Patellar Tendonitis

Complications /Information to beware of/General tips:

Medical Emergency Condition

And/or do not wait, phone for an ambulance if have or develop:

• Severe swelling
• Can’t put weight on it or knee is giving way
• If hear a ‘popping sound’
• Limited movement

General tips

1. Rest – stop the exercise or activities that caused the injury until you feel better
2. Ice – put an ice pack (one could use a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel) on the injury for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours
3. Compress – wrap a bandage around the injury to support it
4. Elevate – if possible, keep the injured area raised on a pillow when sitting or lying down

To help prevent swelling during the first 2 to 3 days, try to avoid:

• Heat, such as hot baths and heat packs
• Alcohol
• Massages

When you can move the injured area without pain stopping you, try to keep moving it so the tendon doesn’t become stiff.

Do

• Warm up before exercising and stretch afterwards
• Wear suitable shoes for exercise
• Take regular breaks from repetitive exercises

Don’t

• Over-exercise tired muscles
• Start a new sport without some training or practice
• Stick to the same repetitive exercises

NHS.UK

• Sprain tips
• Strain tips

This condition may show similar symptoms to:

• Quadriceps tendonitis – Irritation, strain or injury to the quadricep tendon (tendons just above the knee cap).
• Plica syndrome- inflammation of the plica is the fold in the thin synovial membrane that lines the knee joint.
• Synovotis
  • The knee is a synovial hinge joint, and as such the joint is lined with a synovial membrane.
  • If this membrane becomes inflamed it is called synovitis.
  • It is caused by overuse or trauma and results in repeated bleeds into the joint.
  • If not treated early or correctly the synovial membrane becomes thickened with more blood vessels and becomes swollen and painful.
  • It is also associated with:
    • Rheumatoid arthritis
    • Psoriasis arthritis
    • Lupus
    • Gout
• Osteochondritis Dissecans
• Sinding-Larsen-Johansson Syndrome
  • This tends to affect active adolescents. It is an inflammation of a growth plate under the attachment of the patella tendon to the kneecap.
  • The symptoms include pain near the bottom of the kneecap accompanied by swelling and tenderness around the kneecap.
• Lateral Patellar Facet overload syndrome
  • A  dull aching pain underneath, around the sides or below kneecap.
  • It is caused by increased pressure on the lateral facet of the patella. The reason for this is improper tracking, poor alignment or dislocation of the kneecap.
  • The condition is often apparent during repetitive exercise such as climbing stairs.
• Popliteus muscle injury
• • A thin triangular muscle located in the depression at the back of the knee joint, called the popliteal fossa.
  • Exercise or trauma may cause injury to the popliteus muscle.
  • If the muscle is injured you may feel tenderness when rotating your leg inwards.

The Chelsea Clinic

• Central core disease
• Coffin-Siris syndrome
• Freeman-Sheldon syndrome (whistling face syndrome)
• Kniest dysplasia
• Meier-Gorlin syndrome
• Nail Patella syndrome
• Neonatal-onset multisystem inflammatory disease
• Recessive multiple epiphyseal dysplasia
• Refsum Disease (Zellweger spectrum disorders)
• Thrombocytopenia-absent radius syndrome

Please talk to your healthcare professional (i.e. Medical Doctor/Pharmacist) for further advice