Do you have knee pain while playing sports?

Knee pain in adolescent sports is a common injury. With the level of activity and year round conditioning, athletes can develop pain under the knee cap. This type of condition is often times called Jumper’s Knee or Patella Tendonitis.

What is jumper’s knee?
Jumper’s knee is a stress put on the tendon that connects the knee cap to the shin bone (patellar tendon). This tendon provides your knee the ability to straighten out and also provides some of the strength needed for that motion. By overusing this tendon you can get inflammation of the tendon which is diagnosed as jumper’s knee.

What causes jumper’s knee?
Jumper’s knee is caused from inflammation or irritation of the tendon due to overuse or activity such as jumping or kneeling. Jumping and kneeling sports such as basketball, volleyball, running and soccer often have the highest rate of jumper’s knee.

What are symptoms of jumper’s knee?
Common symptoms of jumper’s knee include pain directly over the tendon along with knee pain while jumping or kneeling. You can sometimes reproduce the pain by pressing directly down on the tendon itself.

What type of prevention can I do for jumper’s knee?
Proper warm up and cool down for sports is very important in the prevention of knee pain. Getting on a good pre and post season workout routine also keeps your body ready for competition without causing overuse in the season activities. You can also try some bracing, tapping, or strapping under the knee cap for compression to help reduce the amount of discomfort caused with activity. Listening to what your knees are telling you as far as pain and discomfort and talking to your athletic trainer about what to do can be the best prevention of all.

What treatment can you do for jumper’s knee?
Treatment for jumper’s knee is often a non-surgical procedure. By doing a few simple things you can control the pain level and return to sport in a reasonable time frame.

Rest: Taking some time off from activity or doing some cross training like biking or swimming will allow the tendon to calm down and give the inflammation some time to reduce.

Medication: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication like Ibuprofen, Motrin, or Aleve can help reduce the inflammation of the knee. Make sure you consult a physician before starting any medications.

Ice: Ice for 15 to 20 min every hour can help reduce the amount of swelling in the knee. Icing after activity can limit the amount of swelling and pain.

Stretching and Strengthening: Stretching and strengthening are important pre and post activity. Please contact a Certified Athletic Trainer at the Wellington Orthopaedic office nearest you for a stretching and strengthening program.

Go to www.wellingtonortho.com to find an office close to you.