Patellar tendinopathy (and Rafael Nadal)

Patellar tendinopathy (and Rafael Nadal)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/16/rafael-nadal-knee-tendini_n_1788561.html

Rafael Nadal pulls out and the news reports seem to suggest that it must be his patellar tendonitis.

Well, what is this anyway ? For starters the medical community  is moving away from calling this condition as tendonitis, as there is not much inflammation (itis), but more of degeneration, due to overuse. Commonly, this condition is also known as "jumper's knee", as it is more commonly seen in jumping sports like basketball and volley ball, though not exclusive to them, as we have seen in the case of Nadal.

The patellar tendon attaches, the knee cap (patella) to the shin bone and takes a lot of force with jumping activities and those that might need excessive knee bending. Over a period of time this may lead to severe pain, resulting in the player unable to participate in sports. But more often than not (80-90%), it can be treated with graduated, specialised exercises and re-habilitation, which allows the player to get back to sport. In the resistant cases, injections may be beneficial and very rarely, surgery !

Shoulder Impingement

Shoulder Impingement - Can be a problem with tennis players, swimmers and cricket bowlers. The repeated action of the arm going up or coming down can lead to this, especially when players do more than their ususal, by trying increase their training intensity before or during their tournaments.

The person usually complains of pain with the arm coming down, as in during a tennis serve or a bowling action. There is a tendon called the supraspinatus tendon that gets pinched between two bony prominences at the shoulder, leading to pain and discomfort.

Precautions to avoid - Avoid sudden increase in training level. Adequate in-between rest periods. Proper technique, are some of them.