Jumpers Knee

The malalignment can cause the patellar tendon to stretch in abnormal ways causing the .
             Jumper's Knee 4.
             inflammation (Roy & Irvin, 1983, p.343). Other unavoidable mechanisms include having abnormalities of the tendon tissue, having patellar instability of a lateral tilt, or having Osgood-Schlatters disease as a past injury. These factors also can cause irregular placement and movement of the tendon, resulting in inflammation (Roy & Irvin, 1983, p.344).
             The most common site for patellar tendonitis to occur is at the attachment of the patellar tendon to the inferior pole of the patella. Other sites include the mid-portion of the patellar tendon and at the insertion of the patellar tendon to the tibial tuberocity (Starkey & Ryan, 2002, p.260). Along with the mechanism of injury, the signs and symptoms you obtain can also help determine if an athlete has patellar tendonitis.
             The most common sign or symptom an athlete has is having pain and tenderness at the inferior pole of the patella. Pain can also be experienced in the mid-portion of the patellar tendon and at the insertion of the tibial tuberocity. There also may be some swelling and crepitis (Starkey & Ryan, 2002, p.262). The swelling is localized and never generalized. The athlete may have a feeling of the knee catching, giving away, or weakness (Roy & Irvin, 1983, p. 343). The athlete might have increased pain when ascending and descending stairs, or with prolonged sitting. There will be pain with active and resisted knee extension, and the pain could actually increase to the point where one's strength becomes inhibited. Passive knee flexion beyond one hundred and twenty degrees will also cause pain in the tendon, which could result in the quadriceps being tight. If the athlete has tight hamstrings, quadriceps, heel cord, or weakness in the ankle dorsiflexors then she might experience pain in the patellar tendon (Anderson, 2000, p.