Tendonitis, or tendinitis, is a term used to describe irritation or inflammation in bands of connective tissue called tendons, which anchor your muscles to your bones. The condition can occur at any tendon site in your body. If you ride a bicycle, you may develop a form of the disorder, called patellar tendonitis, in your knees.
Basics
Patellar tendonitis is also called jumper's tendonitis and usually occurs as a result of excessive performance of jumping motions, according to the State University of New York at Buffalo. Bicycling is also a known cause of this condition. Factors in cycling that contribute to the onset of patellar tendonitis include positioning the seat too far forward or too low, placing your feet too far forward on the pedals, using pedal crank arms that are too long for your legs and cycling in low gears that place a lot of stress on your knees.
Self-Treatment
Pain inside your knee is typically the first noticeable symptom of patellar tendonitis. Usually, pain will be worse when you exercise and fade to a dull ache when you rest. In some cases, you may develop significant, sharp pain that persists during, before and after cycling and other physical activities. You may be able to relieve pain by properly adjusting the bike seat, repositioning your feet, using a bike with shorter crank arms or cycling in easier gears. Other potential self-remedies include resting and massaging your knees, stretching the quadriceps muscles in your thighs and wearing a special strap across the knee that distributes pressure away from the patellar tendon.
Medical Treatment
Contact your doctor if pain levels don't respond to self-treatment, if your condition significantly disrupts your performance of daily tasks or if you have any signs of knee swelling or redness. Potential options for medical treatment include oral doses of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory painkillers or medications called corticosteroids, direct injection of corticosteroids into your knee, shock wave therapy, laser stimulation, ultrasound therapy and surgery.
Considerations
Recovery from patellar tendonitis frequently takes weeks or months. In most cases, nonsurgical treatments will be sufficient to heal your injury over time. However, if you don't improve substantially after roughly one year, your doctor may begin investigating surgical options to address your condition. Consult your doctor, physical therapist and fitness instructor for more information on ways to avoid, treat and recover from patellar tendonitis.
