Commonly seen as pain in the front of the knee known as “jumpers knee” which may limit running, jumping, and going from a sitting to standing position. Patellar Tendinopathy may also affect your daily life and limit you from participating in certain activities due to the pain you experience.
Have you ever experienced pain in the front of your knee with walking, running, climbing stairs, or kneeling? The patella tendon is often an area of the knee where pain is experienced and can be a common cause of dysfunction and inability to perform daily activities and hobbies due to the pain experience which could limit or prevent certain activities. Patellar Tendinopathy can be caused from a variety of things but is often the result of muscle imbalances in the leg, limited joint mobility of the knee or hip, or even muscle weakness in the knee, hip, foot/ankle, or the back.
Common symptoms of Patellar Tendinopathy may include pain in the front of the knee, slight increase in temperature of the knee, mild to moderate swelling, and decreased mobility of the knee with associated tenderness. Patients may have trouble and pain with certain actions including but not limited to bending and straightening of the knee, squatting, kneeling, going up and down stairs, or getting up from a chair. This pain may be a dull ache with an occasional sharp stabbing pain that is typically associated with movement/activity.
Patellar Tendinopathy is commonly diagnosed by your health care provider based off symptoms described and tenderness over the patellar tendon. Those suffering from knee pain have the ability to access physical therapy directly and receive treatment without visiting with a primary care provider and/or a specialist in many states.
At Results Physiotherapy our licensed Physical Therapists will spend time with you during a very detailed initial evaluation to determine the root cause of the pain being expressed in the knee. We will identify contributing factors from muscle weakness (not limited to the knee, hip, and core muscles), altered bio-mechanics, and external factors like shoe wear. Once these factors have been identified, treatment will begin day one to restore joint mobility/mechanics and myofascial mobility with manual (hands on) therapy which will be followed by specific exercise to support gains from manual therapy. We will also use modalities to help mitigate pain and support functional ability including trigger point dry needling to assist in the rehabilitation process. Our treatment philosophy will guide you to a quick recovery typically in about 3-4 weeks. Our treatment will also include education on future prevention of re-occurrence to promote active pain free movements.
Prevention of patellar pain comes from maintaining muscle balances in the knee, hip, and core while staying active. Proper shoe wear will contribute to prevention for those with altered foot and lower extremity mechanics.