Quadriceps Tendonitis
July 10, 2007
What is it?
The extensor mechanism of the knee is known as the quadriceps tendon. The extensor mechanism contains the quadriceps muscle group, quadriceps tendon, patella, patellar, retinaculum, patellar ligament and an assortment of other soft tissues in that area. In the
United States of America, knee injuries are one of the most common injuries that occur every year. More than 3 million people are affected by the injury every year.
Chronic anterior knee pains are quite common and this is more often than not associated with patellar misalignment, which is an imbalance of patellar posture. Also abnormal patellar tracking, which is an abnormal movement of the patella when flexing the knee. It is commonly associated with anterior knee pain and osteoarthritis.
An area of the kneecap that affects the patellar tendon is called Quadriceps Tendonitis. It is a condition that is painful and the degeneration of the inside of the quadriceps tendon, just above the kneecap.
A common sign of a person having quadriceps tendonitis is that it will be considerably painful to strengthen the lower leg or walking fast. The most pain comes from above the kneecap. Some of the time other conditions might be connected with quadriceps tendonitis. Diabetes, gout, para-hypothyroidism are other conditions that might be affected with quadriceps tendonitis. There are other conditions that can cause anterior knee pain and these are often confused with quadriceps tendonitis. Some of the conditions include patellar tendonitis, synovial plicae, and chondromalacia, patello-femoral subluaxtion and hyper-pressure, fat pad impingement or hoffa’s syndrome and patello-femoral arthritis. Treatment A good way to cure tendonitis is to rest the area of the quadriceps, making sure to avoid the very area that produced the condition. There are anti-inflammatory medication you can take, ultrasound treatment, putting ice over the area affected, stretching the area and physiotherapy are all good ways to help cure the condition. Having an ultrasound over the affected area will help reduce the swelling as quickly as possible and increase the blood flow to the particular area-speeding up the healing rate of the tendon.