By Martha A. Simpson, D.O., M.B.A.
Associate Professor of Family Medicine
Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine

PICKUP GAME PLAYERS -- WHO CAN’T JUMP -- CAN GET JUMPER’S KNEE

Question: I often get sore knees after I play basketball. Several month’s ago, I picked up a “jumper’s knee” strap at the drug store. It goes around the leg, just below the knee. It has greatly reduced my post-exercise knee pain. Could you tell me what jumper’s knee is? I find this a funny term since it’s a standing joke that I can’t jump more than an inch off the floor. How does this strap help reduce my knee pain?

Answer: The knee cap (patella) is attached to the shin bone (tibia) by a strong tendon known as the patellar tendon. This tendon helps to straighten out the knee in concert with the quadriceps muscle of the thigh and its tendon, the quadriceps tendon. Jumper’s knee, whose primary symptom is pain at the bottom and front of the knee, is caused by inflammation and irritation of the patellar tendon where it attaches to the top end of the tibia. That’s why this disorder is called patellar tendonitis in doctor lingo.

This inflammation of the patellar tendon is very common in participants of active jumping sports, like basketball and volleyball. You don’t have to jump high to get jumper’s knee. The frequency with which you jump is more crucial in the development of this problem than the height of your jumps. Therefore, jumper’s knee is not just limited to seasoned athletes and NBA starts, but the average pickup game participant is equally vulnerable
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Patellar tendonitis is easily diagnosed in the physician’s office by taking a history and doing a physical exam. A history of pain with activities such as running or jumping is commonly the major complaint of someone with this condition coming into the doctor’s office. The patient may also complain of aching and stiffness in the knee that gets worse when he or she cools down after a game. During the physical exam your physician should be able to reproduce your pain by pressing over the patellar tendon.

In some cases, though, your doctor may be suspicious that you may have something more than just simple jumper’s knee. In that case, he or she may take an X-ray to be sure there is nothing else going on.

You have already started the appropriate treatment for jumper’s knee. The strap that you use just below your knee cap, helps support the inflamed tendon where it attaches to the tibia. This is helpful in many people.

There are also several other treatments that can provide comfort. These may include resting the knee when it is painful, using non-prescription anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen, as well as stretching before you exercise and icing the painful knee when it is inflamed.

But please remember that self-treatment has its limits. If any condition that you treat yourself for doesn’t resolve completely in a few days, make an appointment to see your family physician.

Family Medicine® is a weekly column. To submit questions, write to Martha A. Simpson, D.O., M.B.A., Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, P.O. Box 110, Athens, Ohio 45701, or via e-mail to readerquestions@familymedicinenews.org. Medical information in this column is provided as an educational service only. It does not replace the judgment of your personal physician, who should be relied on to diagnose and recommend treatment for any medical conditions. Past columns are available online at www.familymedicinenews.org.