Jumper’s Knee / Patellar Tendinopathy

Jumper’s knee - Patellar Tendinopathy – is mainly a diagnosis related to sports and particularly with sports where the player develops an explosive spring, like volleyball, soccer and long jumping. The condition is also to some extent associated with ageing.

Patellar Tendinopathy is usually characterised by degeneration of the patella tendon (knee cap tendon), i.e. a breakdown in the tendon, characterised by small, focal lesions within the tendon without an inflammatory response. Jumper's knee is usually an overuse injury that results from repetitive overloading of the extensor mechanism of the knee. The pain can set off after one single jump or a hard workout session, but as already mentioned, the condition usually comes on gradually.

Where is the pain?

Jumper’s knee usually give pain along the lower part of the knee cap, i.e. the area of the patellar tendon, usually near its attachment to the patella. Only 10% of the patients feel pain along the upper part. It typically starts as a dull ache but can gradually increase over a period of time. Initially, the soreness is usually felt following a game or workout, but as the condition worsens, one may feel stiffness, grinding, and swelling in the knee.

Unknown reasons for developing a Jumper’s Knee

The reason why this condition develops is not known. Usually tissue inflammation is not found, but degenerative changes in the tendon and connective tissue can observed.The symptoms can be divided into 4 stages

• Pain occurs only after activity. The condition does not seem to bother the person before or during the activity.
• Pain is present at the beginning of an activity, seems to dissipate after warming up for a while, and then reappears after the activity. In this stage, the athlete's play is not usually affected.
• Pain occurs during and after activity, affecting performance.
• The tendon ruptures, causing a chronic weakness of the tendon.

There is little evidence that Cortisone injections give any lasting effect. Radial Shockwave Therapy on the other hand shows high scores with excellent effect. 2-4 treatments are usually sufficient to substantial improvement of the Jumper’s Knee condition.