Patellar Tendinitis – Symptoms and Causes
Overview
Patellar tendinitis affects the tendon that links your kneecap to your shinbone. This tendon helps your thigh muscles extend your knee during activities like running, kicking, and jumping.
It is often called jumper’s knee; this condition commonly affects basketball and volleyball players. However, you don’t need to be a jumping athlete to develop this problem.
Most treatment plans start with physical therapy exercises to stretch and strengthen the muscles surrounding the knee.
These exercises help reduce strain on the tendon and promote healing.
Physical therapists might recommend:
- Stretching exercises for the quadriceps and hamstrings.
- Strengthening activities that gradually build knee stability.
- Ice therapy to reduce pain and swelling.
- Activity modification to avoid movements that worsen symptoms.
Signs and Discomfort
Knee tendon pain typically begins between your kneecap and the point where your tendon connects to your shinbone.
In early stages, you may notice pain only when starting exercise or after finishing a hard workout.
As the condition gets worse, pain increases and can affect your sports performance.
Eventually, this pain may interfere with everyday activities like walking up stairs or standing up from a seated position.
The pain occurs specifically in the tendon that connects your kneecap to your shinbone. This discomfort can range from mild to severe depending on the stage of the condition.
Common symptoms include:
- Pain below the kneecap
- Tenderness in the affected area
- Increased pain during activity
- Pain that worsens over time
When to see a doctor
Start with self-care for knee pain. Ice the painful area and take a break from activities that make it hurt worse.
Contact your doctor if your knee pain:
- Gets worse over time
- Makes daily tasks difficult to do
- Comes with swelling or redness around the joint
Simple home treatments often help, but these warning signs suggest you might need professional medical evaluation.
Causes
Patellar tendinitis happens when the patellar tendon faces too much stress over time. This repeated strain creates small tears in the tendon tissue. Your body tries to heal these tears naturally.
If the damage continues, the healing process can’t keep up. The tendon becomes inflamed and weakened. When this damage lasts longer than a few weeks, doctors call it tendinopathy.
The condition typically develops from activities that put extra pressure on the knee joint. The healing process slows down as more tiny tears form in the tendon.
Risk Factors
Several factors can increase your chance of developing patellar tendinitis:
Physical Activities
- Running and jumping often put stress on the knee
- Quick increases in workout intensity or frequency
- Changing running shoes suddenly
Muscle Issues
- Tight quadriceps (thigh muscles) and hamstrings
- Uneven strength between leg muscles, causing stronger ones to pull harder on the tendon
Health Conditions
- Kidney failure
- Autoimmune diseases like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis
- Diabetes and other metabolic diseases
These health problems can reduce blood flow to the knee area, which may weaken the tendon over time. The combination of physical strain and underlying health factors explains why some people develop this painful condition while others don’t.
Risks of Neglecting Treatment
Pushing through pain can worsen patellar tendon tears. Your body sends warning signals for a reason. Ignoring these signals may lead to larger tears and more serious problems.
Without proper care, knee pain and limited movement can continue for a long time. The condition might develop into patellar tendinopathy, a more severe form of tendon damage.
Preventing Knee Pain
To lower your chance of getting pain in your kneecap tendon, follow these helpful tips:
Stop activity when it hurts. If you feel knee pain during exercise, apply ice and rest right away.
Don’t continue activities that stress your knee until the pain is completely gone.
Build stronger leg muscles. Your thigh muscles need strength to protect your knee tendons.
Try exercises where you slowly lower your leg after straightening your knee – these work especially well.
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Learn proper form. When starting a new sport or using gym equipment, consider getting professional instruction to make sure you’re moving correctly.
