Most times, this condition is caused by overuse, which is why it is often seen in athletes, who tend to use a lot of repetitive movements that involve running and jumping. These repetitive movements can cause micro-tears as well as collagen degeneration in the tendon. Jumper's knee can be painful, and there is often inflammation to go along with the pain. Jumper's knee can also be caused by not properly taking care of a serious injury to the tendon, but overuse is a much more common reason for the condition.

There is usually quite a bit of pain associated with jumper's knee, and this pain is usually centralized directly around the patellar tendon, which is located on the front of the knee where the patellar tendon connects to the tendon. It is fairly easy to diagnose jumper's knee. All a physician needs to do is to press on the affected area, and if the patient displays the right symptoms, he or she more than likely has jumper's knee. Many people with jumper's knee complain of pain when they are doing certain activities, such as running, jumping, kneeling and going up and down stairs. Sometimes, there is inflammation around the patellar tendon. To make sure that the tendon is not degenerating, an MRI may be performed, as well as x-rays, to make sure there are no bone spurs, which are associated with jumper's knee.

One of the first recommendations a physician will make to someone with jumper's knee is to rest the affected knee as much as possible, and if the person is an athlete, it is recommended that they stop playing sports until the tendon is properly healed. Most times, the patient is the best judge of how much rest his or her knee requires, and the majority of people are going to take it easy as long as needed to make sure that they have no problems with their knees in the future.

Anti-inflammatory medications are often prescribed to patients with jumper's knee, or they may prefer to take weaker medication that they can find in pharmacies without a prescription. Ice treatments are important, as well as stretching exercises that will help to strengthen the tendon. Many patients need to wear a brace of some sort, usually an infrapatellar or Chopat strap or a knee brace.

As long as patients follow their physician's advice properly, there is no reason why the knee should not heal completely. Then, they will be able to take part in all of their normal activities, including the sports they love so much.