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Clinical features of patellar tendinopathy and their implications for rehabilitation

journal contribution
posted on 2007-09-01, 00:00 authored by K Crossley, K Thancanamootoo, B Metcalf, Jill Cook, C Purdam, S Warden
This study investigated the clinical features of patellar tendinopathy (PT), with focus on individuals with unilateral and bilateral PT. A cross-sectional study design was employed to compare individuals with unilateral (n = 14) or bilateral (n = 13) PT and those without PT (control, n = 31). Features assessed included thigh strength (normalized peak knee extensor torque) and flexibility (sit-and-reach and active knee extension), calf endurance (heel-rise test), ankle flexibility (dorsiflexion), alignment measures (arch height and leg length difference), and functional measures (hop for distance and 6 m hop test). Groups were matched for age and height; however, unilateral and bilateral PT had greater mass with a higher body mass index (BMI) than control. Also, bilateral PT performed more sport hours per week than both unilateral PT and control. Unilateral PT had less thigh strength than control and bilateral PT, whereas bilateral PT had more thigh flexibility than control and unilateral PT. Both unilateral and bilateral PT had altered alignment measures compared to control. Features that predicted symptoms in PT were lower thigh flexibility and strength, whereas those that predicted function were higher thigh strength and lower ankle flexibility.  These findings indicate that unilateral and bilateral PT represent distinct entities, and that thigh strength appears particularly important in PT as it predicted both symptoms and function in PT.

History

Journal

Journal of orthopaedic research: a journal for musculoskeletal investigations

Volume

25

Issue

9

Pagination

1164 - 1175

Publisher

Raven Press (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins)

Location

New York, N.Y.

ISSN

0736-0266

eISSN

1554-527X

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2007, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

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