Patellar tendinopathy (jumper's knee)

What it means

The patellar tendon is the short, thick band connecting the bottom of the kneecap to the top of the shin bone, transmitting the force of the thigh muscles every time you jump, land, squat, or kick. Repeated high loading — more than the tendon has time to recover from between sessions — causes the fibres to lose their neat parallel pattern, thicken, and take on more water. This is patellar tendinopathy, commonly nicknamed "jumper's knee" because it's so common in basketball, volleyball, and track athletes.

Why it appears on a CT or MRI report

MRI is the most detailed way to see it, and reports typically describe a thickened patellar tendon with increased signal, almost always centred at its attachment just below the kneecap, and occasionally at the point where it meets the shin. Ultrasound often adds detail on blood flow into the area (neovascularity), which tracks with symptoms more closely than thickness alone. Older reports sometimes use "tendinitis" or "tendinosis" — the first implying active inflammation, the second implying degeneration without inflammation. Most cases are actually a mix of both, which is why "tendinopathy" has become the preferred umbrella term rather than picking one suffix over the other.

What it usually means

Imaging changes in the patellar tendon are common in jumping athletes even without pain, so the finding needs to be read alongside symptoms rather than on its own. When it is symptomatic, the pain is classically felt as a focused ache just below the kneecap, worse with jumping, squatting, and going down stairs, often easing with rest only to return once training resumes. Left unmanaged over months to years, some cases progress to more persistent pain and reduced tendon capacity. The mainstay of treatment is progressive loading exercise — heavy, slow resistance training or eccentric squats on a decline board — rather than rest alone, because tendons need graded load to remodel and strengthen. Anti-inflammatories and ice can ease short-term pain but don't address the underlying tissue change. Injections and surgery are reserved for cases that don't respond to a proper course of loading-based rehab.

When to follow up

Mild aching that settles with rest and doesn't limit training is common and can often be managed by adjusting load and adding targeted strengthening under guidance from a physiotherapist. See a doctor or physiotherapist if pain is present during daily activities like stairs, has lasted more than a few weeks, or keeps recurring despite modifying training. Sudden sharp pain with a popping sensation, an inability to straighten the knee, or a visible gap above or below the kneecap after a jump or fall needs prompt attention, since these suggest a tendon rupture rather than gradual overuse.

A plain-language way to picture it

Think of the patellar tendon as a thick canvas strap taking the strain every time you jump and land. Do that thousands of times without enough recovery, and the weave loosens in one spot, usually right where it attaches near the kneecap — it thickens slightly and feels tender there. The fix isn't to stop using the strap altogether; it's to load it in a controlled, progressive way so the weave tightens back up and can handle the job again.