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What
is patellar tendinitis?
How can I prevent patellar tendinitis?
Improving Sports Performance
Patellar
tendinitis rehabilitation for athletes
How can I prevent
patellar tendinitis?
The simplest way to avoid another episode of patellar tendinitis is to
avoid the activity that caused it; of course, this may be impossible for
the serious athlete. For these people, frequent breaks from the causative
activity should become routine. It's also wise to reduce or stop the activity
at first sign of pain and to ice the knee following each training session
or game.
You can help prevent
patellar tendinitis by following these simple recommendations:
- Rest your knees
regularly by stopping to stretch your legs. You may also wish to consider
switching activities on a regular basis to avoid prolonged stress on
your knees.
- Increase the frequency
and intensity of exercise gradually.
- Apply ice and elevate
your knees after a workout or game.
Improving Sports
Performance
The key to improving sports performance after a diagnosis of patellar
tendinitis is a proper rehabilitation
program, and adhering to some of those same principles after the injury
is gone. Continue to perform the exercises in the rehabilitation section
to strengthen the leg muscles around the knee, and also refer to the prevention
section for important information on how to keep you in the game and perform
to your fullest potential.
Remember that the
single most important aspect of improving performance is stretching before
and after you step onto the field, court, ice, or golf course, and also
knowing when to take a rest.
Benefits derived from stretching include:
- increased physical
efficiency and performance
- decreased risk
of injury
- increased blood
supply and nutrients to joint structures
- increased coordination
- improved muscular
balance and postural awareness
- decreased risk
of lower-back pain
- reduced stress
- enhanced enjoyment
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