Table of Contents
Patellar Tendinopathy (Jumper's Knee)
What do you mean by patellar tendon?
The patellar tendon connects the muscle of your thigh (quadriceps) with the tibia (shin bone). These muscles are essential in daily activities such as running, jumping, walking, and descending stairs. When this tendon becomes injured, it causes pain in your knee joint.
What is patellar tendinopathy?
Patellar tendinopathy, also known as jumper knee, is a painful condition of the knee joint caused by a small tear in the patellar tendons due to repetitive stress on them. Your thigh muscles (quadriceps) are the most powerful muscles that help you walk, run, and play sports. Patellar tendinopathy damages the tendons of these muscles.
Patellar tendinopathy is relatively more common in males than females and usually affects young adults (15-30 years), particularly those participating in sports activities.
What are the causes of patellar tendinopathy?
Patellar tendinopathy occurs when you push your patellar tendon too far beyond its limitations over and over again. Multiple factors cause patellar tendinopathy. However, the most common causes are:
- Repetitive stress
- Sudden increase in physical activity
- Using faulty techniques in sports or exercise
- Weak or tight thigh (quadriceps muscles)
- Improper footwear
- Walking on hard or uneven surfaces
Stages of patellar tendinopathy:
Patellar tendinopathy is classified into four stages depending on the severity of the disease. It includes:
Stage 1:
In this stage, you feel pain without any functional impairment after the activity.
Stage 2:
Pain occurs during and after physical activity with little functional impairment.
Stage 3:
Persistent pain during and after the activity with increasing difficulty in performing other activities.
Stage 4:
Complete tendon tear followed by severe pain followed by functional impairment.
Who is at more risk of having patellar tendinopathy?
Some factors increase your likelihood of developing patellar tendinopathy. These factors are:
- Age
- Level of activity
- Obesity
- Ligamentous laxity
- Previous knee injury
- Chronic inflammation
- Unequal leg length
- Improper body mechanics
- Training errors
Some sports activities increase the level of stress on your tendons. These include the following:
- Hockey
- Football
- Dance
- Gymnastic
- Cycling
- Tracking
- Basketball
- Volleyball
What are the symptoms of patellar tendinopathy?
Patellar tendinopathy is a progressive disorder. It does not occur suddenly but takes time to become symptomatic. These symptoms include:
- Pain under the kneecap
- Knee joint stiffness
- Worsening of pain with certain movements such as cycling or doing squat
- Swelling and tenderness around the knee joint
Management of patellar tendinopathy with ANF Therapy®️:
Your ANF Therapist clinically diagnoses patellar tendinopathy by taking a detailed history and doing a thorough clinical and neurological examination.
History:
History is the backbone of making a diagnosis. Your ANF Therapists will take a detailed history that includes:
- The severity of the pain
- The onset and duration of the pain
- Location of the pain
- Do you feel pain at rest after some activity or in both conditions?
- History of a previous knee injury
- Any surgical history
- Occupational history
- Sports activity
Physical examination:
Your ANF Therapist will follow the following steps to examine your patellar tendon. This includes:
Inspection:
Your ANF Therapist will inspect your knee for any visible swelling or deformity. They will also check your gait and muscle wasting, particularly your quadriceps.
Palpation:
During palpation, they will gently palpate your knee to look for:
- Temperature
- Tenderness
- Location of the pain
- Thickening in the tendon
Strength testing:
In this test, your ANF Therapist will perform a resisted knee extension to check the strength of your quadriceps muscles and pain during movement.
Patellar compression test:
Your ANF Therapists will apply pressure on your tendon while your knee is flexed and extended to check pain during this activity.
Patellar tendon tap test:
In this test, your ANF Therapist will tap on your patellar tendon to look for tenderness.
Single leg squat test:
Your ANF Therapist will ask you to perform a single squat test to check the tendon’s pain and functional activity.
