patella tendonitis

Tendonitis is a painful condition in which the joints and tendons begin to swell and become red or inflamed.  This can occur in many different parts of the body, mostly areas that are often in use and sometimes even overused or strained.

Wrists, shoulders, knees and other parts are often the most commonly affected areas with which doctors see patients directly.  Yet, another type of tendonitis can also have a painful and debilitating effect; patella tendonitis.  This form of tendonitis affects the patella, which is where the shin and the knee bone connect.

This condition is often referred to as “Jumper’s Knee” as well, because it often occurs with sports-related injuries such as basketball.  With proper care, patella tendonitis can be treated and help can be readily available to alleviate pain and symptoms.  Atheletes also can develop achilles chronic tendonitis.

What Can I Do To Treat Patella Tendonitis?

The first treatment for patella tendonitis sounds too simple to be true.  It is simply rest.  The knee needs a rest from strained and stressful activity, such as jumping or running.

If you have been used to doing these things daily, you must stop for now in order for the inflammation to be reduced and heal.  Rest is so important, yet many feel that they simply don’t have time to rest, so they continue to go on like before, living with the pain until it becomes unbearable.

At that time, other stronger methods of treatment must be employed, such as NSAIDS, which can help reduce pain and inflammation as well.

Stretching exercises are very good to help recover from patella tendonitis and should be used regularly to help prevent further injuries down the road.  Hamstrings, calves and quadriceps can be stretched daily to help relax the legs and joints.

Physical therapy may be necessary, depending on the severity of the patella tendonitis.  Creams and salves can work wonders for relieving the pain and symptoms of this condition as well.  Ice packs are often used as well to help with short-term symptoms such as swelling.

Over the longer term, addressing the inflammatory issue is important with adjusting one’s diet and getting proper rest and exercise to maintain optimal health.  While over-the-counter remedies can be helpful in the short term, they are not a good choice for long periods of time.

More natural remedies such as increasing calcium and magnesium intake are a good way to treat patella tendonitis over the longer term.

Knee Tendonitis

Do you have inflammation or pain in your knee joint?

Have you wondered about tendonitis and how this effects your knee? Severe knee tendonitis is an injury typically seen in individuals who participate in sporting activities on a regular basis. This is a condition that occurs when the tendons that make up part of knee joint become inflamed.

The knee is protected behind a plate of bone known as the patella (your kneecap). There are two main tendons that are part of the knee. These tendons connect the patella to two separate parts of the leg. The quadriceps are the upper thigh muscles and the shinbone is the lower leg bone. Both of these parts of the leg are connected to the patella by the knee tendons.

Different Forms Of Tendonitis

Patellar Tendonitis – Patellar Tendonitis is generally caused by overuse of the quadriceps muscles. Activities such as running and jumping exert strain on the quadriceps. Engaging in too much of these activities can cause inflammation of the tendons connecting the quadriceps to the patella. In this form of tendonitis, pain occurs below the knee, in the patellar tendon.

Quadriceps Tendonitis – Quadriceps Tendonitis is also typically caused by overuse of the quadriceps. Unlike Patellar Tendonitis, however, this form of tendonitis is characterized by pain above the knee.

The types of activities that generally cause both of these forms of tendonitis are the same, however.

Treatment of Severe Knee Tendonitis

Treatment of severe knee tendonitis tends to be drawn out compared to most other knee injury treatments. This is due to the fact that muscles usually have more elasticity that than of our tendons. Tendons also get less blood from your bloodstream, compared to muscles. What this basically comes down to is that your injured tendons can take longer to heal compared to an injured muscle. After the initial period of the injury, it is important to carefully stretch the tendons as they heal to improve their elasticity (see your physician on details about stretching). Failure to do so will render the tendons much less elastic than before and more prone to further injury.

Prevention of Severe Knee Tendonitis

One of the most important things you can do to prevent severe knee tendonitis is to stretch the whole body including the knees before any form of physical activity. Stretching gives the muscles greater flexibility during exercise, allowing them to absorb more impact and twisting motions. This greatly reduces the chances of sustaining tendonitis.

Another effective preventive strategy is to wear knee braces while exercising. A knee support helps to provide meaningful support as it fits over your leg. Knee braces help prevent the knees from slipping into awkward positions that are likely to sprain or strain the knees. They also help to support you from the impact of running and jumping, easing the strain on the joint. A knee support can also help keep your knee warm and will remind you, if not stop you, from making excessive and painful movements.

If you think you could benefit from a reduction in knee pain or improved stability then you should consider one of these supports today. These supports are very effective and should always be considered into your treatment plan.

Hamstring Tendonitis

Hamstring Tendonitis involves an aching pain in one or both legs, in the area immediately above the knee, the biceps and often on the back of the upper legs.

This form of tendonitis, the inflammation of the tendons that connect the body’s muscles to the bone, is most often present in runners and athletes who participate in track and field sports. Hamstring tendonitis is sometimes mistaken for simple soreness of muscles after a strenuous workout, or a marathon.

