Patellar Tendinopathy also known as “Jumper’s Knee” is a condition that causes pain in the patellar tendon which is a strong band of tissue connecting your kneecap (patella) to the shin bone. It is commonly called “jumper’s knee” because it is particularly common in activities that involve repeated jumping, landing, running and rapid changes of direction. Although it is often associated with athletes, you do not have to be a professional sports person to develop it.
What is patellar tendinopathy?
The patellar tendon connects the bottom of your kneecap to the top of your shin bone. Together with the quadriceps muscles and tendon, it forms an important part of the mechanism that allows you to straighten your knee, jump, run, climb stairs and get up from a chair. Patellar tendinopathy occurs when the tendon is unable to cope with the amount of load being placed on it. The tendon can develop changes in its structure and become painful particularly when it is repeatedly loaded. It is therefore better thought of as a load-related tendon problem, rather than simply inflammation. According to a 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis involving more than 28,000 participants found an overall prevalence of about 18.3% among athletes. The prevalence was approximately 20.8% in basketball players and 24.8% in volleyball players. This is why the condition is commonly known as jumper’s knee.
What are the symptoms?
The main symptom is pain at the front of the knee, usually around the bottom of the kneecap or along the patellar tendon. You may notice pain below the kneecap, pain when jumping or landing, pain when running or climbing stairs, pain when squatting and pain when getting up from a chair, repeated knee bending and straightening can also exacerbate pain, stiffness in the tendon, particularly after activity is another symptom. Tenderness when pressing around the patellar tendon is common, ability to jump, run or participate in sport is reduced. In the early stages, pain may occur mainly during activity and settle afterwards. As the condition progresses, pain may begin to appear during everyday activities as well.
What causes patellar tendinopathy?
The most important factor is usually repeated loading of the tendon without enough time or capacity to adapt.
Think of the tendon like a strong rope. It can tolerate a lot of force, but if the amount of force suddenly increases—for example, if you suddenly start jumping or running much more—the tendon may struggle to adapt.
Common triggers include:
- A sudden increase in exercise, such as suddenly increasing running distance
- Starting a new jumping programme
- Increasing gym weights quickly
- Returning to sport after a long break
- Increasing training frequency
- Repeated jumping and landing
Basketball, volleyball and other jumping sports place considerable demands on the patellar tendon.
Reduced strength of the quadriceps, calf, hip or other muscles may affect how load is distributed through the leg.
Poor load management, such as training hard every day without adequate recovery, can increase the stress placed on the tendon.
Changes in training surfaces, footwear or equipment, or sudden changes in playing surface and training conditions, can sometimes contribute to pain.
Importantly, patellar tendinopathy is usually not caused by one single factor. A combination of training load, tendon capacity, strength, recovery and individual factors can contribute.
When Should You See a Physiotherapist?
Consider seeing a physiotherapist if knee pain continues for more than a few days after exercise, or if:
- Pain keeps returning every time you exercise
- Jumping and running have become painful
- Squatting or climbing stairs is becoming difficult
- You have reduced your sporting activity because of knee pain
- The pain is gradually getting worse
- You experience morning or post-exercise stiffness
- You are unsure how much exercise is safe
A physiotherapist can assess where the pain is coming from, the strength of your quadriceps, hip and calf muscles, your range of knee movement, the mechanics of jumping and landing, and your training programme and activity levels.
This helps create a rehabilitation programme based on your current tendon capacity rather than simply telling you to rest or avoid activity.
How is patellar tendinopathy treated?
At Elevate, we tailor-make a complete “Road Map” based on the patient’s biopsychosocial status, keeping in mind their concerns and goals to return to the activities they enjoy the most.
The main treatment is progressive exercise and appropriate management of tendon load.
Treatment may include:
Activity Modification
You may not need to stop all exercise. Instead, your physiotherapist may modify:
- Running
- Jumping
- Squatting
- Training volume
- Training frequency
- Exercise intensity
The goal is to find a level of activity that your tendon can tolerate while it gradually becomes stronger.
