Knee Injuries—Patellar Tendonitis

Overview: Patellar tendonitis is an injury to the tendon connecting your kneecap (patella) to your shinbone. It is common in sports that involve a lot of jumping, such as basketball and volleyball.

Symptoms

-Pain just below your kneecap

-In severe cases, the pain may interfere with playing sports and daily movements

Causes: Patellar tendonitis is caused by overusing and repeatedly exerting stress on your patella tendon, leading to tiny tears in the tendon.

Risk factors

-Frequent running and jumping

-Tight thigh muscles (quadriceps) and hamstrings

-Muscular imbalance

Prevention

-Ice the area in pain and rest until it is pain-free

-Stretch your leg muscles

-Strengthen your thigh muscles

-Improve your technique

Self-Diagnosis: apply pressure to the area of your knee just below your kneecap and determine whether you feel pain

Physical Therapy At Home

-Stretching exercise

-Strengthening exercises

-Patellar tendon strap