A knee support or strap that supports the patellar tendon can relieve mild to moderate tendonitis. The pain usually is caused by overuse and twisting, running and jumping. Jumper’s knee, or patellar tendonitis, occurs when any kind of repeated stress is placed on the tendon that runs from your kneecap to your skin bone. The cord-like material becomes inflamed, torn or strained. A strap may mitigate the pain when you run and follow-up treatments and exercises can help reduce painful symptoms.
Elevation
The running straps hold the tendon in place so that it doesn’t rub or pull while you’re running. The running strap is most appropriate if you have only mild to moderate tendonitis, according to KidsHealth from Nemours. It’s a good idea to elevate your leg after running with the strap to allow blood to flow away from the inflamed area. You can ice the area to reduce swelling. Massage from a knowledgeable sports massage therapist also may help relieve knee pain you experience after running with your tendon strapped.
Weights
Ideally, you want to strengthen your other leg muscles to take some of the pressure off your lower leg when you run. Exercises that strengthen your thighs, buttocks and calf muscles are particularly helpful if you have patellar tendonitis and run with a strap. Perform weightlifting exercises with ankle weights, such as sitting leg lifts and backward extensions. Lie on a stability ball on your stomach with weights strapped around your ankles and lift your legs, one at a time, to strengthen your gluteus or butt muscles.
Pulley
Resistance pulley machines provide a number of exercise options to reduce knee pain after running with straps. Start with the pins set at low weights to test your strength and make sure the position doesn’t cause you to pull your patellar tendon. Once you find a suitable position sitting with the pulley strapped around your ankle, perform three sets of 10 repetitions on each leg. Increase the weight as you gain strength. You also can stand sideways to the pulley machine with the strap wrapped around your ankle to strengthen your outside thigh muscles. Swing your leg across your body to work the outside muscles. Turn and repeat on the other leg after you complete three sets of 10 reps.
Warning
Consult your doctor before undertaking an extensive weight-resistance program, however, to make sure your tendonitis has not progressed. Severe tears can worsen from resistance exercises even after wearing a strap. Running with severe pain in your leg can lead to permanent damage and chronic pain. Extensive tendon damage may require surgery if the running strap and leg exercises don’t relieve your pain after a year, according to the Mayo Clinic. Your surgeon may repair the damage or replace part of the damaged tendon. You’ll most likely need to wear a running strap and participate in physical therapy as you recover from surgery, but you should be able to return to your previous level of activity within six to 18 months.
