What is Jumpers knee?
"Patellar Tendonitis"
Jumper’s knee, AKA patellar tendonitis, is a very common condition that involves inflammation, wear and tear on the patellar tendon. The patellar tendon connects your kneecap (patella) to your shin bone. When inflamed, jumper’s knee can cause pain and soreness below the kneecap, swelling and redness, pain with running, jumping or walking, and pain while bending your knee.
If patellar tendonitis goes untreated for a prolonged period of time, it can cause weaking of the tendon and can potentially lead to more serious tears of the tendon.
Patellar tendonitis falls into the category of repetitive strain injuries. Meaning it is caused by overuse, high demand/repetition, and lack of recovery time between activities. At its core, it is a load management/capacity problem, and underlying treatment should be focused around increasing the strength and capacity of the tendon.
Now of course there are a few other things that can cause pain in the front of your knee, so a thorough assessment of your condition is always the first step to guide you on your recovery. Your health care practitioner should be able to diagnose jumpers knee based on history and physical exam alone, however in some cases they may order an X-ray or ultrasound to rule out other conditions.
What Causes Jumper's Knee?
Jumper's knee is a condition that develops over time, and there is rarely one single event that will cause it.
Common causes may include a combination of the following:
- Participation in sports that involve a lot of running, jumping, and rapid changes in direction (Pickleball, soccer, basketball, volleyball, running)
- A sudden large increase in training volume
- Lack of rest between activities
- Jobs that involve a lot of squatting, kneeling down, or walking up and down stairs
- Previous hip, knee or ankle injuries
- Sudden growth spurts in adolescence
Jumpers knee (patellar tendonitis) Treatment in Burlington
More than just rest
At our clinic in Burlington, we have a special focus on treating injuries in our local pickleball community. This means we see a lot of patellar tendonitis. To get the best, long-lasting results it takes a well-rounded approach, and more than just a few weeks of “taking it easy” to truly resolve the injury.
At the Recovery Room Chiropractic and Wellness, education always takes the forefront. We make sure that you understand exactly what and why you are experiencing your symptoms so that you can make good decisions in your recovery. We can also help you identify causes or modify tasks to help take the stress of your knee.
Hands-on treatment modalities such as manual therapy, soft tissue release and joint mobilizations can play a big part in pain reduction and improving the range of motion of your hip, knee and ankle and advanced technology such as shockwave therapy is used to help speed up recovery time and enhance tendon recovery.
Underlying everything you are taken through a progressive loading and strengthening program to help improve the load tolerance capacity of your muscles, tendons and joints, and this is ultimately what will cure your patellar tendonitis over time and keep it from coming back.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jumpers Knee
Recovery time can be different for everyone, but generally the longer symptoms have been there, the longer it will take to get better. For someone that has only had symptoms for a short period of time, they may be significantly improved within 4 weeks for others; it can be significantly longer.
You may have seen a lot of people wearing a strap like brace just underneath their knee cap. These braces can be effective at reducing symptoms while staying active, however they are not a long term solution. Using a brace and pairing it with an active recovery plan will get you the best results while not having to take as much time away from the sport.
If you are frequently participating in activities that aggravte your condition multiple days per week, it may be necessary to decrease the frequency you are involved. This could look like playing pickleball 4 days per week, and then decreasing to 2 days per week temporarily. Although some rest is required, we find we get the best results when clients are able to stay active during their recovery process.
The effects of shockwave therapy are to decrease inflammation, promote new blood flow (tendons have poor blood flow), promote new collagen formation (what tendons are made of), and decrease pain causing chemicals from being released in the tissue. Shockwave therapy creates an optimal environment for healing to occur, and recovery times are significantly faster when shockwave therapy is part of your recovery plan.
Dr. Phil Wessel
Chiropractic, Custom Orthotics Fitting
Dr. Phil Wessel is a chiropractor with over seven years of experience helping patients in Burlington and Oakville recover from injury and stay active. Throughout his career, he noticed that many common muscle, tendon, joint, and spine injuries were often treated without addressing the underlying causes, leading to ongoing pain and recurring problems.
This realization led him to create The Recovery Room Chiropractic & Wellness—a clinic focused on providing effective, evidence-informed care for active adults and athletes who want to get back to the activities they love.
Dr. Phil’s treatment approach combines chiropractic adjustments, manual therapy, shockwave therapy, and rehabilitation exercise to help patients recover from both acute and chronic injuries. He has a particular interest in treating tendon-related conditions, including Achilles tendinopathy, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, plantar fasciitis, rotator cuff injuries, and jumper’s knee.
A graduate of the University of Guelph and New York Chiropractic College, Dr. Phil understands first hand the importance of staying active. Outside the clinic, you’ll find him spending time with his wife and two children, playing pickleball, or enjoying a round of golf whenever he gets the chance.
Helping active people recover, perform, and stay in the game.
The Recovery Room Chiropractic and Wellness
5041 Fairview St,Burlington, ON
L7L 4W8 View Staff & Treatments
