Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Patellar Tendinitis.....Jumpers Knee

I've struggled for years hunting in the Rocky Mountains.

knee pain....bad knee pain by day 2

This past year I hit up several medical professionals about my issue.

X-rays
MRI's
PRP injections (Plasma Rich Platelets)
Physical Therapy

I'm told I have an 80% tear of my left patellar and a 20% tear of my right.

Lots of joint loading and strength training have went into these 47 year old high mileage knees this past year getting ready for the 3rd season mountain hunt and I'm wearing the knee strap with good results.

Does anyone on the fire suffer from jumpers knee and how have you dealt with the pain?

There is a simple move that helps many...

Grab the inside of your knee where you would grab an unruly kid to get his attention... big nerve ganglia, pressure point there. While holding lots of pressure on that one press the big ganglia in the back of the calf muscle, at the top (there is a notch in the muscle where it splits inside and out.)

Hold pressure on both for 90 seconds... make it hurt good!

It should significantly reduce the pain...

Having someone do one or both pressure points is easier. If you sit on a hard bench with a sharp corner you can rest your calf pressure point right on the corner and get the effect for there while squeezing the other point yourself.

I have dealt with this for about forty years (I'm 67). I found, if I was playing basketball or riding Motocross a lot, the knees hurt. If I avoided these activities or any other that produced a shock load, I was much better. Today, if I play ball for ten minutes, I'll need ibuprophen for breakfast the next day. My son and daughter have both suffered from the same problem and from the same sources (b-ball and MX) and the cure has been the same; try to avoid shock loads. I can walk long distances and carry a pack without to much difficulty but I cannot run or jump without paying for it later. GD

Avoiding loading my knees is impossible as I work on my feet and some days I cover several miles. I'm also up and down from standing to kneeling and even on my knees several times and hour.

It's called wear and tear, and I'm afraid there's not much you can do about it without surgery. You can take pain meds, get injections like cortisone, etc but it won't last. I've been doing that for 10 years now, just biding my time until I can get total knee replacements.

Does going down hurt much worse than climbing up?

Way worse

The PRP injections are supposed to be the best "bandaid" for jumpers knee but I won't know until the first week of November

Just went through surgery for a complete quad tendon rupture. Patellar was part of operation. If you go get surgery, be prepared for a long recovery. I've ruptured achiles and hamstring but this one really sucks. If you decide on syrgery make sure you go to a place that specializes in it. Otherwise it will be even longer for recovery. I went to rothman institute in Philadelphia. Sucks getting old

tedthorn,

Really sorry for your pain. Last few years my knees have been getting worse and even worser. Last year I was down to 2 3/4 hours before the pain was excruciating. I tried some "copper fit" things from Walmart for $10 each. What a relief. You might give them a try. They are not a cure, but sure treat the symptom.

Do you wear knee pads? They make a huge difference IME. Also, I assume you stand on a soft base, not bare concrete?

I have it but it's under control. One thing you can do is stretch your hamstrings. Tight hamstrings keep your knee from extending (keep your leg from straightening all the way) and with every step put stress on two parts of your body--patellar tendon and lower back.

Mine flared up going on 20 years ago and the first thing my orthopedic surgeon did was put me on the table and stretch my hamstrings--they were very tight. He drew me a diagram to show how tight hamstings put stress on the tendon, and gave me a regimen of stretches.

They worked, and the pain disappeared.

Take a three pound hammer and smack one of your fingers.You will not notice the knee pain as much.

Yes knee pads any time I can get them.

Our machinery have mats

Stretching was a big part of the PT after the Plasma injections and is part of my daily regime now.

Damn. That sucks. At age 54 last fall I had no joint problem chasing elk at 12,000+ feet outside of Leadville. Cardio-vascular, though, was lacking some. This I am working on.

I find that it's not the load but shock loading or jarring which hurts. So, instead of running, I can cycle. I used to like to skip rope but again, that's just one of the things that causes the tendons to inflame.
I also spent much of my working life walking around on concrete floors, picking up heavy objects, and getting up and down and it did me no favors. Now, I do most of my walking on natural terrain and don't spend nearly as much time in the shop.
The point made about stretching is valuable. Today, I wish I had done more when I was young. If I had, I might have some flexibility today. Tendons which have been tight for too long just don't stretch out as well as one might like. GD

I had this crap after having a piece of my Patella tendon used to give me a new ACL. I had pretty bad tendinitis for about a year, and after that it just vanished. Ice really seemed to work pretty well to knock it down. I stayed pretty active and just iced it down at night.

Keep after it.