Symptoms

Typically, an irritation of the patellar tendon becomes noticeable through pain in the patella, which is usually unilateral, but can also affect both sides. Usually, the pain increases under stress, especially during sports, climbing stairs and walking downhill. However, the pain can also occur during everyday movements and can be triggered by tensing the anterior quadriceps muscle of the thigh.

Depending on the extent and severity of the tendon damage, the knee can no longer be loaded properly and its function is restricted, i.e. bending and stretching the leg is only possible to a limited extent or with pain. Further symptoms are typical signs of inflammation: the affected knee swells, feels warm and the overlying skin is reddened. As the damage to the tendon increases, the pain becomes worse and in the worst case, the patella tendon may eventually tear.

The knee must then be operated. Irritation of the patella tendon leads to pain in the area of the knee joint. Depending on the degree of inflammation, the pain can vary. Initially, the knee only hurts after exertion, e.g. sports or climbing stairs, later the pain also occurs during physical activity. As the inflammation increases, the pain persists even when no load is applied.

Diagnosis

In the case of severe pain in the knee area, which becomes more severe under stress, there is a suspicion of a patellar tendon irritation. A doctor can make the diagnosis by palpation and functional testing of the knee joint. This includes an examination for pressure pain in the patellar tendon and whether stretching the leg against resistance is possible. To confirm the diagnosis, imaging procedures such as ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are suitable, which provide information on how severely the patellar tendon is irritated and refine the prognosis.

Indications

An inflammation of the patellar tendon begins insidiously and is only slowly noticeable.The first sign of an irritated patellar tendon is pain in the knee area between the tibia and the patella, which becomes stronger under stress. Later, the pain can become worse and restrict not only sporting activities but also movements in everyday life.