From the Guidelines
Jumper's knee, also known as patellar tendinopathy, is an overuse injury affecting the patellar tendon that connects the kneecap to the shinbone, typically causing pain at the front of the knee, particularly just below the kneecap, and should be treated with relative rest, reduced activity, and eccentric strengthening exercises, as recommended by the American Family Physician study 1. Jumper's knee commonly affects athletes who participate in jumping sports like basketball and volleyball, hence the name.
Key Characteristics and Treatment
- The condition develops when repetitive jumping or running creates small tears in the patellar tendon that don't heal properly, leading to inflammation and pain.
- Treatment usually involves rest and reduced activity to prevent further damage and promote healing and pain relief, as well as cryotherapy, which provides acute relief of tendinopathy pain, with repeated applications of melting ice water through a wet towel for 10-minute periods being most effective 1.
- Eccentric strengthening is an effective treatment of tendinopathy and may reverse degenerative changes, with exercises like slow, controlled squats and step-downs performed daily 1.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are recommended for short-term pain relief but have no effect on long-term outcomes, with topical NSAIDs being effective and having fewer systemic side effects 1.
Management and Prevention
- Wearing a patellar tendon strap during activity can help reduce pain by changing the distribution of force through the tendon.
- Without proper treatment and adequate rest, jumper's knee can become chronic and significantly impact athletic performance.
- Locally injected corticosteroids may be more effective than oral NSAIDs in acute-phase pain relief but do not alter long-term outcomes, and surgery is an effective option in carefully selected patients who have failed three to six months of conservative therapy 1.
From the Research
Definition of Jumper's Knee
- Jumper's knee, also known as patellar tendinopathy, is a common musculoskeletal condition characterized by progressive activity-related pain on the anterior aspect of the knee and tenderness on the patellar tendon 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
- It is an overuse injury that occurs in professional and recreational athletes, typically characterized by gradually increasing pain in the patellar tendon 3.
Causes and Risk Factors
- Jumper's knee is prevalent in participants of several sports, but it occurs mostly in jumping sports 3.
- Risk factors differ between sexes, playing conditions, the kind of sport, playing level, and personal characteristics 3.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
- The diagnosis of patellar tendinopathy is primarily clinical; however, imaging techniques can be useful as well 3.
- The condition is characterized by anterior knee activity-related pain and tenderness on the patellar tendon 2, 4.
Treatment Options
- Nonoperative management is the first choice in treating patellar tendinopathy, and several nonsurgical treatment options have been proposed, including eccentric exercises, cryotherapy, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, and anti-inflammatory strategies 2, 3, 4, 6.
- Injection therapies, such as PRP, corticosteroids, autologous blood, and aprotinin, have been used to treat patellar tendinopathy, with promising results 2.
- Surgical treatment is effective in many refractory cases unresponsive to nonoperative modalities 5, 6.