Progressive Strengthening Exercises
Strengthening exercises are progressively introduced to improve the capacity of the tendon and surrounding muscles.
These may include:
- Isometric exercises
- Slow strengthening exercises
- Eccentric exercises
- Quadriceps strengthening
- Hip strengthening
- Calf strengthening
What Does Research Say?
Research supports exercise-based rehabilitation for improving pain, function and strength in people with patellar tendinopathy. Some exercises can be selected specifically to help reduce pain while maintaining muscle activity.
Isometric exercises may be particularly useful for short-term pain management, while progressive eccentric or heavy slow resistance exercises can be used as part of longer-term rehabilitation.
What is the treatment process like?
Recovery is usually progressive rather than immediate.
Stage 1 — Understand and Control the Load
The first step is to identify what is irritating the tendon.
Your physiotherapist may temporarily reduce activities such as:
- Repeated jumping
- Sprinting
- Deep squats
- High-volume running
- Repetitive stair work
You can often continue other activities that the tendon tolerates.
The aim is to reduce excessive irritation without completely stopping movement.
Stage 2 — Reduce Pain and Maintain Strength
Appropriate exercises are introduced.
These may include:
- Isometric quadriceps exercises
- Controlled knee exercises
- Gentle strengthening
- Hip and calf exercises
The exact exercises depend on your symptoms and current strength.
Stage 3 — Build Tendon Capacity
Once symptoms are better controlled, strengthening becomes progressively more challenging.
Exercises may progress towards:
- Squats
- Split squats
- Leg press
- Step-ups
- Controlled jumping exercises
- Heavier resistance exercises
The tendon needs to gradually learn to tolerate greater loads again.
Stage 4 — Return to Running and Jumping
For someone who wants to return to sport, rehabilitation eventually
progresses towards:
Strength → Hopping → Jumping → Landing → Running → Sprinting → Sport-specific movements
The exercises become increasingly similar to the demands of the person’s sport.
Stage 5 — Return to Full Activity
The final goal is not simply to have less pain, but to ensure that your tendon and muscles are strong enough to handle the amount of activity you want to do.
Your physiotherapist may gradually increase:
- Training volume
- Speed
- Jumping frequency and intensity
- Resistance
- Sport-specific drills
How long does recovery take?
Patellar tendinopathy can be a slow-to-improve condition, and recovery varies considerably between individuals.
Recovery depends on several factors, including:
- How long you have had symptoms
- The severity of the condition
- Tendon loading capacity
- Strength of the surrounding muscles
- Your age
- How consistently you follow your rehabilitation programme
- Whether you are mindful of activities that overload the tendon
Some people improve within several weeks, while more persistent cases can take several months or longer.
This is one reason it is important not to judge treatment after only a few
sessions.
A systematic review found that longer symptom duration was associated with poorer improvement, with one analysis estimating approximately a 0.9% decrease in improvement for each additional month of symptoms. This does not mean that everyone who has had pain for a long time will have a poor outcome, but it highlights the value of addressing persistent tendon pain rather than repeatedly ignoring it.
The Good News Is
Having jumper’s knee does not mean you have to give up running, jumping or
sport permanently. The tendon can adapt to increased loads when rehabilitation is carefully progressed.
The key is finding the right balance between:
Load → Recovery → Strength → Gradual progression
The goal is to help your tendon become strong enough to tolerate the activities you enjoy.
Pain control → Build strength → Increase tendon capacity → Return to jumping → Return to sport
Evidence at a Glance
Patellar tendinopathy affects approximately 18% of athletes overall, with higher rates reported in sports such as basketball and volleyball.
Exercise-based rehabilitation has evidence for improving pain, strength and function, with progressive loading—including eccentric and heavy slow resistance approaches—being an important component of treatment.
This information is for general education and does not replace an individual assessment by a physiotherapist or doctor.