What is Patellar Tendonitis?

Patellar Tendonitis is commonly called “jumpers knee” or “runners knee” due to the high incidence of patellar tendonitis in jumping and running sports.  The patellar tendon has been labeled as the strongest tendon in the body.  The forces imparted on the tendon are directly related to the intensity and speed of resistance placed upon it.  The patella (or kneecap) is enclosed in the patellar tendon in order to enhance the mechanical advantage and leverage of the pull of the quadriceps muscle.  Abnormal stresses on the patellar tendon can include flat feet, knocked knees, bowed legs, torsion deformities in the tibia and femur, stiffness in the hamstrings or quadriceps, and weakness in the hips, especially the gluteals.  Most people are “quadriceps dominant”.  This means that the quads are the primary activator during functional activities due to the concurrent weakness of adjacent muscles such as the hamstrings and gluteals.

Patellar Tendonitis Treatment and Exercises 

At OrthoWell we specialize in the treatment of running injuries. We are all runners at OrthoWell–so we understand how pain that slows you down or prevents you from running can take its toll both physically AND mentally. It is important to understand the principles of proper running technique as well as the weight-bearing forces that can occur during running. You can read more about this in our book The Formula for Running Painfree.


Principles of Healing:

  1. Activity Modification (Refer to P.R.I.C.E.)
  2. Specialized Manual Therapy Techniques:  Often times there are soft tissue adhesions at the margins of one muscle group relative to another.  For example, the outside part of the quad (the VLO) may be adhered to the iliotibial band (the ITB) or the distal patella tendon may be adhered to adjacent connective tissues.  During activity, there is a degree of micro-trauma that occurs.  This micro-trauma can cause scar tissue.  Scar tissue is considered dysfunctional if it binds onto adjacent healthy tissue and prevents normal movement of that healthy tissue.  Techniques such as ARTGraston and Cupping Therapy are used to release these adhesions.