Patellar tendinitis is an injury to the tendon connecting your kneecap (patella) to your shinbone. The patellar tendon works with the muscles at the front of your thigh to extend your knee so that you can kick, run and jump.

Patellar tendinitis, aka jumper’s knee, is common in athletes who are involved in sports with jumping — such as basketball and volleyball. However, people who don’t participate in jumping sports can get patellar tendinitis.

Injury Can Come From:

  • Pain is common in athletes who jump frequently playing – such as basketball and volleyball. Common in runners.
  • Poor posture – causing muscle imbalances (poor alignment of hip, knee and ankle) that result in the patella not tracking correctly
  • Weak gluts
  • Tight calves, quads and hamstrings.
  • Sudden increase in activity.
  • Poor foot wear.
  • Playing sports on hard surface.

Symptoms of Patellar Tendonitis:

  • Pain at the base of the patella, where the tendon attaches to the shinbone.
  • Pain is dull and achy. Potential swelling or burning in the localized area.
  • Problems with knee weakness.
  • Pain with squatting, kneeling down or standing back up.
  • Pain with climbing stairs or sitting in car.

The Cause of Patellar Tendonitis:

  • Repetitive activities resulting in localized stress in the patellar tendon.
  • Localized stress can cause inflammation. At this stage, pain will occur after the activity.
  • If untreated, the continuation of the activity can result in micro tears in the patellar tendon. During this stage, pain will occur during and after the activity.
  • If micro tears go untreated, the patellar tendon will tear.

I approach treating your knee pain to your presentation, which involves:

  • Analyzing your posture – how is the knee tracking? What’s going on with the alignment of your hip, knee and ankle?
  • Discussing potential lifestyle dynamics impacting the effected the knee.
  • Understanding how other factors playing into your pain.
  • Muscle testing the muscles for weakness and pain.
  • Targeting effected muscles, releasing motor points, trigger points and relaxing the fascia.
  • Providing exercises to continue treatment success between acupuncture treatments.

Call (914) 572-5137 today or click here to schedule an appointment & learn more about how we can help you.