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Patellar Tendinopathy
Patellar tendinopathy, often called jumper's knee, is pain in the tendon just below the kneecap. It is a loading problem, common in jumping and change-of-direction sports, and it has a characteristic pattern: it warms up during activity and hurts afterwards. Rest reduces the pain and does nothing for the tendon, which is why it comes straight back on return.
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Does this sound like you?
Most people have several of these, not all of them.
- Well-localised pain on the tendon just below the kneecap
- Pain that eases as you warm up and returns afterwards
- Discomfort on jumping, landing and decelerating
- Stiffness and soreness the morning after activity
- Tenderness to press directly on the tendon
Why it happens
- A sudden increase in jumping or change-of-direction volume
- Basketball, netball, volleyball and football in particular
- Weakness through the quadriceps and calf
- Hard surfaces and a rapid rise in training intensity
- Returning to full training after a break without a build-up
What we would do about it
Roughly in this order — each step waits for the one before it.
- Isometric loading early for pain relief
- Progressive heavy slow resistance work, which is what remodels the tendon
- Managing training volume rather than stopping altogether
- Calf and hip strengthening to share the load
- Jumping and landing technique work
- Patience — tendons change over months, and rushing restarts the cycle
See a doctor first if
- Your pain followed a significant injury
- It is getting worse rather than settling
- It comes with numbness, weakness or unexplained weight loss
This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Symptoms overlap between conditions, so the right treatment depends on an assessment.
Rest settles the pain and fixes nothing
Tendons need progressive load to change. Stopping for six weeks means starting the same cycle again on return. We build a loading plan around your season. Ask a question first, or call us on 0403 907 587.
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Other knee conditions we treat
Related reading: aching around the kneecap itself, the same problem at the achilles and calf injuries.
General information only, not advice about your own problem — nothing here replaces an assessment. Source: Patellar Tendinopathy on Physiopedia.
