As the name suggests, Jumper’s knee is a very common injury especially in with sports involving jumping. It’s medical term, patella tendinopathy, describes a disorder found in the tendon that attaches to the base of the patella. This painful injury occurs when the tendon has been repeatedly overloaded & the fibres of the tendon are unable to repair themselves to an adequate level before it is loaded once more. It is most commonly seen amongst those who participate in jumping sports, but it can still affect those who heavily load their knees for work & other leisure activities.
Jumper’s Knee (Patella Tendinopathy) – There are many possible contributing factors that can result in a person developing patella tendinopathy & a thorough assessment can help identify which of these are involved. Some risk factors can be easily modified such as the shoes you wear, the surfaces you train on & how much training you do. Other risk factors are more difficult to correct, such as biomechanics.
Treatment for patella tendinopathy involves reducing the load through the tendon while re-strengthening it with some targeted strengthening exercises. Simply resting your knee will not address the underlying problems and there is a high chance that the pain will return as soon as you repetitively load the knee again.
If you suspect that you have patella tendinopathy, come & see one of our physios for a detailed individual assessment to determine your risk factors & develop a treatment plan.