Tendon attachments in the knee can play up in sporting activities with overuse.
First published in 2013, and reviewed August 2023 by Dr Sheila Strover (Clinical Editor)
Jumper's Knee is often found in patients whose sport involves a lot of jumping.
It does not usually follow a specific injury, but rather comes on slowly as a dull achy pain in that region of the knee.
The condition can be diagnosed with ultrasound, which will reveal an area where the tendon tissue is initially inflamed and later degenerate and boggy.
Early management is usually conservative (not surgical). Initially a period of rest may be prescribed, with local physiotherapy such as local massage and ultrasound, together with anti-inflammatory medication. Once activities resume, management should involve proper warming up before jumping activities, and icing down after jumping activities, quadriceps stretches. A patellar strap, such as a Cho-Pat strap may be helpful, as well as attention to footwear.
If the condition does not settle, cortisone injections may be given alongside the tendon, and 'fenestrations' may be made in the tendon itself by needling it under ultrasound imaging guidance. Surgery is only offered as a last resort, and involves removing the degenerate tissue, followed by physiotherapy.
