Knee Tendonitis

Knee tendonitis is the most common type of knee pain. Your knee is supported by four tendons and any of these can be affected. Tendonitis in the knee can result from a sudden injury or develop over time due to overuse and repetitive motion. It’s most common in middle-aged runners because the tendons become more brittle and easily torn as you age.
Other athletes who are involved in kicking, running and jumping sports are also susceptible. Tiny tears in your tendons occur with these activities and over time become inflamed. If ignored, these tiny tears can lead to larger tears and chronic conditions. Your sports medicine doctor in Midtown Manhattan offers a range of treatments, as well as early care for conditions that lead to tendonitis, including:

Meniscus tear
Knee ligament tear
Bursitis

Risk Factors for Tendonitis in the Knee

Though anyone can develop knee tendonitis; certain individuals are more susceptible. If pain or other symptoms occur, assess what changes you might have recently implemented and adjust accordingly. You may experience pain in your knees if you:

Play sports that require significant running and jumping such as basketball, volleyball, football, track events, tennis or snow skiing
Implement sudden changes in your training schedule or regimen
Change running shoes
Have tight leg muscles
Have a muscular imbalance from some muscles being significantly stronger than others

Symptoms of Tendonitis of the Knee

Knee pain results from multiple issues. Describing your symptoms and their history helps your specialist prescribe the best course of knee tendonitis treatment. Symptoms may include any combination of:

Pain on the sides, front or underneath your kneecap
Pain that’s first present only as you begin or finish an intense activity
Pain that worsens to the point of interfering with your everyday activities
Tenderness and swelling on or around your kneecap

Please see your doctor right away if the pain continues or worsens over time, interferes with your daily activity or is associated with swelling, warmth or redness of the joint along with fever. It’s the best way to avoid future complications.

Before Treatment for Tendonitis in the Knee

Your specialist assesses your pain, swelling and range of motion during a physical exam.

He takes a detailed medical history to see what activities led to your symptoms. He may use x-rays if he suspects bone damage.

If your pain lasts for longer than two weeks, your doctor may order other imaging tests such as a computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Occasionally, electromyograms are used to test for nerve damage.

Treatment for Tendonitis in the Knee

Most instances of knee tendonitis resolve with the least invasive techniques. Your doctor starts with the most conservative treatments. Knee tendonitis treatments include:

Rest
Avoiding any triggering activity
Ice for 20 minutes, every three to four hours to reduce swelling and numb the pain
Over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen and naproxen sodium
Prescription pain medicines
Physical therapy that includes stretching and strengthening exercises, especially for your thighs
Patellar tendon strap that applies pressure to the tendon and distributes force away from it
Elastic wraps for support and warmth
Braces for stability
Warm compresses for 20 minutes every three to four hours encourages blood flow and facilitates healing, if your pain has lasted longer than two weeks
Deep friction massage to relieve tight muscles
Shockwave therapy
Corticosteroid injections, although they’re used sparingly, as they can weaken the tendons and cause them to rupture
As a last resort, arthroscopic surgery to repair damaged tendons

Knee surgery takes anywhere from eight weeks to six months for recovery as it usually includes physical therapy for rehabilitation. No matter which therapy you choose, you should always ease slowly back into your normal activities to ensure the healing process isn’t interrupted or set back.

Prevention of Knee Tendonitis

To either prevent the occurrence of tendonitis in the knee or keep it from returning, some simple preventive steps make all the difference:

Don’t play through your pain. Doing so could only worsen the injury, leading to chronic or severe tendonitis.
Stretch and warm-up your muscles fully before any physical activity that’s exacerbated the pain and other symptoms in the past.
Be aware of any new potentially aggravating activities.
Strengthen your muscles, especially in your thighs, to relieve knee tendon pressure.
Improve your technique, correcting poor posture, lifting routines or bad habits used during athletic events.
Wear appropriate footwear with good supports; avoid high heels.
Use a wrap or brace on your knee while involved in any motion that could aggravate or reinjure your knee.

Febin Melepura, MD is a top rated, best in class interventional pain management doctor. He is a nationally recognized pain relief specialist and is among the top pain care doctors in New York City and the country. He is an award winning expert and contributor to a prominent media outlets.

Dr. Febin Melepura has been recognized for his thoughtful, thorough, modern approach to treating chronic pain and, among other accolades, has been named a “top pain management doctor in New York”, and one of “America’s Top Doctors™” for an advanced sports injury treatments.