As with other forms of tendonitis, the most common symptoms of this condition include soreness, pain and a decrease in mobility. Hamstring tendonitis may also cause noticeable swelling in the area around the knee cap. Some patients have observed that the pain is worse at night and that it also increases during physical activity.

When do People Develop This Condition?

Although age is an important factor and anyone can develop hamstring tendonitis, the people most susceptible to this condition are those who have recently started a vigorous, new exercise routine after an extended period of relative inactivity.

Additionally, athletes, especially runners, who regularly train on hard surfaces, are more likely to develop hamstring tendonitis. This is why it is better to run, or jog on specially developed tracks, rather than on concrete roads or pavement.

What are the Treatment Options for Hamstring Tendonitis?

The best treatment for hamstring tendonitis involves natural, non-invasive solutions. Like with most sport injuries, it is helpful to apply ice to the affected area in order to reduce both the swelling and pain. If the pain persists, it is best to use non-prescription medications, such as Motrin, Tylenol or Advil.

The most important, however, is not to engage in strenuous physical activity or work-outs until the symptoms of hamstring tendonitis subside. Additionally, the patient’s return to physical activity should occur gradually, over an extended period of time, in order not to irritate the affected tendons.

There are also a number of precautions one can take in order to avoid future episodes of tendonitis. It is important to always warm up and to stretch the muscles prior to physical activities, such as running and also to allow for a cooling off period immediately following any type of exercise.

Avoiding running or jogging on rigid surfaces will also help runners avoid extra, unnecessary strain on muscles in the legs. Additionally, athletes should always avoid strenuous physical activity when their muscles still feel sore from previous work-outs.

Before we take a look at the different types of tendonitis that affect the knee we need to cover some basic knee anatomy. The knee is the connecting joint for three main muscle groups; the hamstrings, the quadriceps and the calf muscle. The hamstring muscles are located on the back of your thigh, the quadriceps muscle is located on the front of your thigh and the calf muscles are located at the back of your lower legs.

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The knee joint also comprises of three main tendons. These are the hamstring, quadriceps and patellar (knee cap) tendon. These tendons are some of the largest and strongest in the human body. We will look more closely at these tendons later in the article. For now, all you need to know is that there are three different types of tendonitis associated with the knee, one for each tendon.

Let’s take a look at how each of these tendons fit into the knee joint and how to tell if that particular tendon has developed tendonitis.

Quadriceps Tendon

It’s very common for the quadriceps tendon to develop tendonitis, especially in professional athletes. The quadriceps tendon runs from the bottom of the quadriceps muscle down the front of the knee underneath the patellar (knee cap). If you have quadriceps tendonitis you will feel the pain directly above your knee cap. In some cases, the pain may extend up the front of the leg. The pain will feel worse when you sit down, or bring your foot up towards your buttocks. This is because the quadriceps tendon and muscle have to stretch. You may also find if you have quadriceps tendonitis that the area where your quadriceps meet your knee cap there might be some redness and swelling.

Hamstring Tendon

Hamstring tendonitis is often misdiagnosed as another form of knee injury. This is because the area that gets inflamed is often quite small (despite the large size of the hamstring tendon) and is close proximity to the back of the knee. The hamstring tendon connects to the knee outside of the back of your knee joint. If you have hamstring tendonitis you will feel the pain either in the tendon on the outside of the knee or on the back of the knee. If you feel the pain in the outside of the knee it’s obvious that the pain is coming from the hamstring tendon, but if it’s behind the knee it’s difficult to tell because the hamstring tendon goes deep into the knee. The pain will be at its worst when you try to straighten your leg out, where the tendon is forced to stretch. You will also feel increased pain when you try to twist your foot or point your toes at your knees. Often the entire back of the knee is swollen, but in its early stages hamstring tendonitis will only swell around the outer area of the hamstring tendon.

Patellar Tendon

The correct name for the knee cap is the patellar. Patellar tendonitis is one of the most common forms of tendonitis and the most common form around the knee joint. The patellar tendon starts behind the patellar and extends down to the tendons in the lower leg. So if you were to look at your knee from the front, the quadriceps tendon enters the knee at the top behind the knee cap and the patellar tendon extends from behind the knee cap down to the lower leg area. When you have patellar tendonitis you will feel the pain just below your knee cap or behind your knee cap. You will probably feel the pain whenever you move your knee, in any direction. Sometimes you may hear a popping or grinding sound as you move your knee around. This is because the area is inflamed and the tendon does not have enough room to move.

So, the important points to note from this article are that there is three types of tendonitis that can affect the knee; quadriceps tendonitis, hamstring tendonitis and patellar tendonitis. These are three separate tendons. If you need any more advice about how to treat tendonitis see the links below. Tendonitis can be treated without seeing a doctor, but first you must accurately diagnose which tendon is affected. The next article I will write will be about treating tendonitis symptoms.

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