Patellar Tendonitis and Eccentric Quadricep Work. Spend Less Time on the Bench!

Jumper’s Knee

Jumper’s Knee, or patellar tendinopathy (often incorrectly referred to as tendonitis), is an injury that often plagues athletes from many sports involving landing from repeated jumps. Basketball and volleyball players are most at risk for this overuse injury, due to the constant extension of the knee from the landings. Ignoring the injury can lead to lots of time spent on the sideline, but luckily early identification and treatment can prevent too much bench warming!

Once a dififcult to treat injury, patellar tendinopathy is now treated with a conservative exercise-based rehabilitation routine involving eccentric quadricep work, often in the form of leg curls and decline squats. Remember to always consult a doctor before deciding upon a rehabilitation strategy!

Now that you know more about patellar tendonitis and eccentric quadricep work, here are some exercises to treat this condition:

Decline Squats

To perform a decline squat, simply stand in a neutral position with your feet shoulder width apart. Toes should be pointed out at around 45 degrees, or as close as is comfortable. From here, keeping a neutral lower back, slowly lower your body until your calves touch the back of your legs - or as close as is safe until the flexibility is developed. Do not worry if your flexibility does not allow you to get all the way down yet, it will come with time!

Some tips: Keep your eyes neutral, do not look too far up or too far down towards the floor. Again, keep a neutral spine and your descent controlled. Safety first, the last thing desired is another injury during rehabilitation!

Leg Curls

For leg curls, your goal is to strengthen the hamstrings to provide the support during landing needed to keep the knee healthy. This movement can be performed on a machine, using a swiss ball, or with your own body weight.

The basic idea is to utilize your leg to “curl” the weight towards your body. To perform this exercise on a machine, simply lay down prone upon the bench, sliding your leg into the lever.

To utilize a swiss ball, lay prone (either upon a bench, or the floor), with your leg lying upon the ball. Simply retract your leg (curling at the knee) to bring the ball closer to your body. The same movement can be performed without the swiss ball if it is too difficult at first. Be careful and conservative with your choice in load - care must be taken to prevent any further damage to the knee.

Safety First

As with all rehabilitation exercises, including those for patellar tendonitis and eccentric quadricep work, consult a doctor or physiotherapist before proceeding with any routine. Use conservative loads and proceed slowly, the goal is to gently strengthen the muscle until it is ready to handle regular stress. Above all, be safe!

Sources Cited

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18772691?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=7

https://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Hamstrings/LVLyingLegCurl.html