patella/knee tendonitis

[Rohit Asthana]

I have been having problems with my knee for a year now, I have been doing some gym/rehab for it but still it hurts after I play. I tried putting Dr.Scholls knee-support insols in my shoes, it gives a very good cushion but its very uncomfortable to play with them (thse sols slides here n there all the time).
Can anybody suggest an affordable shoe with very good heel cushion, Or, any other tips not to help knee while playing ?

P.S : I play 2-3x a week on hard courts.

Thanks,

[Rohit Asthana]

any other tips to help knees while playing ?

[coyfish]

Well if you felt support helped your knee then I would invest in proper insoles. No Dr. Scholls stuff. Go to a sports therapist and have a good set of orthodics custom made for your foot / problem. I had a set made for me. Cost 100 bucks and it was a very good investment.

I try and take care of my knees as much as possible when I play. And I do things to avoid stressing them. I move around as lightly as possible. Avoiding those heavy "thuds" that many people make when scrambling for shots. Staying on your toes as much as possible will help ease the stress.

Also I avoid twisting my right knee on forehands. Instead I jump off the ground slightly to avoid it.

[SystemicAnomaly]

Are you icing the knee after tennis/exercise? Here are some other ideas:

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?p=4575614

As for footwear, I've had some very good results with Nike Air Monarch shoes. These are actually x-trainers but work very well for tennis (altho' the soles may wear out a bit faster). These fairly inexpensive shoes have much better cushioning than most other shoes -- the shoes are very kind to my heels (spurs), shins (shin splints) and knees. I use simple heel pads in these shoes for added countermeasures for my heel spurs.

I've recently tried K-Swiss Contestor II tennis shoes. They don't have as much cushioning as the Air Monarchs, but still appear to be fairly kind to my heel, shins and knees. Not had a lot of success with other shoes but I do need a very wide shoe that is suitable for a pronated foot.

If you need a better insole for your shoes, you should consider SuperFeet or a custom orthotic (as coyfish suggests). Might be best to consult with a foot specialist since your feet and your footwear can have a significant impact on stresses to your knees.

Be sure to try the exercise bike warmup (see link above) to prepare your knees for tennis. As I've mentioned in previous threads, I've had some excellent results (reduced pain & inflammation) with KT Tape. Both of the following configurations have reduced pain in my knees during and after exercise:

http://www.kttape.com/instructions/General-Knee-Pain
http://www.kttape.com/instructions/Runners-Knee

Here is an alternate Kinesio taping method (not sure if RockTape is any good tho'):

sportsmedinfo.net/reviews/index.php/kinesio-taping/249-patellar-tendinitis
.

[mark999]

Originally Posted by Rohit Asthana

any other tips to help knees while playing ?

i've used a bosu ball to strengthen my knees (and ankles) with great success. always had some pain in both knees after playing the next day, now completely pain free.

[charliefedererer]

I hope you have seen or will see a sports medicine orthopod who specializes in knee problems, so you know what you are dealing with.

For cushioning, I don't think you can beat the Asics Gel Resolution 2 shoes. But even they (like all other shoes) have a foam insole that compresses down after one session, and then are useless. The Superfeet Orange provide long lasting cushionining and support, as long as you have medium to high arches.

[jrod]

I have patella tendonitis. It developed when I was running over 10 years ago. I found tennis to be better for my knees since the running one does is much more varied than with jogging. That said, I found that the pain associated with PT can be managed using a combination of RICE, crosstraining and taping.

RICE is well understood. The key part of this is to insure you get adequate rest otherwise you could move towards more permanent damage.

Crosstraining involves pretty much everything, including focus on creating balance in the legs, core strength and better footwork. Strengthening the quads, particularly the inner quads, can often help relieve some of the pain associated with PT.

In regards to taping, I essentially will use tape in the manner similar to the way Nadal was doing it last year. I find tape provides much better support than the elastic contraptions they sell. I only tape when I feel as is the knees could use the extra support which is maybe 1-2x per week out of a total of 5-6 times that I play.

[Rohit Asthana]

Thanks for the suggestions guys !!!

[N23]

Try a patella strap. I know Kirilenko and Nadal do. Maybe it'll work for you as well.