lie supine, with your upper body propped up on elbows. One leg is bent, with foot flat on floor, the other is straightened on floor. Flex the quad in the straight leg (first do this with no weights, then add ankle weights as it gets easier)and lift to about 45 degrees (so your two knees are about even). Hold for a count of two, then slowly lower. To target the inner quad muscle, turn the toe out to about 1 o'clock (right foot) or 11 o'clock (left foot).
2) Put a rolled up towel or a small "squishy" ball under your knee. Flex the quad and press down into the ball. Again, you can turn out the toe to better focus on the inner quad at the knee. Start by leaving the heel on the floor, then move to raising the heel off the floor with the flexion. Don't use ankle weights on these.
These and some other exercises are also in 'Peak Performance Fitness" by Jennifer Rhodes, who shows a lot of exercises that are good for preventing injury.
The best idea would be to see a PT and have her/him give you a series of exercises you can do at home, after your knee problem has been diagnosed (it may be something other than tracking problems).
