Patients, especially athletes, who present with knee pain will often be diagnosed with patellar tendonitis or patellar tendinosis. The two are differentiated by the level of inflammation present. Tendonitis presents with more inflammation of the tendon surrounding the patellar joint whereas tendinosis is strictly the tearing and failed healing of the ligament. Both conditions are associated with consistent pain in the knee area. Sometimes the disorders are referred to as “jumper’s knee” or “Sinding-Larson-Johansson Disease”.
The conditions are caused most often by overuse injuries. Tearing, degeneration, and subsequent inflammation is how the disease progresses in most patients. Orthopedic doctors and surgeons see cases from all areas of sporting. Football, basketball, gymnastics and skateboarding are some of the most often seen. Most patients are under age 35 but the number of cases continues to rise for people in an older age bracket.
Patellar tendonitis and tendinosis are treated with exercise, rest, and medication. Tendonitis can be treated effectively with some anti-inflammatory drugs. The conditions can become chronic, however, and a patient’s response to these therapies diminishes over time. Surgery on the patellar area is painful and can cause complications that may need further treatment. New modalities are being developed to help patients in this situation.
Stem cell therapy is one of the newest ways to treat patellar disease. The mesenchymal stems cells (or MSC) from a healthy adult bone marrow source are used to help the tendon to heal. The cells help the tendon to produce normal tendon cartilage and the patient can go home with less pain and more functionality of the knee. Stem cell therapy and platelet rich plasma injections are showing promise to be practical and effective in many scenarios where conventional therapies have failed.
The Institute of Regenerative & Molecular Orthopedics is making this technique accessible to those suffering from these conditions. Many doctors have been researching and incorporating platelet rich plasma and stem cell injections into their orthopedic practice, but The Institute of Regenerative & Molecular Orthopedics is using proven technologically advanced methods. This has led to a high success and patient satisfaction rate among their clients.