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Knee Pain Isn't Good!

Saturday, 05 March 2016 00:10

By Dr. Michael Williams

Q - I have Knee Pain, is it Patellar Tendonitis?

A - Patella tendonitis also known as jumper’s knee is a common cause of pain under the patella in athletes. It is commonly seen in jumping and running sports. The athlete is likely to experience soreness and stiffness after exercises. Patella tendonitis usually begins with a stiff feeling in the patellar tendon especially when running downhill or descending stairs. There are four grades of patella tendonitis:

Grade 1: Pain only after training

Grade 2: Pain before and after training but pain eases once warmed up...

Grade 3: Pain during training which limits your performance

Grade 4: Pain during every day activities

The patella tendon joins the kneecap or patella to the tibia and it is extremely strong. It allows the quadriceps muscle group to straighten the leg in jumping to propel you off the ground as well as functioning in stabilizing their landing. This tendon comes under a large amount of stress and with repeated strain, micro-tears as well as collagen degeneration may occur as a result in the tendon. This is known as patellar tendinopathy and should be distinguished from patella tendonitis. Patella tendonitis condition indicates an acute inflammation of the tendon whereas tendinopathy indicates a chronic degeneration of the tendon. Running, jumping, and repetitive knee flexion into extension (e.g., rising from a deep squat) can contribute to this condition. Overuse injuries from sports activities is the most common cause by anyone can be affected, even if they do not participate in sports or recreational activities.

There are extrinsic factors that are linked with overuse tendon injuries of the knee. These include improper footwear, training errors (frequency, intensity, duration), and surface or ground (hard surface, cement) being used for the sport or event (such as running). Training errors are summed up by the rule of “toos”. This refers to training too much, too far, too fast, or too long. Advancing the training schedule forward too quickly is a major cause of patellar tendonitis.

Intrinsic factors such as age, flexibility, and joint laxity are also important. Malalignment of the foot, ankle, and leg can play a key role in tendonitis. Flat foot position, tracking abnormalities of the patella, rotation of tibia can create increased and often uneven load on the quadriceps muscle.

If you are suffering from knee pain while participating in your sports and daily activities, let me know if we can help with your rehabilitation or other questions that you may have.

Dr. Michael Williams DC, CCSP, CSCS, FMT, GT