Infrapatellar tendinitis is inflammation of patellar tendon, which connects the patella to the tibia. It usually is due to overuse of the knee with running or jumping, which causes injury to the patellar tendon at the attachment to the lower pole of the patella. Treatment is with rest, physical therapy, taping, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Knee pain with infrapatellar tendon tenderness in physically active children usually occurs in figure skaters and basketball or volleyball players. It typically affects children 10 to 13 years of age.
Pain is most exaggerated when straightening the knee against force (eg, climbing stairs, jumping, doing knee bends).
Etiology of infrapatellar tendinitis is thought to be trauma due to excessive traction by the patellar tendon at its site of origin, leading to microavulsion fractures.
History and physical examination are usually sufficient for diagnosis of infrapatellar tendinitis; however, MRI or ultrasound can show the extent of the injury.
Treatment of Infrapatellar Tendinitis
Measures to relieve pain
Activity modification
Pain is treated with modification of activities, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, taping, and physical therapy.
Persistent pain may be treated with surgical repair; however, this is usually not necessary (1).
Dry needling and platelet-rich plasma injections may show some long-term benefit, but evidence is inconclusive (2, 3).
Treatment references
1. Rudavsky A, Cook J. Physiotherapy management of patellar tendinopathy (jumper's knee). J Physiother. 2014;60(3):122-129. doi:10.1016/j.jphys.2014.06.022
2. Vander Doelen T, Jelley W. Non-surgical treatment of patellar tendinopathy: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. J Sci Med Sport. 2020;23(2):118-124. doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2019.09.008
3. Irby A, Gutierrez J, Chamberlin C, Thomas SJ, Rosen AB. Clinical management of tendinopathy: A systematic review of systematic reviews evaluating the effectiveness of tendinopathy treatments. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2020;30(10):1810-1826. doi:10.1111/sms.13734
