Summary:

This video highlights a case of infrapatellar tendinopathy, a condition affecting the tendon just below the kneecap (patella). Ultrasound imaging reveals a swollen and irregular section of the tendon, with signs of microtears and hypoechoic (dark) areas—indicating poor healing rather than active inflammation.

Unlike traditional “tendonitis,” tendinopathy refers to a degenerative condition, often due to the tendon’s inability to fully repair itself. In this case, the most painful area aligns with visible irregularities and tissue breakdown, while other sections of the tendon appear more normal but still show minor underlying issues.

This informative video is ideal for anyone dealing with knee pain, especially athletes or individuals with jumper’s knee. It emphasizes the importance of diagnostic imaging to accurately pinpoint the source of discomfort and better understand the healing challenges involved in tendon-related injuries.

Transcript:

Hi, this is Dr. Sean Lehman. This is an example of an infrapatellar tendinopathy. Patella is right here. The tendon’s here, and it’s swollen right there.

Some irregularity, height of micro tears as well, increased swelling.

We call these things tendinopathies instead of tendonitis because on biopsies, most of the time, there’s not, inflammation, present, and it’s more of a healing issue of lack of horsepower to get the tendon to completely heal.

Here, it’s a little more normal. Here is where the tender spot is and the irregularity as you can see.

Here’s another view of this. And, again, and kind of a little bit more of the, quote, unquote, normal part of the tendon. However, there’s hypoechoic issues in that as well. So it’s not perfect either, but most of the pain is over in that area.

So that’s it for today. Thank you.