Jumper's knee
Jumper's knee is a colloquial term for a sports injury characterized by pain in the front area of the knee. It is most often caused by overuse changes within the patellar ligament.
What is the patellar ligament?
It is a ligament located in the knee joint. It constitutes the middle part of the common tendon of quadriceps femoris, one of the largest muscles in the human body. This structure allows for proper limb movement, such as running, jumping, and straightening the limb.
Jumper's knee - causes
Jumper's knee most commonly appears during overloads, which cause microtrauma to the structure and significantly affect its endurance. What can cause overloads?
- overweight or obesity,
- foot structure abnormalities, e.g., flat feet,
- abnormalities in the structure of the knee joint,
- in athletes - irregularities in exercise execution.
Jumper's knee - symptoms
The symptoms most commonly experienced by our patients are:
- severe pain in the front part of the knee joint,
- pain during exercise or after its completion,
- in advanced stages, pain during daily activities, e.g., sitting down, standing up, walking.
Diagnosis and treatment
The treatment of jumper's knee largely depends on the degree of advancement of the condition. Diagnosis of the condition mostly involves performing an ultrasound examination. Treatment of patellar ligament damage can be divided into:
- Conservative treatment - exercises with a physiotherapist and orthopaedic rehabilitation. Its aim is to strengthen the muscles and stimulate them properly.
- Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections - a modern regenerative therapy aimed at obtaining autologous material from the patient's peripheral blood, which will be used during treatment to stimulate cells for regeneration and renewal.
- Hyaluronic acid treatment - successfully used in the treatment of various orthopaedic conditions. Hyaluronic acid is also administered by injection. It forms a protective layer and nourishes the articular cartilage.
- In advanced stages, surgical treatment is necessary.
Do you suspect you have jumper's knee? Take advantage of an orthopaedic consultation at OrtoGo Medical Centre in Warsaw or Płock.
Have you got questions? Get in touch with us - 22 100 45 20 or 24 337 62 66.
The cost of the jumper's knee treatment and other services can be found in our price list.