Patellar Tendonitis Exercises

The following Jumper’s knee or Patellar tendonitis exercises form part of our full step-by-step rehabilitation program.

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Meet the program author

Paul Tanner

Paul is head of Medical Services at Millwall Football Club, dealing with all aspects of match and training day sports physiotherapy and medical cover.

His career also includes First Team Physio at Norwich City Football Club and Senior physiotherapist to London Wasps Rugby first-team squad.

Paul Tanner Patellar tendonitis exercises

The full Jumper’s knee rehab program comprises four phases.

Acute stage
Isometric exercises
Heavy slow resistance
Eccentric loading

Phase 1 Patellar tendonitis exercises

Phase 1 begins as soon as possible after injury alongside Patellar tendonitis treatment. During this phase, the aim is to reduce pain and swelling. However, there are a number of exercises you can still do during phase 1.

The following Jumper’s knee exercises form part of our full rehab program and are done alongside treatment methods including rest, cold therapy, taping/bracing, and foam roller.

Only move onto phase 2 when you have achieved the Exit Criteria for this phase.

Patellar tendonitis stretches

Stretching the quadriceps muscles at the front of the thigh is the most important of our Patellar tendonitis stretches. You should stretch regularly throughout the day if pain allows.

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Quadriceps stretch

This stretch is especially important for Patella tendonitis.

Teaching point:

Keep your knees together and gently pull your leg up. You should feel a stretch at the front of the leg which should not be painful
Hold onto something for balance if you need to or try holding your ear with the opposite arm
Hold the stretch for 30 seconds and repeat with a short break in between
Aim to do this exercise 1-2 times per day
This should be comfortable, don’t force the stretch

The following exercises are not specifically Patellar tendonitis stretches but help keep you in good physical condition.

Hamstring stretch

You can stretch your hamstring muscles in a variety of ways. This is a simple static stretch.

Teaching point:

Stand on one leg with the other resting on a bench or similar
Ease into the stretch and hold

Active ankle mobility

This involves simply bending and straightening your ankle as far as is comfortable. The aim is to maintain joint mobility.

Hip flexor stretch

This exercise stretches the iliopsoas muscle and rectus femoris. Be careful to use a mat or padding under the painful knee so as not to aggravate it.

Teaching point:

Place one knee on the floor and the other foot out in front with the knee bent
Push your hips forward and keep your back upright – You should feel a stretch at the front of the hip and upper thigh
Hold for 10-30 seconds
Repeat 3 times and stretch at least 3 times a day

Activation exercises

Again, these are not specific Patellar tendonitis exercises but they are very important for making sure your hip and gluteal muscles do not ‘switch off’ whilst you are unable to train normally. You can do these exercises daily, or at least 3 times per week.

Clam in flexion

Teaching point:

Raise and lower your knee, making sure your hips do not rotate backward whilst performing this exercise
Do 4 sets of 30 seconds with a short rest in between

Clam in extension

Teaching point:

Raise and lower your knee, making sure your hips do not rotate backward whilst performing this exercise
Do 4 sets of 30 seconds with a short rest in between

Double leg bridge

Teaching point:

Raise your hips up and hold for a couple of seconds before lowering
Do 3 sets of 12 reps with a short break between sets

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Patellar tendonitis strengthening

These exercises aim to strengthen specific muscle groups. It is too early to begin Patellar tendonitis exercises which overload your injured knee. Therefore, the priority in phase 1 is calf muscle strengthening.

Single leg calf holds

Teaching point:

Stand on the edge of a step and allow all your weight onto one leg
This exercise is isometric, meaning it does not involve any movement
Start with 5 sets of 15-second holds, building to 5 sets of 45-second holds

Movement control

These are not specific Patellar tendonitis exercises. However, they are important for maintaining and improving proprioception and coordination. They can be done daily.

Gym ball bridge

Teaching point:

Perform 3 sets of 8 reps with your legs up on a gym ball (if available)
If not, then a chair is ok instead

Single leg stand

Teaching point:

Stand on one leg for 20 seconds and repeat 4 times
If you find this too easy then close your eyes
Or use a wobble board or cushion to make it even more difficult

Exit Criteria

You are ready to move on to phase 2 when:

Normal daily activities including walking and stairs (down) are pain-free
You can do 10 double-leg squats pain-free

Download all Jumper’s knee exercises with video demonstrations in our mobile app.

Phase 2 Patellar tendonitis exercises

This is the isotonic exercise phase. Here you begin to perform strengthening exercises that involve movement.

The aim of phase 2 is to gradually increase the load through your knee. It is important to continue Patellar tendonitis stretches from phase 1.

It consists of 14 exercises covering stretching, activation, strengthening, movement control, functional and conditioning. You also begin running again during phase 2.

You are ready to move on to phase 3 when you can do:

Single leg squat 3 x 10 reps
Three hops with no pain during, after, or the following day

Phase 3 Patellar tendonitis exercises

This is the heavy slow resistance phase.

The aim of phase 3 is to further increase the load through your knee. Therefore, in addition to the treatment methods phase, 3 consists of 21 exercises. The exercises are more dynamic and challenging than the earlier phases.

You are ready to move on to phase 4 when you can: