Jumper's knee (patellar tendinopathy) causes pain just below the kneecap with jumping, squatting and stairs. Progressive loading, starting with isometric holds and moving to heavy slow resistance, is the main treatment.
Programme
| Stage | Exercise |
|---|---|
| 1 | Isometric wall sits or leg-press holds, 5 x 45 seconds |
| 2 | Heavy slow leg press and squats |
| 3 | Faster loading: split squats, step-downs |
| 4 | Jumping and sport-specific work |
Persistent cases: shockwave, PRP or stem cells.
Tendon pain for more than 3 months? Get the free guide and a doctor review of your scan.
Symptoms
- Pain just below the kneecap, at the start of activity and after
- Pain with jumping, squatting, stairs and long sitting
- Tenderness at the bottom of the kneecap
Who gets it
Basketball, volleyball and football players, runners who add hills or speed work, and people who suddenly increase training.
Treatment options
- Stem cell injection: a Spanish study found significant improvement at 12 months in chronic cases with tendon gaps
- Isometric holds for pain relief
- Heavy slow resistance for 12 weeks
- Shockwave for stubborn cases
- Patellar strap during sport
Tendon pain for more than 3 months? Get the free guide and a doctor review of your scan.
Return to sport
Return when you can do single-leg squats and hops without next-day pain, then build jumping volume over weeks.
