jumpers knee

[saintsfan2010]

im a bball player and my jumpers knee came back. my hops is a big part of my game but my jumpers knee came back and it has taken a good 3-5 inches of my vert. i cant jump as hard as i can because it will hurt. Is there anyway to gey rid of the jumpers knee. Is there any supps i can take.

[federaldb59]

I got jumpers knee. Stop playing ball. Probably for about 4-6 weeks. Itll suck but you wanna play full speed again right. Ice it for 20 minutes every couple of hours for the first few days then ice it as needed after that.

Stretching the hamstrings, calfs, and quads will go a long way in making you feel better.
Cross friction massage really helps me out. Basically rub your fingers on the area that hurts. Youll be pushing into the tendon where its painful so it will hurt but rub back in forth and keep applying more pressure. Youll squeeze it so much that it should stop hurting momentarily. Do this for 10 minutes multiple times per day.

Heres how you should fit this all in to your schedule.
Wake up: stretch
2 hrs later: cross friction massage/ice pack for 20 minutes
2 hrs later: stretch/ ice
2hrs later: cross friction/ ice
etc.

Also how long have you had it. It may be Tendonosis. Tendinitis is actually rare to get and it normally last for a couple weeks. Tendonosis means there is micro trauma to the patella tendon that hasnt healed properly and often take month to recover from.

[saintsfan2010]

8 months but it got better then it came back

[101pro]

Federals advice is good. Really focus on stretching your quads. Also work on strengthening your glutes and hamstrings. A stronger posterior chain means that when jumping and landing they will take more of the load than your quads which will take stress off of your knees.

Alex
http://evolutionaryathletics.com

[federaldb59]

Sounds like tendonosis like I said. Take a couple weeks off take my advice and do it everyday like I said for about 2 1/2 weeks minimum and try playing ball at about 40% try running try jumping but if you feel any pain stop immediately ice it and take some more time off.

Ive been fighting mine for about 8-9 months now and have just seriously started to take care of it and its feeling better.

Do you lift weights? If you do you may have to change your routine like I did mine. No more full squats instead I do box squats, I try not to do exercise that bend my knee a lot.
P.M. me I have a stretching and strengthening pamphlet I found online that has really helped me.

[mp5x]

I agree with what everyone else said. I had jumper's knee and took approx. 8 weeks off from playing ball and weights. For the latter 4 weeks of the 8 I did some rehab at home. I pretty much googled the exercises. I think it help strengthen my knees and prepped me for returning to sports. Google "thestretchinghandbook . com" with the protocol for how to approach rehab.

Also, when you're done with that part of recovery, phase into a recumbent bike or elliptical to get your legs active again. Make sure you strengthen your quads, calves and hams as well. Just get enough rest and don't try to rush into it.

You should be sure to protect yourself from reinjury using a strap specific for patellar tendon injury like the knee jumpers strap (I know mueller makes one, I'm sure others do as well).

I would wear one on both knees because chances are, your other knee might have the same issues.

After you play ball or use your legs, remember to ice both knees to keep it in check.

Good luck.

[goovlaganker]

I struggled with this in both knees all through high school football. my highschool trainer would always tell me to ice it and what not. Now, i've found it was because of squatting form, and overdeveloped quads. make sure when you do squats, to go past parallel(once your knee is healed obviously)

I recently started getting the pain again, and looked up eccentric stretched for jumpers knee. This completely took the pain away! wish i had done them in highschool.

p.s. The patellar straps and prewrap around the tendon help in the beginning, but eventually just redirect the pain to another part of the tendon. i used prewrap twisted up tightly around my knees all the time, and was eventually having to put multiple pieces over every part of the tendon, while cutting circulation badly. So i wouldnt rely on these too much

[federaldb59]

I struggled with this in both knees all through high school football. my highschool trainer would always tell me to ice it and what not. Now, i've found it was because of squatting form, and overdeveloped quads. make sure when you do squats, to go past parallel(once your knee is healed obviously)

I recently started getting the pain again, and looked up eccentric stretched for jumpers knee. This completely took the pain away! wish i had done them in highschool.

p.s. The patellar straps and prewrap around the tendon help in the beginning, but eventually just redirect the pain to another part of the tendon. i used prewrap twisted up tightly around my knees all the time, and was eventually having to put multiple pieces over every part of the tendon, while cutting circulation badly. So i wouldnt rely on these too much

Forgot to mention that thanks. If you squat make sure your forms good. I wasnt pushing my knees out to the side and that was placing stress on my tendon. Look at your quad as well, the outside of mine is massive while the inside isnt really muscular. The quad muscles are connected to the patella by the quadriceps tendon and I think my muscles are pulling my knee cap to the outside making it rub.
Try that pamphlet I gave you 2 times a day for a week or 2 then try some eccentric exercises.

[jgassen15]

So far all the advice has been great, as much as I hate to say it, relax and ice are what you can rely on. 1) If you HAVE to play for some reason, such as state championship game or something, you can use a NSAID like ibuprofen or celebrex if you get a prescription, but we really underestimate how dangerous these drugs, especially prescription, are for our bodies. Even ibuprofen will not facilitate healing, in fact, new studies have shown it significantly hinders healing, which goes for all NSAIDs. Not to mentions GI problems and potential cardiac problems as you age. A couple more important things to note are,2) have you tried custom orthotics? I put on 20 lbs. one year before basketball season and got horrible shin splints. I got orthotics, took a week off for winter break, and never had problems again. 3) Also, alignment issues play a HUGE role in wear and tear injuries. I had horrible jumper's knee from grade school on (i started dunking in 6th grade and couldn't get myself to stop every chance I had). Mke sure your adductors and abductors are both strong and flexible. Basically, make sure not only that you have strong hips, but that they are capable of healthy movement, especially side to side. There are some great articles online about loosening your hips here on BB.com. Also there's a system called Z-health that has gotten good reviews, but it looks expensive and I've never tried it yet. 4) There are some supplements that aren't going to "heal" your jumper's knee, but can sure help the process. Obviously your standard glucosamine, chondroiton, MSM blend, which even going through college my physio teacher's would recommend athletes take as young as possible as these are vital fuels for the regeneration of connective tissues. Make sure you're getting plenty of Vitamin C. There have been some pretty rave reviews on Cissus lately, I'll be picking up some SuperCissus RX with my next order. When you're prone to overuse injuries like us, you pretty much have to start doing everything right as soon as possible and get adequate rest, you don't want to end up like me 20 years old and 6 going on 7 knee surgeries. (probably because I refuse to stop playing basketball and dunking every time I get the chance)