Patellar tendonitis??

[Green Monstah]

Ive beenexercising more lately (including playing basketball and volleyball) and i have some pain underneath and behind my kneecap. If i dont stretch well and then run or jump, it really aches. Up and down stairs is painful. Patellar tendonitis? Any way to treat it so I can continue to exercise??

[LA Ute]

Ive beenexercising more lately (including playing basketball and volleyball) and i have some pain underneath and behind my kneecap. If i dont stretch well and then run or jump, it really aches. Up and down stairs is painful. Patellar tendonitis? Any way to treat it so I can continue to exercise??

For me, what has worked is ice + Advil to get the inflammation down, and a simple knee brace - the neoprene type you can get at any pharmacy. That holds the patella stable while you exercise, I'm told. Works for me, anyway.

[Jacob]

It can take a long time to heal. Ice it often. use a brace, if that works for you. Rest it i.e. no jumping. But you also need to start doing heavy squats, and deep to strengthen it going forward. I'd say that's your best medicine--the squats. Oh, and fish oil.

[woot]

I've had knee problems since high school, and finally fixed them only a year or two ago by rolling out my IT bands, taking 6 grams of fish oil every day, and eliminating artificial food coloring. I also lost some weight, which I'm sure helped but wasn't the main issue since they hurt before I gained any, and I also do lots of squats but that's also been true for a long time. I couldn't tell you what actually fixed my issues.

[Green Monstah]

Thanks for the tips. I can hardly walk on my right knee. The pain kept me up all night. Is that possible for tendonitis??

[LA Ute]

Thanks for the tips. I can hardly walk on my right knee. The pain kept me up all night. Is that possible for tendonitis??

Doesn't sound like it but we need Hostile on this one.

[San Juan Sun]

Doesn't sound like it but we need Hostile on this one.

Someone should make a summon Hostile thingy.

[Jarid in Cedar]

Someone should make a summon Hostile thingy.

Here is the pic. SOmeone else needs to put the wording in:

[Jeff Lebowski]

Thanks for the tips. I can hardly walk on my right knee. The pain kept me up all night. Is that possible for tendonitis??

Yes. I had my first bout with it this summer and it took weeks to get over it. A cortisone injection under my kneecap seemed to really help.

[hostile]

Doesn't sound like patellar tendonitis. Pain "behind the kneecap", especially with the knee in a flexed position (stairs, jumping) is most likely osteochondritis dessicans - thinning of the cartilage on the patella. It can be an early indication of cartilage wear in the patellofemoral joint - where the kneecap meets the lower end of the thigh bone. It is a relatively common problem and can be very painful.

My guess is that your recent increase in higher-intensity exercise is putting additional stress on the cartilage in this area because the muscles around the knee (quads, hamstrings) are 1) out of condition and 2) contracted and tight. The fact that stretching makes things better confirms this.

I would recommend backing off on some of your activities and let the inflammation calm down. Ice and NSAIDS can help with acute pain control - Ibuprofen 800mg 3x/day w/ food works pretty well in most instances. I would continue stretching your quads on a daily basis - 2-3X a day as this will help loosen up the capsule/muscles around the knee joint and decrease the stress across the cartilage. Finally, work on strengthening the quads with some short-arc leg extensions/squats - don't let the knee flex more than 45-60 degrees.

It should get better, but will take time. Sometimes steroid injections can be helpful to decrease the pain.

[Green Monstah]

Thanks, Hostile.