Jumpers Knee

12 Pages 3081 Words

JUMPER’S KNEE


TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Introduction
A. Mechanism of injury
B. Signs and symptoms

II. Prevalence of Jumper’s knee in volleyball players

III. Anatomy
A. Bones
B. Ligaments
C. Muscles
D. Retinaculum
E. Nerves
F. Vascular supply

IV. Medical Interventions
A. Medications
B. Surgical and Non-surgical repair
C. Immobilization

V. Rehabilitation
A. Treatment concerns
B. Operative and non-operative routes
C. Specific rehabilitation protocols recommended
D. Modalities
E. Progression
F. Return to activity

VI. References












Jumper’s Knee 3

Many injuries occur every day, and a common injury is Jumper’s Knee. Jumper’s Knee is another name for patellar tendonitis. This injury is the inflammation of the patellar tendon. Inflammation can also occur in the quadriceps tendon. The quadriceps tendon is where the quadriceps muscles come together and inserts on the superior aspect of the patella. The patellar tendon connects the patella to the tibia. The exact anatomy will be looked at in more depth later in the paper. Information about the causes and symptoms of Jumper’s Knee, the prevalence this injury has to volleyball players, medical interventions, and the rehabilitation will also be addressed.
There are many mechanisms that can result in patellar tendonitis. The most common mechanism is constant repetitive jumping. Accelerating to the jump, decelerating before the jump, and landing after the jump are all factors that can cause the inflammation (Roy & Irvin, 1983,p. 342). Other mechanisms include sudden or repetitive eccentric knee extension. The forceful extension may initiate the inflammation and that can lead to the patellar tendon degeneration (Arnheim & Prentice, 2000, p.533). Small tears that develop from the repetitive trauma to the area usually cause the pain that is felt (http://www.lipscombclinc.com). Putting unequal l...