Do you have pain at the front of your knee? Do you notice it hurt with jumping, squatting or going up stairs? It may be patellar tendinopathy.
Patella tendinopathy, sometimes referred to as Jumper’s Knee, is an overuse injury that affects the patellar tendon of the knee. This is the tendon that attaches the kneecap to the tibia.
Who gets patella tendinopathy?
This condition is common in young people aged 15 – 30, with occurrence higher in men than women.
Patellar tendinopathy also occurs in athletes where a high and repetitive load is placed on the patella including; football, basketball, volleyball and tennis.
Symptoms of patellar tendinopathy include:
Localised pain on the bottom of the knee cap
Pain increases as load increases such as when going down stairs
Pain gets better with movement, also known as the warm up phenomenon
Stiffness in the knee in the morning
No pain experienced when resting
Minimal to no swelling around the knee
How can physiotherapy help?
There is strong evidence to show that tendons like ‘load’ and that pain reduced when a tendon is loaded appropriately. A physio will be able to prescribe effective exercises to decrease your tendon pain and improved function.
Physiotherapy management of patellar tendinopathy usually consists of four stages. For example, the first stage will focus on controlling pain and load. As the stages progress and pain decreases, the difficulty of the exercises will increase.
A physio will also guide your return to sport and exercise, ensuring optimal performance and reducing the risk of injury reoccurrence.
Other treatments a physio may incorporate are:
Soft tissue massage
Taping
Shockwave therapy
With patellar tendinopathy it is important to note that seeking treatment as soon as possible is recommended.
Author: Hannah Senior - Physiotherapist
References
Malliaras, P., Cook, J., Purdam, C., & Rio, E. (2015). Patellar Tendinopathy: Clinical Diagnosis, Load Management, and Advice for Challenging Case Presentations. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, (0), 1-33.
Rudavsky, A., & Cook, J. (2014). Physiotherapy management of patellar tendinopathy (jumper's knee). Journal of physiotherapy, 60(3), 122-129.
van Ark, M., Cook, J., Docking, S., Zwerver, J., Gaida, J., van den Akker-Scheek, I., & Rio, E. (2014). 14 Exercise Programs To Decrease Pain In Athletes With Patellar Tendinopathy In-season: A Rct. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 48(Suppl 2), A9-A10.