Patellar tendinopathy was previously thought to occur in 25-30% athletes participating in jumping and/or running sports; however, recent research has shown that Patellar Tendinopathy may only occur in 7.8% of athletes in jumping and/or running sports and a substantial number of athletes may be misdiagnosed.

Brent Sahota (Physiotherapist; Ph.D. student) at Restore Function Physiotherapy has been researching diagnostic criteria for Patellar Tendinopathy since 2019 and is currently involved in an international review and consensus statement on diagnostic criteria.

Brent’s research suggests that patellofemoral pain, which has a varied location of pain, may often present with a similar location of pain as patellar tendinopathy; however, treatment varies significantly between diagnosis.

As a result, athletes with pain around their patellar tendon should seek guidance from a Physiotherapist or Sports and Exercise Medicine Doctor experienced in the differential diagnosis of patellar tendinopathy, especially if prior treatment has failed to resolve their pain.

Reference

Sahota, B., Howes, M., Rio, E., Docking, S., & Cook, J. (2022). Association between knee pain location and abnormal imaging or arthroscopic findings: A systematic review.