Patellar tendinopathy

Patellar tendinopathy (PT), also known as jumper’s knee, is a painful overuse injury of the patellar tendon. This injury is common in jumping athletes. There are numerous treatment options currently available for PT, yet none of them guarantee full recovery. As a result, many athletes have long-lasting symptoms, even after ending their athletic career. The scope of this thesis was to gain more insight into the causes and consequences of PT, and to study the effectiveness of commonly used orthoses, like patellar straps, on pain and knee joint proprioception. This thesis shows that male jumping athletes who have physically demanding work have a bigger chance of developing PT, hence when taking preventive measures it is important to consider the type of work an athlete does. This thesis also showed that PT has a negative impact on sports and work, as 55% of the athletes had substantial problems during sports: 16% had low work ability and 35% reduced work productivity. This thesis demonstrated further that pain during and after sports can be reduced by using a patellar strap. A patellar strap also seems to improve knee joint proprioception, which may play a role in injury prevention. The long-term effect of using a patellar straps remains unknown though. This thesis provides more insight into the severity and etiology of PT, possible working mechanisms, and the effectiveness of the use of patellar straps.