Knee pain arising in the absence of a traumatic incident is a common complaint among athletes involved in several different sports. There are various potential causes of knee pain one of which is patellar tendinopathy (sometimes called patella tendonitis or ‘jumpers knee’). Patella tendinopathy refers to the pain associated with damage to the patella tendon, that many people suffer with different injuries, that people get in accidents, are essential for this.

Patellar tendinopathy pain can be felt anywhere over the front of the knee, but in particular the bottom part of the knee cap (patella) is generally tender to touch. Pain is aggravated by jumping, bounding or hopping and there may be some discomfort associated with running or descending stairs.

Repeated forceful quadriceps contractions may cause an overload of the patella tendon as it acts to absorb shock. A sudden increase in activities can lead to microscopic tears in the tendon. If insufficient rest time is allowed between stressful activities the tendon becomes progressively more damaged and symptoms are likely to worsen, even more if this happen after a fall.

Several biomechanical factors may increase the likelihood of developing patella tendinopathy.  Muscle tightness or weakness (gluteals, hamstrings, ITB, quadriceps, calf), poor pelvic stability, knee or ankle joint stiffness, poor foot biomechanics or compromised nerve mobility can all predispose to patella tendon problems.

At PHYSIO4ALL we would highly recommend rest from aggravating activities which will unload the tendon.  This combined with techniques such as ice, massage, taping and an eccentric strengthening programme will all enhance the healing process of the tendon. Our physiotherapists will also look very closely at addressing any biomechanical factors which may be contributing to your patella tendinopathy.

For an easy and effective exercise for Patella Tendinopathy, look at the following link: https://www.physio4all.com.au/patella-tendon-exercise/

For another exercise for Patella Tendinopathy, using a Decline Board, look at the following link:
https://www.physio4all.com.au/patella-tendon-decline-board/