Jumper’s Knee

Written by Alyson Powell Key
Medically Reviewed by William Brady, DO on April 15, 2025
8 min read

Jumper’s knee refers to pain in the patellar tendon, which is located below your kneecap (patella). Doctors also call the condition patellar tendonitis. If the pain lasts more than six weeks, it is called patellar tendinosis.

Jumper’s knee affects around 18% of athletes. It affects male athletes slightly more than female athletes. While the condition mainly affects people who play sports, it can also affect nonathletes.

“Jumper’s knee can affect people who squat regularly at work or do everyday tasks like frequently picking up an infant from the floor,” explains Denise Smith, a certified manual physical therapist and owner of Smith Physical Therapy in Crystal Lake, IL.

Jumper’s knee is one of the more common tendinopathies affecting athletes with mature skeletons. 

Bilateral tendinopathy affects both sides of the body and equally impacts both males and females. But unilateral tendinopathy, which affects just one side, is twice as common in males as in females.

Jumper’s knee happens due to repeated stress on the patellar or quadriceps tendon during jumping activities. The added strain leads to the symptoms of jumper’s knee.

This injury mostly affects athletes in sports that involve jumping, such as basketball, volleyball, and high or long jumping. Some soccer players also get jumper’s knee. In rare cases, it can affect athletes in non-jumping sports, such as weightlifting and cycling.

Tissue samples in people with jumper’s knee usually don’t show signs of inflammation, which is more typical in cases of true tendonitis. Experts believe the condition is more like tendinosis, which involves tendon damage without inflammation.

Problems related to jumper’s knee include weak quadriceps and hamstrings. Your ability to jump vertically and how you jump and land can affect the strain on the tendon.

Jumper’s knee risk factors

You’re more likely to get jumper’s knee if you:

  • Were assigned male at birth
  • Have a higher body weight
  • Are bowlegged or knock-kneed
  • Have a wider knee angle
  • Have kneecaps that are higher (called patella alta) or lower (called patella baja) than usual
  • Have one leg that’s longer than the other
  • Overtrain or play on hard surfaces

A common symptom of jumper’s knee is an aching pain in the front of your knee. Symptoms can happen slowly and may not be linked to a specific injury. 

Even though you feel pain in your knee, the problem may be located somewhere else in the system of joints and segments (called the kinetic chain) that work together during movement. 

“The knee is a stable joint but not a mobile one,” Smith says. “So if mobility is affected either above or below the knee, the knee tries to help out, and then it begins to hurt because it’s acting in a way that it is not designed.”

Doctors group jumper’s knee into four stages based on your symptoms:

  • Stage I. You feel pain after being active, but it doesn’t affect how you move.
  • Stage II. You feel pain during and after activity but can still play sports.
  • Stage III. You have ongoing pain during and after activity, making it harder to perform well.
  • Stage IV. You’ve torn your tendon and need surgery.

A doctor or physical therapist usually diagnoses jumper’s knee by looking at your symptoms and doing a physical exam. Lab tests are needed only when there’s a chance another issue, such as an infection, is causing your joint problem.

X-rays aren’t usually necessary but can sometimes help confirm a diagnosis, rule out other causes, or check for damage to surrounding bones. Ultrasound and MRI scans are both good at spotting tendon problems and checking the condition of the ligaments surrounding the joint, even in athletes with no symptoms.

Treatment for jumper’s knee focuses on easing inflammation, movement retraining, and addressing any other problems in the kinetic chain. Your doctor or physical therapist may suggest one or more of these therapies:

  • Activity change. You’ll cut back on activities such as jumping and squatting to ease pressure on your kneecap and upper leg. Your doctor may suggest exercises that add gradual weight to your legs.
  • Cryotherapy. This therapy involves applying ice for 20-30 minutes multiple times a day, especially after activity.
  • Joint motion check. Your doctor or physical therapist will look at the range of motion of your hip, knee, and ankle joints.
  • Stretching. You’ll stretch various muscles, tendons, tissues, and structures around your kneecap.
  • Strengthening. Your doctor or physical therapist will suggest specific strengthening exercises.
  • Ultrasound-delivered medicine. Ultrasound or phonophoresis can soothe pain symptoms.
  • Brace or arch support. These devices can help support and stabilize the foot and leg to improve symptoms and avoid future injuries.
  • Platelet-rich plasma injection. This type of injection could help your body make new tissue and heal tendon damage. Scientists are still researching whether this treatment works for jumper’s knee.
  • Percutaneous tenotomy. This is a minimally invasive procedure that uses ultrasound to guide the removal of damaged or inflamed patellar tendon tissue and allow healthy tissue to take its place.
  • Surgery. A surgeon can remove damaged tissue using an ultrasound-guided needle (called an oscillating needle procedure) or through small cuts around your knee.

