Diagnosis
The diagnosis of patellitis is mainly made by clinical examination of the knee. For this purpose, the knee is inspected for redness and malpositioning and then examined for movement restrictions, pressure pain and overheating. Imaging procedures such as X-rays or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the knee can also be helpful in making a diagnosis.
Therapy
The treatment of patellitis can be done conservatively. The most important measure is to relieve the knee and avoid strong impact and pressure forces on the knee. In addition, non-steroidal anti-rheumatic drugs, such as ibuprofen or diclofenac, can be used to treat the pain and inflammation. Another therapy option would be the use of cortisone injections into the affected joint to locally counteract the inflammation. Physiotherapy can also be useful, as can heat or cold therapy, depending on the stage of the inflammation.If knee arthrosis or cartilage degeneration is present, more complex therapy and possibly surgery is required.
Prognosis
The prognosis depends on the cause of the patella inflammation. If the knee is simply overstressed, the symptoms usually subside within a few weeks with adequate therapy and one can slowly begin to put normal weight on the knee again. However, if the inflammation is based on chronic wear and tear of the cartilage, symptoms often persist because cartilage does not grow back and pain can occur again and again under stress in the areas exposed by the cartilage damage.
