title: Patellar tendinopathy - recent developments toward treatment.
abstract: Patellar tendinopathy (PT) is a clinical and chronic overuse condition of unknown pathogenesis and etiology marked by anterior knee pain typically manifested at the inferior pole of the patella. PT has been referred to as "jumper's knee" since it is particularly common among populations of jumping athletes, such as basketball and volleyball players. Due to its common refractory response to conservative treatment, a variety of new treatments have emerged recently that include dry-needling, sclerosing injections, platelet-rich plasma therapy, arthroscopic surgical procedures, surgical resection of the inferior patellar pole, extracorporeal shock wave treatment, and hyperthermia thermotherapy. Since PT has an unknown pathogenesis and etiology, PT treatment is more a result of physician experience than evidence-based science. This review will summarize the current literature on this topic, identify current research efforts aimed to understand the pathological changes in abnormal tendons, provide exposure to the emerging treatment techniques, and provide suggested direction for future research.
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Christian
authors.forename: William H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Rossy
authors.forename: Orrin H
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Sherman
mesh_terms: D001182:Arthroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D001265:Athletic Injuries; D012090:Cumulative Trauma Disorders; D019468:Disease Management; D019220:High-Energy Shock Waves / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D006979:Hyperthermia, Induced / Q000379:methods; D007718:Knee Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D017847:Patellar Ligament / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D011859:Radiography; D012597:Sclerosing Solutions; D052256:Tendinopathy / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D012597:Sclerosing Solutions