Knee tendonitis results from an irritated or inflamed tendon in the knee, which can cause significant pain and mobility challenges especially as we hit middle-aged. Depending on what activities you’ve participated in (e.g. running), you may be more susceptible to developing tendonitis of the knee.

In fact, you may have heard of knee tendonitis referred to as runner’s knee or jumper’s knee. A more common type of knee tendonitis is patellar tendonitis. This happens when the tendon that connects your kneecap (patella) to your shin gets injured.

Tendonitis is usually caused by repetitive motions in your knee that put excessive stress on a tendon, such as playing a sport or doing physical labor

Physical therapy is an important treatment for arthritis that can help keep the knee strong and improve range of motion and function, and keep knee pain at bay. Seeking the guidance of a physical therapist at Vita before arthritis pain becomes severe can result in better outcomes and improved quality of life. Our specialists are focused on prevention in addition to symptom management to help you avoid more invasive treatments such as surgery.

The first symptom of knee tendonitis is often pain in the front of your knee or at the base of the knee cap. You may only notice the pain after intense physical activity (e.g. tennis, running, hiking or biking). But you should not ignore the pain as it can worsen over time and begin to make your sporting or daily activities more difficult.

• Knee mobility issues
• Dull pain in your knee during physical activity
• Tenderness and swelling
• Pain that slowly begins to interfere with daily activities

Vita’s team of highly trained and qualified therapists can help diagnose the condition, identify other contributing variables and provide hands on treatment as well as develop individualized exercise programs to help alleviate your arthritis pain and get you back to living life. A physical therapy program for knee arthritis typically includes:

• Immediately employ RICE therapy (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) and take anti-inflammatory over-the-counter pain medication upon checking with your primary care doctor or us.
• An exercise program focused on strengthening the muscles that surround the knee.
• Soft tissue mobilization
• Joint mobilization
• Proprioceptive training
• Dry Needling and kinesio taping to help manage pain