Jumper’s knee is an overloaded knee. Jumping, landing and sprinting in particular can be painful. The pain is felt at the bottom of the kneecap. This injury is common among young athletes between the ages of 15 and 35. We see it especially in basketball players, volleyball players, footballers and people who do CrossFit.
With jumper’s knee, the patellar tendon is inflamed. This tendon connects the kneecap to the top of the shinbone. The patellar tendon can become overloaded – for example through a lot of jumping or sprinting – and then become inflamed. This often happens in children who are still growing. Tiny tears can also develop in the tendon. The time taken between exercise and rest (recovery), as well as the alignment of the leg, muscle strength and muscle length, and footwear can all contribute to the development of jumper’s knee.
If you suddenly start exercising a lot in a short period of time, spend too little time on a proper warm-up, have thigh muscles that are not yet strong, or are overweight, you are more likely to develop jumper’s knee.
With jumper’s knee (patellar tendinopathy) you may experience the following symptoms:
– pain at the bottom of the kneecap
– swelling of the knee
– pain when starting a movement (start-up pain)
– stiffness
– pain when pressure is applied to the patellar tendon
In more severe forms of jumper’s knee, the pain is also present at rest.
With jumper’s knee it is important to take it easy with your knee. That means exercising less, or less intensively, for a while, or switching to a sport that puts less strain on your knee, such as swimming or cycling.
It is also a good idea to do exercises that strengthen your leg muscles and the muscles around your knee. You can find suggestions for these online. Your osteopath can also recommend the right exercises for you.
Athletes benefit from osteopathy. Jumper’s knee is a complaint that responds well to osteopathic treatment.
Unlike physiotherapists, for example, osteopaths do not just look at the site of the complaint – in this case the knee – but at the whole body and the person behind it. The osteopath will ask you how your complaints started and how long you have had them, and will also take into account factors such as stress, medical history, weight, work and, of course, the mobility of the body as a whole.
In patients with jumper’s knee, we often see a loss of mobility in the knee. This can be caused by restrictions in the lower leg/foot, the pelvis or the hip. But a restriction in the abdominal tissue can also affect the position of the knee. An osteopath will treat the restriction with gentle techniques, improving the blood supply to the knee and giving it the chance to heal.
You can make an appointment directly, so there is no need to see your GP first.
Taping the knee or wearing a patellar strap helps to reduce the pain of jumper’s knee during sport. This has been shown by research from the UMCG Sports Medicine Centre. As osteopaths, however, we would like to point out that tape or a strap under the kneecap does not make the complaints disappear any faster. Nor does it remove the underlying causes of the complaints. So it remains important to look after yourself and to start a course of osteopathic treatment.
No, jumper’s knee only rarely requires surgery. Rest and exercises are usually sufficient. It is also important that the cause of the jumper’s knee is addressed. An osteopath can help with this.
Recovery from jumper’s knee can take a long time. The biggest pitfall is returning to sport too soon, once the pain has gone. It is therefore important to start treatment with an osteopath in good time, to build in enough rest after training and not to train too hard. The osteopath can help you treat the complaints and prescribe exercises. If necessary, he will refer you to a medical specialist, although this is rarely needed.