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Patellar Tendinitis, commonly referred to as Jumper’s Knee, is an injury of the tendon that connects the kneecap (patella) to your tibia. There is micro-tearing or degeneration of this attachment at the inferior region of the patella that can affect up to 50% of athletes who perform in repetitive forceful jumping sports like volleyball or basketball; however, others who don't participate in jumping sports can get patellar tendinitis.
Some young athletes also have a similar condition, called Osgood Schlatter Disease, which is pain and swelling over the tibial tuberosity that progressively worsens. It is a biomechanical weak point that happens when training exceeds the ability of the muscles and tendons to accommodate these stresses. This usually results in a palpable tender growth at the insertion of the patellar tendon to the top of the tibial bone.
There are 4 Stages of Jumper’s Knee:
Stage 1: Pain only after activity, without functional impairment
Stage 2: Pain during and after activity, although the patient is still able to perform at a satisfactory level in their sport
Stage 3: Prolonged pain during and after activity, with increasing difficulty in performing at a satisfactory level
Stage 4: Complete tendon tear requiring surgical repair (usually noted patellar displacement)
RICE stands for Rest Ice Compression Elevation and was invented in the 1970s by a sports physician. In the case of Jumper’s knee, rest will not help because it is a loading issue and rest could take away temporary pain. However, when you return to jumping or your sport the pain will resume or be worse because you have not addressed the root cause of the issue. Also, there is rarely swelling, so ice or elevation isn’t necessary as well. Ironically, he now says that ice and complete rest may delay healing instead of helping. He also says that there isn't enough research on the effectiveness of RICE in promoting healing.
All of the best outcomes are supported by a multidisciplinary approach that is a combination of manual therapy and rehabilitative exercises to correct what caused this problem to start in the first place. We take that to another level by adding a modality that directly heals the damaged area more directly and efficiently than ever before.
Shockwave therapy has been a game changer for us in these cases and has been shown to significantly decrease the pain that accompanies patellar tendinopathy patients. In addition, it is important to correctly manage the workload and stress that the knee can tolerate as absolute rest could increase the risk of recurrence. Rehabilitative exercises are imperative as they will not only improve your pain symptoms but also decrease your risk of recurrence and long-term outcomes.
If you're interested and want to know more about how to manage your knee pain effectively, go to strengthchiro.com and schedule your FREE Discovery visit or your New Patient appointment!
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