Patellar Tendinopathy ("Jumper's Knee")

What Is It

Patellar tendinopathy is an overload injury of the tendon connecting the kneecap to the shin bone, caused by repeated loading during jumping and landing. It is known as "jumper's knee" because it is most common in basketball players, volleyball players and sprinters, whose tendon absorbs thousands of loading cycles over a season.

Signs & Symptoms

• Localised pain directly below the kneecap, worsening with jumping and landing
• Pain that in the early stage appears only after training and later during activity itself
• Tendon stiffness in the morning or after prolonged rest
• Tenderness on palpation of the lower pole of the kneecap
• Gradual reduction in jump explosiveness

Cause & Mechanism

Develops through cumulative tendon overload — most often with a sudden increase in training volume, hard training surfaces, quadriceps weakness or poor landing mechanics. Unlike acute injuries, this is a degenerative process within the tendon that develops over weeks and months.

Diagnosis

Diagnosed through clinical examination (pain on palpation of the lower pole of the kneecap, positive loading test in extension) and confirmed with ultrasound, which shows tendon thickening and structural changes in the fibres; MRI is used in prolonged or unclear cases.

Treatment With Us

The foundation of treatment is a progressive eccentric, and later explosive, quadriceps strengthening programme, combined with a temporary reduction of pain-provoking load (not complete rest). For persistent cases PRP therapy may be considered to stimulate tendon healing, alongside correction of landing technique.