01
Resting it fully will not fix it.
The tendon below your kneecap has been loaded beyond what it can currently tolerate. That is a capacity problem.
Complete rest lets it settle, but it lowers capacity further. So you come back weaker, and the same jump flares it again. That is the loop.
The fix is not rest. It is rebuilding what the tendon can take, while keeping symptoms manageable.
02
The tendon gets stronger through load, done properly.
This is the part most people get wrong. A tendon responds to heavy, slow, progressive strength work. Not stretching. Not rolling. Not stopping.
Heavy slow resistance, three times a week, load building over about twelve weeks. Slow tempo. Some discomfort during is acceptable, as long as it settles by the next morning.
Isometric holds can calm an angry tendon in the meantime. They buy comfort. The strength work is what changes it.
03
Manage the jumping, do not ban it.
You rarely need to stop your sport completely. You need to turn the aggravating volume down while capacity comes up.
Cut the jumping and deceleration load for a period. Keep training around it. Reintroduce the spring, the landing and the change of direction in stages, once the tendon tolerates it.
Feeling better is not the finish line. Tolerating your sport again is.
That is what the initial Movement Therapy appointment is built around.
90 minutes. Full assessment. Hands on treatment where useful. An individualised plan and clear aftercare, so you leave knowing exactly what to do next.
Sports massage, rehabilitation and Movement Therapy in Sheffield, South Yorkshire and North East Derbyshire.
Book your assessmentOr DM MOVE on Instagram if the pain below your kneecap keeps biting when you jump and land.