Gary Fixter - Patellar tendinopathy in soccer

Gary Fixter -Patellar tendinopathy in soccer, also known as jumper's knee or patellar tendinitis (in the past), is a fairly common injury, especially in young players.

This injury tends to appear frequently and forces the player to withdraw from the pitch, even in some cases, if not treated correctly, the pain can become chronic.

We explain below some of the most relevant aspects.

Patellar tendinopathy in soccer is usually caused by an excessive increase in load, and usually causes pain, diffuse or local inflammation may appear and prevents play on many occasions.

Prevalence

It is true that patellar tendinopathy in football is not usually as common an injury as other lower limb injuries (for example injuries of the anterior cruciate ligament or meniscus), or as in other sports such as basketball or volleyball, although in the latter years the incidence in recent years has increased.

Some studies such as Bode's in 2017 show that this injury is more common in young players, affecting approximately 2.4%, which represents an incidence of 0.12 injuries per 1,000 hours of play.

Gary Fixter -Risk factor's

There are numerous factors that can be considered risky in the development of patellar tendinopathy. We can divide them into risk factors intrinsic to the player and into extrinsic factors.

Within the first group (intrinsic), the following stand out: alteration of the alignment of the lower limb (angle Q: alignment ASIS with patella and patella with anterior tuberosity of the tibia), patella alta, dysmetria and flat or cavus foot, among others.

In the second group, the excessive workload stands out. While others such as uneven terrain, boots, material used in training etc. can negatively influence the development of patellar tendinopathy in soccer.

Severity of injury

Gary Fixter -Treatment

The treatment of patellar tendinopathy in soccer will vary according to the phases and the characteristics of the player, as well as their evolution.

Sharper phases

It will be important to reduce the load to later adapt it. Other physiotherapy techniques such as laser or ultrasound can be combined with electrotherapy, local cryotherapy (ice can be applied if the pain is acute, approximately 10 minutes), even massage therapy (limb discharge massage).

Performing exercises starting with isometrics of the quadriceps will be very important. Without forgetting to work the rest of the muscle groups, especially glutes and hamstrings.

Prevalence

It is true that patellar tendinopathy in football is not usually as common an injury as other lower limb injuries (for example injuries of the anterior cruciate ligament or meniscus), or as in other sports such as basketball or volleyball, although in the latter years the incidence in recent years has increased.

Some studies such as Bode's in 2017 show that this injury is more common in young players, affecting approximately 2.4%, which represents an incidence of 0.12 injuries per 1,000 hours of play.

Risk factor's

There are numerous factors that can be considered risky in the development of patellar tendinopathy. We can divide them into risk factors intrinsic to the player and into extrinsic factors.

Treatment

The treatment of patellar tendinopathy in soccer will vary according to the phases and the characteristics of the player, as well as their evolution.

Sharper phases

It will be important to reduce the load to later adapt it. Other physiotherapy techniques such as laser or ultrasound can be combined with electrotherapy, local cryotherapy (ice can be applied if the pain is acute, approximately 10 minutes), even massage therapy (limb discharge massage).

Performing exercises starting with isometrics of the quadriceps will be very important. Without forgetting to work the rest of the muscle groups, especially glutes and hamstrings.

Numerous studies speak of eccentric exercises as part of treatment. It is true that many times they are very useful, but players should not limit themselves to performing these types of exercises, but rather they should be combined with others. A very interesting study is that of mascaró 2017 which proposes an exercise protocol to treat the pathology following this progression:

Gary Fixter -It will be essential to work on the entire lower limb, not only on the quadriceps so, although at the beginning you opt for more specific exercises, then global and functional exercises will have to be added, focused on sports practice, that is, football