Jumper’s knee

Patellar tendinitis, or jumper’s knee, is a relatively common cause of pain in the inferior patellar region, especially with athletes.

Jumper’s knee commonly occurs in athletes who are involved in jumping sports such as handball, basketball and volleyball, or other sports that involve sudden direction changes.

Depending on the duration of symptoms, jumper’s knee is classified into 1 of the following 4 stages:

1. Pain only after activity
2. Pain during and after activity
3. Prolonged pain during and after activity, with increasing difficulty performing satisfactorily
4. Complete tendon tear needing surgical repair

It starts as inflammation in the patellar tendon where it attaches to the patella (knee cap) and might worsen by tearing or degenerating the tendon.
It’s an overuse injury caused by repetitive overload of the extensor mechanism of the knee.

Laser therapy can be applied as treatment and has shown to be effective, when treatment commences early. A frequency of 3-4 treatments per week is recommended, low dosage applied to tender points and trigger points.