Stop Patellar Tendon Pain: 2 Easy Exercises to Squat and Jump Without Pain.
Patellar tendon pain can stop you in your tracks, turning everyday activities into challenges. It can start as pain with running, jumping or stairs. If the tendon gets weaker it can also tear, resulting in surgery to repair it. Fortunately there are some things you can do to stop patellar tendon pain and prevent it before it starts.
The risk of patellar tendon pain but especially tendon tears increases as you age. Ramping up your squat intensity too fast and starting a new sport too quickly are both common causes.
If you want to stop patellar tendon pain or prevent it before it starts, you need to have a plan to keep this tendon healthy. Here are 2 easy exercises you can do to help.
Decline Squats
To stimulate healing in a patellar tendon, you want to load the tendon. Decline squats are one of the most effective ways to do this.
Start by setting up surface that allows you to stand on an incline. A slantboard is great, but in the video above a 45 pound weight is propped up on a kettlebell to create the incline.
The optimal angle is 20 to 30 degrees. Less than this doesn’t increase the load on the tendon enough. greater than 30 degrees starts to load the knee joint more than the tendon.
If you’re tendon is really irritated, you can start doing these with 2 legs. As you improve, you can progress to single leg squats. Keys to success:
- If you’re having patellar tendon pain, you actually want to have some pain when you do these. It should not be more than a 2-3/10 on a pain scale though.
- Start with 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps. Take 3 seconds for the lowering phase of each rep.
- If you can complete all your sets with pain no greater than 2/10, you can progress by adding some weight on your next session as long as there is no pain greater than 2/10.
Lateral Hurdle Jumps
As your tendon heals, you want to start getting used to jumping again. When people with patellar tendon pain jump, they tend to not land and then get off the ground as quickly as people who don’t have patellar tendon pain. Training this movement can help. Keys to success:
- With the jumping exercises, focus on quickly transitioning between landing and takeoff.
- You want to jump high enough that you have to bend your knees when you land. A small hurdle works great, but you can rig one up at home. A couple cones with a lacrosse stick across are in the video.
- Start with 3 sets of 5 to 10 reps. Over and back is 1 rep.
If you’ve tried these and you’re struggling, we can help you!
At Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine in Alexandria, Arlington, and Springfield, VA, we’re experts at helping people stop patellar tendon pain.
Call us at 703-299-3111, or click here to request an appointment.
A member of our team will schedule you an appointment with one of our expert physical therapists.
What can happen if you don’t try to stop patellar tendon pain?
- You stop playing sports because your tendon starts to hurt.
- You tear your patellar tendon and end up in surgery and months of rehab.
- You lose your speed and strength and never get it back.
But with a plan to stop patellar tendon pain you can live the confident and active life you want.
If you want an expert to listen to your unique problems and guide you to success, a Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine physical therapist in Alexandria or Springfield, VA will create a plan specifically for you.
You’ll feel confident that you have the knowledge and ability to stay active and do all the things you want.
Call us at 703-299-3111, or click here to schedule your appointment and get started.
Working to keep you living your best life,
The Solutions Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Team