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Conservative treatment of patellar tendinopathy: A randomised trial comparing two treatment regimes

M. Young*¹, J. Cook¹, C. Purdam², S. Kiss³ & H. Alfredson^4
1La Trobe University, Victoria
²Australian Institute of Sport, ACT
³Radclin Imaging, Victoria
⁴University Of Umea, Sweden

Conservative treatment of patellar tendinopathy has been minimally investigated. This parallel-group randomised trial investigated two exercise programs for the treatment of patellar tendinopathy. Seventeen elite volleyball players with clinically diagnosed and imaging confirmed patellar tendinopathy were randomly assigned by concealed allocation to one of two treatment groups: a decline squat group and a step squat group. Subjects were required to perform single leg squats on either a 25 degree decline board or a standard step, exercising into tendon pain or before tendon pain respectively. The decline squat group progressed their exercises with load whist the step squat group progressed their exercises with speed then load. Three outcome measures were used: VISA score for function, 10cm VAS for pain with activity and total isokinetic work measured at 60 and 180 degrees / second for strength. Compliance to exercise and activity levels were recorded daily. All subjects completed a 12 week exercise program. Analysis revealed that both groups improved significantly in all outcome measures between baseline and follow up, although there was no significant difference between groups. Both exercise programs positively affected pain, function and strength. Further investigation with larger subject numbers is required to preclude the possibility of a type II error.

All copyright remains with Sports Medicine Australia.

The National Sport Information Centre Web Archive provides access to archive copies of materials in electronic forms. There is no inference that these materials necessarily reflect the current policy of any of the institutions or agencies that created them.