Patellar Tendonitis – Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Patellar tendonitis is an overuse injury to the patellar tendon or the strong rope like tissue that connects the kneecap (patella) to the shinbone (tibia). The patellar tendon and the muscles at the front of your thigh help to extend your knee, enabling you to kick, run and jump.

Patellar Tendonitis Causes

Patellar tendonitis, also known as jumper’s knee, is common among athletes whose sport involves frequent jumping, such as basketball and volleyball. However, even non-athletes can suffer from this condition.

Repeated stress on the patellar tendon can result in tiny tears in the tendon. This causes pain due to inflammation and weakening of the tendon.

Patellar Tendonitis Symptoms

Patellar tendonitis pain usually occurs between the kneecap and where the tendon attaches to your shinbone. Initially, you may experience pain only during physical activity or after a workout. Eventually, the pain may worsen and even prevent you from going about your daily activities or movements.

Your physician will take your medical history, ask you for your symptoms and perform a physical examination. An X-ray or MRI may be needed to confirm the diagnosis.

Patellar Tendonitis Treatment

In most cases, patellar tendonitis treatment is non-invasive and includes –

• Exercises, physical therapy and rehabilitation
• ice
• rest
• pain relievers, such as Ibuprofen

In a few cases, surgery may be needed to repair the torn patellar tendon. Surgery involves removal of the torn or degenerative part of the tendon and repairing the good tissue.

Modern regenerative medicine techniques, such as PRP therapy (Platelet Rich Plasma), are also effective at stimulating natural healing in injured soft tissues, such as the patellar tendon. In PRP therapy, platelets and growth factors are extracted and concentrated from the patient’s own blood and then injected into the injured tissue, so that the body can repair itself. This is a minimally invasive technique that requires no hospital stay or long recovery periods; has almost no risk of rejection or infection.

Prevention

Here are a few important tips to prevent patellar tendonitis.
• Don’t continue playing or working through the pain.
• Exercise to strengthen your muscles.
• Ensure that you are using appropriate posture and technique while playing sports and use proper equipment
• always stretch before and after exercising or playing

To learn more about knee and shoulder treatments, call one of the best orthopedic surgeons in Phoenix AZ, call Phoenix Shoulder and Knee at 480-219-3342. Dr. Adam Farber is a Fellowship Trained, Board Certified Phoenix and Scottsdale orthopedic surgeon specializing in Sports Medicine. He specializes in arthroscopic surgery and sports medicine with a focus on shoulder, elbow, and knee injuries/conditions, including rotator cuff tears, shoulder instability, labral pathology, Tommy John surgery, articular cartilage injuries, meniscal pathology, and ACL tears.

Phoenix Shoulder & Knee
1215 W Rio Salado Parkway
Suite 105
Tempe, AZ 85281
(480) 219-3342

This release was published on openPR.