Neurological examination:
Your ANF Therapist will do your neurological assessment that includes:
- Patellar tendon reflex testing
- Sensory and motor examination
- Muscle strength testing
- Femoral nerve stretch test
- Tinel’s sign (tapping over the patellar tendon to check for tingling or electrical shock sensation)
Applications of ANF Devices:
ANF Devices aim to provide targeted relief and promote healing in various conditions, including patellar tendinopathy. These devices are applied to the affected areas of your body. Anti-inflammatory devices are placed in front of and behind your knee joint. These devices are charged positively and negatively to create a bioelectrical effect that targets active and chronic inflammation. Antioxidant devices are also used to complement the anti-inflammatory treatment. These devices work by neutralising harmful free radicals in the body, which are unstable molecules. These free radicals cause cellular damage and contribute to inflammation and pain. By removing these free radicals, the antioxidant devices help reduce oxidative stress.
Benefits of ANF Therapy®️:
ANF Devices aim to provide significant pain relief by targeting and reducing inflammation. Unlike conventional treatments that may only mask symptoms, ANF Devices aim to treat the condition’s root cause and promote long-term healing and recovery. By improving the body’s neurological oscillations and reducing oxidative stress, ANF Devices support the natural healing process of tendons and muscles. This can enhance flexibility, strength, overall functions, and mobility of quadriceps muscles.
Expected outcome:
According to Dr. Mikel H-G Hoff, the founder of ANF Therapy®️, most patients feel an improvement in their symptoms after a few minutes of application of ANF Devices. However, individual responses to ANF Therapy®️ differ, depending on the severity of symptoms and the body’s ability to heal.
Follow up:
Regular follow-ups are essential to treat patellar tendinopathy by using ANF Devices. Your ANF Therapist will guide you on the number of follow-up sessions and treatment duration. You will need to change ANF Devices after 72 hours. Your therapist will create a personalised treatment plan for you and educate you on changes and training exercises.
Start your journey with ANF Therapy®️:
What are the differentials of patellar tendinopathy?
Some diseases show similarities with patellar tendinopathy. These are:
- Infrapatellar bursitis
- Knee osteoarthritis
- Patellofemoral syndrome
- Osgood-Shalatter disease
How can I prevent patellar tendinopathy?
You can reduce the risk of developing patellar tendinopathy by following these steps:
- Avoid physical activity if you have pain in your knee joint
- Use proper exercise techniques
- Daily physiotherapy to strengthen your muscles
- Avoid walking on hard and uneven surfaces
- Use proper footwear
- Warm up yourself before every physical activity
- Rest your body
FAQs:
What does patellar tendinopathy feel like?
Patellar tendinopathy begins with mild pain after physical activity, typically around the patellar tendon below the kneecap. Over time, the pain worsens and can be felt during and after activity. In advanced stages, the pain may become constant, even at rest. You may experience tenderness, swelling, stiffness around the knee, and decreased strength and stability.
Can patellar tendinopathy lead to tendon tear?
If left untreated, patellar tendinopathy can lead to a complete tear of the patellar tendon, followed by repeated stress. Over time, the continued strain and inflammation weaken the tendon and increase the risk of a rupture.
What is the difference between patellar tendinopathy and patellofemoral pain syndrome?
Patellar tendinopathy is an overuse injury that affects the patellar tendon. It causes localised pain in the inferior pole of the patella (just below the kneecap). In contrast, patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) involves diffuse pain around the front of the knee and under the kneecap. PFPS pain can occur in any part of the knee and is often caused by biomechanical issues or muscle imbalances rather than direct tendon overuse.
Can ANF Therapy®️ treat patellar tendinopathy?
ANF Therapy®️ is a breakthrough orthopaedic intervention for treating patellar tendinopathy. It uses ANF Devices that aim to alleviate pain and inflammation, address the condition’s underlying cause, and promote long-term healing and recovery.
About ANF Therapy®️
ANF Therapy®️ uses circular ANF Devices, which are applied directly on the skin after palpation and assessment by a trained ANF Therapist following the ANF Therapy®️ Method, Patented Model no. U202030252, ES1259974.
The ANF Therapy®️ purpose is the alleviation of injury and pain within minutes.
Our aim is that the patient experiences a reduction of pain and swelling, an increase in range of motion, and an improvement in quality of life related to health. Non-transdermal, non-invasive device, NO needles or chemicals are used.
Do you need help with your health issues? Have you been experiencing symptoms of Patellar Tendinopathy?
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