Treatment for jumper’s knee depends on the stage of the condition and how long it's been bothering you:

Stage I jumper’s knee

In the early stages of jumper’s knee, your doctor, physical therapist, or orthopedic specialist will likely tell you to cut back on jumping activities and suggest applying ice to the affected area. If the pain continues, you may need to take an anti-inflammatory medicine. 

Stage II jumper’s knee

Besides applying ice and avoiding certain activities, you could also need a corticosteroid shot and physical therapy. Physical therapy improves the range of motion, flexibility, and strength of your knee, ankle, and hip joints.

Stage III jumper’s knee

At this stage, you’ll need to rest for about three to six weeks and continue physical therapy. If these treatments don’t work, you and your doctor will discuss surgery. You may no longer be able to take part in activities that might worsen your condition or slow your recovery.

Stage IV jumper’s knee

You’ll need surgery to repair your ruptured tendon.

During the recovery phase, you’ll work with a physical therapist to restore pain-free range of motion, muscle flexibility, strength, and joint function. You’ll also begin sport-specific training by doing exercises designed for that sport. Don’t quit moving altogether, as this could lead to stiffness or even other muscle or joint problems, which may further delay your recovery.

Consultations

Your doctor may suggest you get a consultation with a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist or an orthopedic specialist. This is especially important if you have a stage I case that doesn’t respond to conservative treatment or if you have a more severe case.

Surgical treatment

Surgery is indicated for stage IV and refractory stage III tendinopathy as noted above. 

The maintenance phase involves exercises that help you keep your flexibility and strength and manage pain. This is important to avoid injuring yourself again and to stay healthy.

Jumper’s knee rehab

During the maintenance phase, you’ll complete a sport-specific training program before returning to competition. You, your doctor, and your physical therapist will work together to figure out when you should resume playing. It will depend on your symptoms, the results of your physical exam, and other test results. Once you start playing again, you’ll work to keep flexibility and strength.

Medication for jumper’s knee

Your doctor may suggest nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (found in Advil and Motrin) and naproxen (found in Aleve and Naprosyn), to help control pain and inflammation. 

Always follow your doctor’s instructions and the label directions when using these medicines. Some people with certain conditions should avoid NSAIDs; your doctor can help you decide if they’re right for you.

Deciding whether you can return to play after having jumper’s knee should be based on your ability to safely and skillfully perform sport-specific activities. If your symptoms continue after treatment, weigh the pros and cons of playing while in pain or possibly getting injured again.

At the end of your recovery phase, a physical therapist, athletic trainer, or physician will perform functional testing, or a set of tests to examine your physical performance. These tests will help your doctor decide whether it’s safe for you to resume your normal activities.

Other health problems that can happen with jumper’s knee include ongoing pain while jumping, reinjury, or worsening of the condition. In rare cases, without treatment, there’s a higher chance of tearing your patellar tendon. This can happen when you continue to use your knee while in pain.

Before competing, sport-specific training and physical fitness may help you avoid jumper's knee. Experts also suggest avoiding using your knees too much by doing the following:

  • Stop if you feel pain in your knee during or after physical activity.
  • Rest your knee after vigorous activity.
  • Stretch before and after physical activity.
  • Avoid year-round training.

Jumper’s knee, also called patellar tendonitis or tendinosis, is a condition that causes pain in the tendon just below your kneecap. It’s common in athletes, especially those who play sports that involve jumping, such as basketball or volleyball. Jumper’s knee happens when the tendon is stressed over and over again. 

Treatment depends on how serious your condition is and usually includes rest, ice, physical therapy, medication, and sometimes surgery. Recovery involves gradually regaining strength and flexibility with help from a physical therapist. With early treatment, most people recover well. But more severe cases take longer to heal, and you may not fully return to previous activity levels.

Does jumper's knee ever go away?

Yes. With the right treatment and physical therapy, jumper’s knee can get better.

Is it okay to run with a jumper's knee?

No. Your doctor will likely suggest you avoid activities that can worsen your condition, including running.

Is walking good for jumper's knees?

Walking is OK as long as it doesn’t make your symptoms worse. Certain activities, such as walking, can even ease pain and stiffness.

Is cycling good for knee pain?

Studies show that bicycling puts less strain on your knees than high-impact activities, such as running.