Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation

Tips from the Experts

Jumping for the Net

Expert Offers Suggestions for Coping with a Common Knee Injury

When it comes to sports like basketball and volleyball, athletes spend a lot of time jumping as they attempt to get balls in - or over - nets. All that jumping can cause a knee injury known as patellar tendonitis or jumper’s knee.

Brad Cooper, licensed athletic trainer for Memorial Hermann Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, offers insights in the cause and treatments for this common injury.

"Patellar tendonitis is a chronic overuse injury to the patellar tendon," he said. "The injury, commonly found in people who play basketball or volleyball, causes inflammation as a result of chronic, repetitive jumping and excessive exertion of the knees."

This injury has several symptoms:
   

1. Patella (kneecap) laxity or an unstable patella, which includes pain, swelling and inflammation of the kneecap
2. Hamstring tightness, indicated by poor flexibility in the back of the thigh
3. Quadricep tightness or limited flexibility in the front thigh muscles
4. Heel cord/achilles tendon tightness, which is identified by poor flexibility in the rear of the ankle
5. Muscular asymmetry, or disparity between muscle size in legs, which can cause muscle shrinkage
6. Ankle dorsi flexion weakness, which affects the muscles around the ankle

"To prevent jumper’s knee, athletes should have a thorough pre-, mid- and post-season strength and conditioning exercise program, as well as maintain lower extremity flexibility," Cooper said.

Weight lifting and cardiovascular workouts are good methods of avoiding jumper’s knee.

Jumper’s Knee Treatment

Treatment for jumper’s knee involves resting, applying ice to the injury, compressing the injury and elevating the affected area. According to Cooper, the letters R-E-S-T explain how best to rest after a jumper’s knee injury.

"'R' stands for rehabilitation, 'E' stands for exercises prescribed by a physician, 'S' stands for strength and endurance training and 'T' stands for time off from the activity that caused the injury," he said. "The athlete can still use many machines in the gym or ride a bicycle. You want to stay active to avoid muscle atrophy."

In addition, an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory, such as ibuprofen, is used as part of the treatment. Athletes can run a risk of reinjury if they do not participate in strength and conditioning exercises.

Individualized Approach

"Each individual with jumper’s knee must be approached differently," said Cooper. "Treatment depends on the phase of the injury, whether it is acute or chronic. There is no timeline in recovering from jumper’s knee - recovery may take a week for one person and a month for someone else."

Jumper’s knee is most often found in adults aged 30 or older, especially those “weekend athletes” who do not regularly do strength and conditioning exercises.

The condition is also frequently found in children ages 10-16 because their muscles are still growing and developing.