News

Contact: Amy Blaser

(COLUMBUS, Neb.) – If you feel like your knees have suddenly started hurting all the time, especially
when you’re moving, you could be suffering from tendinitis or a ruptured tendon.

Tendons are tissues that connect muscles to bones and help your joints move. Some of the most
common injuries to the tendons in your knees include tendinitis — when the tendons become swollen
and painful — and tearing, which is also known as a rupture.

Causes of tendinitis and ruptured tendon

Tendinitis can have many causes, including overuse. When you perform strenuous or highly repetitive
activities, that can stretch out your tendons and leave them sore.

One type of tendinitis called jumper's knee can affect people who play basketball and other sports that
require a lot of jumping. In this particular case, the tendon can hurt and swell and may even tear after
repeated stress.

A tendon may rupture when you try to break a fall. This is especially common in older people,
sometimes because they have poor tissue quality.

Signs and symptoms of tendinitis and ruptured tendon

Tendinitis can make the knee joint feel tender or sore. You may sometimes feel pain when you are
running, walking quickly or jumping.

A ruptured tendon is also painful, and such an injury can make it difficult to move your knee properly.

Many tendon injuries can be diagnosed without imaging with a thorough history and physical exam.
However, a doctor may decide to obtain imaging in the form of X-rays, ultrasound or magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) to check for a tear.

Treatment

If you seek treatment for tendinitis, your doctor will probably start with non-operative options. These
include:

• Avoiding strenuous or repetitive activities.
• Elevating your knee.
• Applying ice and compression.
• Taking anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen to reduce pain and
  swelling.
• Undergoing physical therapy.

If the above option don’t work, your doctor may need to perform surgery to reattach tendons that have
torn.

Your doctor will likely prescribe exercise as part of rehabilitation for a partially or completely torn
tendon. It may take you many months of rehabilitation before you are able to return to full activity.

If you are experiencing severe pain and think it may be due to tendinitis or tendon rupture, see our
specialists at Columbus Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Clinic to find out if we can help. Call us at 402-
562-4700 or visit columbusorthopedics.com.

###

Dr. Michael Pitner is an orthopedic surgeon at Columbus Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Clinic.