Patellar tendonitis

Background

• Seen in runners, basketball and volleyball players, high jumpers

Clinical Features

• Pain referred to area of patellar tendon
• Pain worsened with going from sitting to standing and running (especially uphill)
  • Point tenderness at distal aspect of patella or proximal part of patellar tendon

Differential Diagnosis

Knee diagnoses

Acute knee injury

• Knee dislocation
• Knee fractures
  • Patella fracture
  • Segond fracture
  • Tibial plateau fracture
• Meniscus and ligament knee injuries
• Patella dislocation
• Patellar tendonitis
• Patellar tendon rupture
• Quadriceps tendon rupture

Nontraumatic/Subacute

• Arthritis
• Gout and Pseudogout
• Osgood-Schlatter disease
• Patellofemoral syndrome (Runner's Knee)
• Patellar tendonitis (Jumper's knee)
• Pes anserine bursitis
• Popliteal cyst (Bakers cyst)
• Prepatellar bursitis (nonseptic)
• Septic bursitis
• Septic joint
• DVT

Management

• Heat, NSAIDs, quadriceps-strengthening exercises

See Also

• Knee (Minor)