If you are experiencing pain or swelling below your kneecap, stiffness or weakness around your knee, or have restricted movement due to pain around your kneecap, you may be suffering from jumper’s knee (patellar tendonitis). Although jumper’s knee is a condition that grows over time, the pain it causes can easily sneak up on you. Without intervention, jumper’s knee can result in more severe conditions or further injury over time.
Jumper’s knee can keep you on the sidelines for the season and turn easy tasks, such as walking, climbing stairs, or even simply bending your leg, into incredibly painful ones. Early assessment of your knee pain to diagnose patellar tendonitis puts you on the path to regained mobility and pain relief, and physical therapy is a beneficial, non-invasive process for treatment and rehabilitation.
What is Jumper’s Knee?
Patellar tendonitis, more commonly known as “jumper’s knee”, occurs in the patellar tendon, which attaches the top of the shin bone (tibia) and the kneecap (patella). It is a condition that most often results from overuse and repetitive strain, which can inflame and irritate the tendon and cause significant pain and decreased mobility. Jumper’s knee is a common condition among athletes that take part in high-impact sports like basketball, football, volleyball, and weightlifting.
When left untreated, patellar tendonitis limits your involvement in sports, work, and other activities that can cause the knee to swell, give out, or feel unstable. While jumper’s knee may not be an immediately debilitating injury and can heal in a short period of time, it can become chronic if left untreated and may require surgical intervention.
Do you have knee pain?
Our physical therapists will customize a rehabilitation plan for pain caused by jumper’s knee. We will work in an effective way to get you back on your feet, focused on your wellness before, during and after therapy.
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Insurances We Accept
Below is a condensed list of insurances we participate with throughout our network of physical therapy clinics. Find your particular provider below based on your area. For a complete listing of all insurance providers and individual plans by name: CLICK HERE FOR OUR FULL INSURANCE PAGE.
Amerihealth Caritas (effective date 4/27/2020 - NH)
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield (NH)
Bardavon (Workers' Compensation – MA, NH)
BCBS Massachusetts (MA)
CeltiCare (MA)
Commonwealth Care Alliance (MA)
Fallon Health (MA)
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (MA, NH)
Health New England (MA)
Magna Care (MA, NH)
Magna Comp (Workers' Compensation – MA, NH)
Martin’s Point Health Care (NH)
Mass General Brigham Health (Formerly AllWays Health Partners)
Massachusetts Health (Medicaid – MA)
Medicaid (MA, NH)
Medicare (MA, NH)
Med Risk (Workers' Compensation – MA)
ML Healthcare (NF – MA, NH)
No Fault (Various Carriers)
Omni Healthcare (MVA Lien – MA, NH)
One Call (Workers' Compensation – MA, NH)
SPNET (Workers' Compensation – MA, NH)
Streamline (Workers' Compensation – MA, NH)
TRICARE (MA, NH)
Tufts Cigna (MA)
Tufts Health Plan (MA, NH)
Tufts Medicare Advantage (MA)
Tufts Public (Medicaid – MA)
UniCare (MA)
United Health Care (Optum – MA, NH)
WellSense Health (Formerly BMC – Boston Medical Center – MA)
Workers’ Compensation (Various Carriers)
What Causes Jumper’s Knee?
While jumper’s knee is typically a sports-related injury,athletic play is not the only factor that can cause this condition. It can occur if you:
Suffer from tight leg muscles
Have lower body misalignment
Wear shoes without sufficient padding
Have imbalances or weakness in the quad muscles
Walk, run, or stand on hard surfaces on a daily basis
No matter the cause, jumper’s knee is not to be ignored. It results in leg weakness, swelling, loss of motion, and—worst of all—prolonged pain.
symptoms.
What Are Symptoms of Jumper’s Knee?
The most common symptom of patellar tendonitis is pain just below the kneecap. There may also be swelling and soreness around the knee. Symptoms may be mild at first, only occurring during intense exercise or movement. However, these symptoms can worsen over time and lead to more severe conditions and further injury to the area. If jumper’s knee goes untreated, there is a greater risk of a tendon tear. A large tear of the patella tendon is a serious and traumatic injury. A complete tear will separate the tendon from the kneecap. The most common symptoms of jumper’s knee include:
Swelling
Bruising or redness
Pain under the kneecap
Stiffness when kneeling or jumping
Leg or calf weakness
Pain when bending
Stiffness when squatting
Stiffness when kneeling
When Should I Seek Physical Therapy for Jumper’s Knee?
The main goal of physical therapy is to improve your daily quality of life by providing care that helps decrease your pain and increase your strength, mobility, and flexibility. It is important to seek treatment for jumper’s knee as soon as the pain is noticeable to prevent further injury. If you continue to perform activities resulting in knee pain during or after activity, you are prolonging your recovery time and potentially making the injury worse. It can be tricky to tell when to seek medical attention for your symptoms, so let pain and soreness be your guide! Professional’s physical therapists work with you to assess and address your symptoms and severity to create a personalized treatment plan for your patellar tendonitis pain.
Identifying jumper’s knee as the source of your knee pain is the first step to treating it. During your first consultation, Professional’s physical therapists will discuss your concerns with you, examine your current physical limitations, and create a plan to address your pain and help curb the onset of additional or worsening symptoms. Your PT will reevaluate your condition with each visit to make sure that your rehabilitation progress and treatment plan are aligned. Our physical therapists are dedicated not only to getting you back to doing the things you love but doing everything possible to safeguard you from worsening patellar tendonitis symptoms and other future knee injuries and conditions.
Diagnosis of Jumper’s Knee
Tools that can be used to diagnose jumper’s knee and refer you to PT include a clinical exam, MRI, X-Ray or Orthopedic Specialist.
If you suspect that you are suffering from jumper’s knee, it’s essential to visit a doctor or a licensed physical therapist as soon as possible. Professional’s highly trained physical therapists will work closely with you to educate you on your patellar tendonitis diagnosis, evaluate your pain and other symptoms, develop goals, and create an individualized treatment plan designed to relieve pain and rehabilitate the tendon.
If you are suffering from any pain in the knee that may not be related to jumper’s knee, please visit our primary knee information page⇒.
What Can I Expect from Physical Therapy for Jumper’s Knee?
Patellar tendonitis is painful but treatable, and you deserve the best treatment and care available. Professional’s PTs are committed to ensuring that treatment for your jumper’s knee diagnosis is comprehensive, manageable, and customized to fit your specific symptoms and concerns. Our physical therapists are experts on patellar tendonitis pain and welcome any questions if you do not understand your diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment plan.
Below are just a few of the skills and techniques we use to treat jumper’s knee or rehabilitate you after a jumper’s knee injury or surgery:
Exercise Therapy
Occupational Manual Physical Therapy
Global Exercise
NSAIDs
Bracing & Taping
Soft Tissue Mobilization & Stimulation
Job or Sport Simulation/Training
Functional Lifting and Plyometrics
Whether your goal is to get back to the gym or just enjoying the ability to tie your shoes without any pain, we are ready to support you every step of the way. Physical therapists at Professional Physical Therapy can identify and treat pain from patellar tendonitis and guide and encourage you when you are ready to return to activities. When you work with the knowledgeable physical therapists at Professional PT and take an active role in your treatment plan, you have the best chance of a complete and timely recovery.
Find the clinic nearest to you⇒ to speak with a Professional physical therapist who specializes in knee injuries and jumper’s knee today.
Convenient physical therapy clinics near you
We provide treatments for Jumper’s Knee pain from our physical therapy clinics throughout New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Fill out the form above, or contact a clinic near you to speak with a Professional Physical Therapist and knee pain pain specialist today.
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