Patellar tendinopathy

Patellar tendinopathy ("jumper's knee") is a painful overuse condition affecting the patellar tendon — the tendon connecting the kneecap (patella) to the tibial tubercle. Repetitive loading during jumping, landing, and accelerating causes micro-damage in the tendon that accumulates faster than it can repair, leading to a disorganized, degenerated tendon that is painful and less tolerant of load.

It is most common in basketball players, volleyball players, and high jumpers. The condition can become chronic and career-limiting if not managed appropriately early.

Anterior knee pain localized to the inferior pole of the patella — the patellar tendon origin — reproduced by pressing on that point. Pain typically occurs at the start of activity, may improve with warm-up, then return after exercise. MRI and ultrasound identify intratendinous degeneration, thickening, and neovascularization.

1. PRP injection

   Platelet-rich plasma injected into the tendon has evidence supporting its use in patellar tendinopathy, particularly when rehabilitation alone has not resolved symptoms.

2. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT)

   Non-invasive acoustic wave treatment with good evidence for chronic patellar tendinopathy.

Surgery is a last resort, considered only after a prolonged, consistent trial of a loading program, PRP, and ESWT has failed.

External patient-education references and related OSI pages for additional background:

• Britannica — Tendinitis
• Britannica — Knee (anatomy)
• AAOS OrthoInfo — patient education library
• OSI glossary — orthopedic terminology in plain language