Exercises for jumper’s knee
Definition:
Patellar tendonitis, sometimes referred to as jumper’s knee is a condition marked by inflammation of the tendon. This joins the patella (the kneecap) to the shin bone (tibia). Your tendon is weakened by the jumper’s knee, which, if left untreated, can cause tears in the tendon. Jumper’s knee is a repeated mechanical stress injury of the knee extensor mechanism brought on by sports involving motions including leaping, landing, accelerating, decelerating, and cutting.
Risk factors:
Risk factors include gender, greater body weight, being bow-legged or knock-kneed, having an increased angle of the knee, having an abnormally high kneecap or an abnormally low kneecap, and limb-length inequality. Impairment linked to the jumper’s knee includes poor quadriceps and hamstring flexibility. Vertical jump ability, as well as jumping and landing technique, are believed to influence tendon loading.
What are the symptoms of jumper’s
knee?
- Pain and tenderness around your patellar tendon
- Swelling
- Pain with jumping, running or walking
- Pain when bending or straightening your leg
- Tenderness behind the lower part of your kneecap
Classification:
Depending on the duration of symptoms, jumper’s knee can be classified into 1 of 4 stages:
- Stage 1 – Pain only after activity, without functional impairment
- Stage 2 – Pain during and after activity, although the patient is still able to perform satisfactorily in their sport
- Stage 3 – Prolonged pain during and after activity, with increasing difficulty in performing at a satisfactory level
- Stage 4 – Complete tendon tear requiring surgical repair
Diagnosis:
- The diagnosis of jumper’s knee is based on the history and clinical findings. Laboratory tests are rarely needed. They may, though, be considered if other problems, such as infection, could be causing the joint problem.
- X-ray imaging is usually not needed, but it could be helpful for making the diagnosis or excluding other potential causes.
- Ultrasonography and MRI are both highly sensitive for detecting tendon abnormalities in both symptomatic and asymptomatic athletes.
Treatment :
Jumper’s knee treatment is specific and depends on the stage of the injury.
Physical therapy treats this problem through:
- Activity modification: Decrease activities that increase kneecap and upper leg pressure (for example, jumping or squatting). Certain “loading” exercises may be prescribed.
- Joint motion and kinematics assessment: Hip, knee, and ankle joint range of motion are evaluated.
- Stretching: Stretching the flexors of the hip and knee (hamstrings, gastrocnemius, iliopsoas, rectus femoris, adductors), extensors of the hip and knee (quadriceps, gluteals), the iliotibial band (a large tendon on the outside of the hip and upper leg), and the surrounding tissues and structures of the kneecap.
- Strengthening: Specific exercises are often prescribed.
- Other sport-specific joint, muscle, and tendon therapies may be prescribed.
For each stage, the physical therapy approach differs depending on the goal of the process. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are often used for pain and inflammation control.
- For stage 1, the physical therapist aims to manage pain through many techniques like passive mobilization of the patella and the tibiofemoral joint, massage techniques, and muscle tension release of the quadriceps TFL and hamstring.
- For stage 2, the patient has pain both during and after activity but is still able to participate in the sport satisfactorily. The pain may interfere with sleep. At this point, activities that cause increased loading of the patellar tendon (for example, running or jumping) should be avoided. A comprehensive physical therapy program should be implemented. For pain relief, the knee should be protected by avoiding high loads to the patellar tendon. Once the pain improves, therapy should focus on knee, ankle, and hip joint range of motion, flexibility, and strengthening
- For stage 3, patients experience persistent discomfort, which has a negative impact on their ability to function and engage in athletics. Even when discomfort grows, therapeutic procedures like those mentioned above should be kept up, and one should refrain from engaging in activities that might make the injury worse or hinder it from healing. In stage III, relative rest may be required for a lengthy period of time (for example, three to six weeks). The athlete is frequently urged to keep up a different cardiovascular and strength-training regimen.
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