Knee tendonitis, also called patellar tendonitis, is an inflammation of the tendon that links your patella (kneecap) to your tibia (shinbone). People who have knee tendonitis usually experience worsening pain in the knee area until they receive treatment.
This is a frequent injury among athletes, which is why it’s often called “jumper’s knee.” It is usually due to overuse or repetitive stress on the knee. Small tears develop in the tendon and become inflamed, eventually weakening the muscle and causing pain.
What Treatments Are There for Knee Tendonitis?
The treatment you receive for knee tendonitis depends on the severity of your injury. Your doctor will likely advise that you temporarily stop performing any activity that puts stress and pressure on your knees.
Below are some of the standard treatment procedures for knee tendonitis:
Medication
For short-term relief of your knee pain and inflammation, you can take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs. However, if you are still experiencing severe pain, your doctor may prescribe medication or recommend that you have corticosteroid injections around your knee.
Minimally invasive pain-relief treatments include corticosteroid injections and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections.
Physical Therapy and Exercise
Professional physical therapy can help reduce your knee pain and get you on the road to recovery. Your physical therapist (PT) will show you special stretches and strengthening exercises for your leg and thigh muscles to get your knee back in shape.
A typical therapy session includes the following activities:
- Warm-up
- Stretching exercises
- Strengthening exercises
- Cool-down
Your physical therapist may develop an overall, ongoing exercise program for you that includes isometric and flexibility exercises in addition to the stretching and strengthening exercises mentioned above. The PT may also utilize ultrasound and electrical stimulation to ease your knee pain.
Wearing a knee brace or taping the knee area can help to provide extra support to the knee while you are exercising. It takes longer for a tendon to heal than for other soft tissues to heal, such as muscle or skin, so be patient and don’t expect quick results. If you don’t give your knee enough rest and time to heal, the injury could become worse.
Surgery
If conservative treatments are not effective in providing pain relief, a patient may undergo surgery to repair the patellar tendon. The most minimally invasive type of surgical treatment for this injury is knee arthroscopy, which has a much shorter recovery time than traditional open surgery and can be done via outpatient surgery – so you can go home later that day.
Orthopedic Doctors in North Dakota
Many treatment procedures exist today for knee tendonitis, ranging from over-the-counter drugs to physical therapy to surgery. It is best to consult with an orthopedic specialist to develop the most appropriate and effective treatment regimen for you, so you can get back to your normal active lifestyle as quickly as possible.
Here at The Bone & Joint Center, we have offices located across North Dakota to serve you and to treat your knee pain. Our orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists, and sports doctors provide each patient the best treatment in the least-invasive way.
If you would like to schedule a consultation, call our friendly staff today at (800) 424-2663 or complete our online request form now. We look forward to helping you get back up and running!
