Patellar tendonitis, which is otherwise known as the jumper’s knee, is the injury to a tendon that connects the kneecap to the shin bones. This tendon also helps you to straighten the knees. A person suffering from patellar tendonitis has inflammation of a patellar tendon, which causes tenderness and pain in the front area of your knees. Swelling in the same area can be a common symptom as well, especially when bending, kneeling, and straightening the knee. Running, jumping, and walking can be affected as well. If left untreated, you may notice tears in your tendon after some time.
Patellar tendonitis is classified into 4 stages:
- While you’re on stage one, you can still continue doing your daily activities and not experience any functional impairments. You may notice pain only after the activity.
- During stage two, you may experience pain after and during the activity. However, it may still be possible for you to perform like usual.
- During stage three, you may experience pain while doing an activity, which persists long after. The athletic performance can be gradually impaired and may only be achieved if you decide to push through the pain.
- In stage four, a patellar tendon may severely deteriorate and it’ll require surgical repair in order to recover from an injury.
What Causes The Knee Pain That Occurs During Patellar Tendonitis?
Patellar tendonitis is the overuse injury of a knee joint that is commonly experienced by individuals who often do activities that have a high impact on the knee, like jumping on dense or hard surfaces, or frequent squatting. Athletes who play sports like volleyball and basketball are especially prone to this condition because of the strain that these two sports place on their knees.
If a person experiences pain during the strenuous activity but still continues doing it, microscopic fractures on a lower edge of a kneecap may occur. The soreness can eventually become a chronic condition.
Other causes of this condition can be structural abnormalities in your lower limbs like having weak gluteal muscles or flat feet. Patellar tendonitis is also a common comorbidity with several orthopedic conditions. Your orthopedic specialist can diagnose the condition based on the symptoms as well as a physical examination. The x-ray, ultrasound, or other medical technologies can be used for clarifying the acuteness of your condition.
Treat A Patellar Tendonitis in Singapore Today
If you are currently suffering from this condition, orthopedics in Singapore can help you manage it and suggest an effective treatment plan. As for the treatment options, you can opt for the following: Knee strapping for reducing pain, nonsteroidal medicines or anti-inflammatory injections, orthotics for supporting structural issues like flat feet, and physiotherapy for managing the inflammation and pain. All these methods can be equally successful to treat knee pain patella tendon in Singapore.
However, until your injury is healed, you should stop engaging in activities that may cause the degeneration of your patellar tendon. This will help you get better sooner and continue doing the usual activities without any pain or inflammation bothering you.
Also read: How to Care for Your Achilles Tendon Injury?
