Patellar tendinitis, or jumper's knee, is a condition that most often occurs following long-term exercise that causes a pounding motion with your knee joint. The tendon that attaches the kneecap to the shin becomes inflamed and irritated. Runners and basketball players often complain of this overuse condition, which may manifest itself through pain and swelling. You should never try to exercise with this condition while it is painful and swollen, but after the swelling and pain subside there are aerobic exercises you can do to help rehabilitate your knee while keeping your body in shape.
Sports to Avoid
Dr. Brett Sanders of the Center for Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Surgery notes that you should avoid sports that feature jumping and running activities. Until your doctor tells you that it's okay to return to activity you should avoid running, basketball, volleyball and high impact aerobics that encourage jumping and running.
Specific Exercises To Avoid
Until your knee improves, you should be careful which exercises you engage in since some activities can make the condition much worse. Be careful to avoid squats, lunges and other exercises that place a heavy load on your injured knee. You should supplement your workout with activities that help protect your knee and allow it to repair itself. Talk to your doctor if you feel that you need to continue your aerobic and strength training routine to be sure that he selects the proper activities for your condition.
Potential Aerobic Exercises
These exercises may or may not aggravate your condition, according to Dr. Sanders. Cycling can be a great aerobic activity for this condition, but you should start slowly to determine whether the circular motion of pedaling will cause pain in your knee. Other sports you may be able to participate in include baseball or tennis, but you should be careful when starting these activities and stop immediately if they cause pain.
The Best Aerobic Activities for Jumper's Knee
Probably the single best aerobic activity you can do with patellar tendinitis is swimming. Swimming uses every muscle in the human body but does not place any repetitive stress on your joints. Since the buoyancy of the water takes a lot of the weight off your knee and other joints, you can exercise in water without forcing your injured joint to carry your body weight. You may also want to try underwater walking or jogging as a rehabilitative exercise program for the condition.
Returning To Sport
After you've protected your knee through its rehabilitative program you may want to return to your sport following recovery. You can tell whether your knee is healed enough to return to activity if you can bend and straighten your leg completely without pain, according to Dr. Nathan Wei. Make sure that your knee is strong and not swollen and be sure that you can jump up and down on both legs without pain before returning to your sport. If you're a football or basketball player, your doctor may want to be sure that you can perform cuts and quick turns on your knee before he lets you back in the game.
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