6 Simple Steps to Avoid Jumper’s Knee

Jumper’s Knee: Six Simple Steps To Avoid When Training

Many athletes but also parents are worried about vertical jump training, all for one common and persistent reason: the infamous jumper’s knee.

What is Jumper’s Knee?

Don’t know what is it? If you’re an athlete or even just trying to keep fit, you’ve probably experienced it sometime. It’s the swelling of the patellar tendon, which is located just below the front of the knee cap. Doctors all around the world officially call it patellar tendonitis. Its common and most used name is jumper’s knee, derives from the unfortunate fact that it occurs so frequently in basketball or volleyball players and other sports related with jumping.

This tendon doesn’t only propel you off the ground, it helps your body to stabilize your landing after the jump. As you might have already imagined, this all-important tendon gets exercised a lot by jumpers. In fact, especially if you have weak calves, the patellar tendon is getting even more involved.

How do I prevent this condition?

Ultimately, it comes down to this: your quads are being pulled by your hamstrings when they are tight, which pressures the patellar tendon. Balancing out the strength of your legs and stretching is very important to avoiding patellar tendonitis. Follow the six steps below when training your vertical jump to avoid patellar tendonitis:

1. Stretch your hamstrings particularly, so your legs will be prepared for the upcoming workout.

2. Strengthen your leg muscles.A good exercise to focus on is lunges particularly because they stabilize your joints.

3. Shout with me: Recovery! Recovery! Recovery! This is very important after a workout. If the patellar tendon hurts, avoid working out it as much as possible. Wait until the pain disappears. It’s very simple.

4. In line with workout recovery, sleep is also a vital recovery time. High schoolers are the most known to need more sleep, yet get less, than the average population. Ensure you get an adequate sleeping time so you will keep yourself in top condition.

5. Train on softer surfaces, if possible.Rubber mats, grass or other surfaces besides the basketball court will give variety for your over-trained knees.

6. Finally, icing daily can be a tedious ritual, but vital in preventing the dreaded jumper’s knee. And ultimately, you must be icing after every single workout. If you want to skip preparing ice bags and immobilizing yourself while holding them to your knees, consider buying a knee wrap. These knee wraps can be stored in the freezer in between use. Icing alone can eliminate any problems I’ve had with jumper’s knee in the past.

How Do I Know If I Have It?

It shouldn’t be difficult to find out if you have it. If you’re feeling pains and aches in your knee and if it looks swollen…and if a bee didn’t recently sting you, it’s probably jumper’s knee.

All in all, there are six simple and easy things you can do in order to prevent jumper’s knee. Prevention, in this case, is so much better than looking for the cure. The “cure” for jumper’s knee sometimes means staying out of action, having to rearrange your workouts to lower intensity sessions due to pain, or even result to a surgery. It’s preferable to be safe, listen to your body, and keep yourself playing.