Before Starting

• How Does it Work? When we have Jumper’s Knee, a small part of our patellar tendon is damaged. We can’t heal that—it will always be there. But, we can continue to build strong tendon around it. Instead of resting or icing which are basically band-aids, our goal is to strengthen that tendon so that it becomes strong enough to stop warning us (via pain) that it’s damaged. This is what the isometric exercises will do in Phase 1, and slower tempo exercises will do in Phase 2. You will also see:
  • Ankle Mobility Exercises: poor ankle mobility can increase the chance of developing Jumper’s Knee by over 2 times.
  • Foot and Ankle Strength: the better we’re able to use our foot and ankle to absorb force, the less we have to use our patellar tendon.
  • Landing/Neuromuscular Control: making sure our mechanics are on point and we’re able to absorb force the right way.
• Rest: Jumper’s Knee is ALWAYS in-part caused by too much load. Too many jumps, too many cuts, too much time on the court. The exercises will help regardless of how much you work out, but if you truly want to get rid of knee pain for good, you will have to scale back your time on the court. This doesn’t mean complete rest, but maybe cut out a couple workouts or runs that you would generally do throughout the course of the week. Please, please find ways to rest a bit more than normal.
• If No Pain: even if it’s not painful or the exercises seem to be working, KEEP GOING. Too players have stopped the program because they feel the pain going away, and it comes right back. We need to continue to strengthen the tendon so that we eliminate pain for good.
• Pre-Game/Pre-Workout: The Isometric exercises (ones that you are holding a position for 45 seconds to a minute) will have an almost magical effect that alleviates pain for approximately 45 minutes. Feel free to use these before any game, workout, or practice to eliminate or lessen that pain.
• Sleep & Nutrition: don’t need to say much about this other than both will have bigger effects than you’d ever guess on getting rid of your Jumper’s Knee. Get good sleep (7+ hours) and eat healthier food.​
• When? Make sure to separate your isometrics by over 6 hours (which is why I have them as morning and afternoon).
  

The Next Steps

• ​If after 4 weeks, you are pain free, contact me for the next phase.

• If you still have 3/10 pain, go through to weeks 4-6.
• If pain is still above a 5/10, let me know.