History
- Sports related
- Recent increase in activity
- Recent change in activity/work
- Well localised pain
Signs
- Local tenderness
- Commonly patella tendon – proximal end
- Tibial tuberosity pain – distal end patella tendon
- Rarely quads tendon insertion, upper pole patella
Usually lower pole patella
image copyright NHS Lothian
Secondary care referral
- Only if primary care treatment exhausted
Primary care investigations
- USS for appropriate tendon (patella or quadriceps)
Primary care treatment
- Advice
- Rest/activity modification
- Timescales – many months
- Physiotherapy for appropriate tendon loading programme
