JUMPER'S Knee - What is it?

18/09/2018

 

Limp in Leap out Physiotherapy & Wellness in Belfield provides servicing to many near by Inner West suburbs including Belmore, Strathfield and Croydon park. See our weekly blog below if you are interested in new research, facts, general information or ideas.

 

DO YOU HAVE PAIN IN THE KNEE WITH LUNGES? DO YOU ALSO PLAY A SPORT INVOLVING JUMPING, OR HAVE RECENTLY STARTED EXERCISE? ...
...
Anterior knee pain is one of the most common knee complaints treated by physiotherapists. Patella tendinopathy, commonly referred to a as jumpers knee is one of the more common causes of anterior knee pain.

​

WHAT IS IT? Patella tendinopathy is localised pain and dysfunction over the patella tendon that is typically reported during jumping and landing, stairs, squats and running. It is an overuse injury and typically has a insidious (gradual) onset in most sufferers. 

 

WHAT INCREASES THE RISK OF DEVELOPING THIS INJURY?  ... recent literature has found:

Extrinsic Factors:

• Increased training volume and frequency

• Hard surfaces

• Footwear

 

Intrinsic Factors:

• Gender: males are 4 times more likely to develop patella tendinopathy than women.

• Landing technique: Athletes with a landing technique that employs more horizontal bracing methods overload the patella

• In men foot arch, leg length discrepancy, waist circumference and knee angle were all identified as possible contribution factors

• Interestingly in women, the better vertical jumpers were also more likely to suffer patella tendinopathy than their counterparts

​

Here is our tip:

If you have pain at the front of the knee, you could see our physiotherapists that will...

• Conduct a thorough assessment to investigate what could be causing this issue

• Once assessed and found, the root cause of the injury will be managed appropraitely using educational techniques, specific exercises to strengthen and loosen and passive treatments conducted within the clinic.

​

This information can be used to gain a better understanding of anterior knee pain. To find out more about how we can help your knee pain, or to book in for a consultation you can contact us via our Limp in Leap out Physiotherapy & Wellness contact us page, or book online here.