WOFPAIN : THE HEALTH ENCYCLOPEDIA

JUMPER'S KNEE / PATELLAR TENDINOSIS / PATELLAR TENDONITIS / PATELLAR TENDINOPATHY Tendinosis differs from its cousin tendonitis in a few important ways.  Tendinosis can indeed produce pain, stiffness and swelling in a tendon. However, it usually develops gradually as a result of long-term overuse.  Probably many, many microtears over a long period of time rather than a more acute injury.  It isn't inflammation like tendonitis , it's degeneration.  As such, the greater the extent of cellular changes in the tendon, the longer and more difficult the healing process.  Since tendinosis is a chronic condition, this doesn't have one root cause.  It's a common knee injury seen in athletes.  Patellar tendon starts degenerating due to it's overuse and poor conditioning.  Small tears in the tendon can make it difficult to walk. A large or complete tear of the patellar tendon is a serious disabling injury ( Torn Patellar Tendon ).  Torn Tendon usually requires surgery an