If physiotherapy does not help, you may be referred to a doctor who specialises in muscles and bones (orthopaedic specialist) or a local musculoskeletal clinic. Stop applying ice if there are any negative effects such as increase in pain or swelling or skin soreness.

If the pain is severe, lasts a long time, or your movement is limited, you may be referred for physiotherapy. You can also see a physiotherapist privately. You could use a heat pad or a hot water bottle with an insulated cover on it. Make sure this is not too hot and is not directly touching your skin. Immobilization:You would need to wear a knee immobilizer or brace for three to six weeks to keep your knee straight and help it heal. You will likely need crutches to avoid bearing any weight on the leg.A good indicator of whether you need to lose weight is your body mass index (BMI), which you can calculate with the NHS BMI calculator. Spreading the doses of the paracetamol evenly out over a day will help you control your pain. Visit NHS Inform for more detailed information on paracetamol. Ice may be used for reducing pain and swelling. There are safety points to follow when you use ice:

Generally patellar tendon pain does not get better itself if you continue to put the tendon under too much stress. Patellar tendinopathy can resolve but this can take time. Physiotherapy exercises are recommended to strengthen the tendon. This will help improve the tendons “stress tolerance”. Support: wrap an elastic bandage around the area, use a tube bandage, or use a soft brace. You can buy these from pharmacies. It should be snug, not tight. Lubis AMT, Prabowo I. Acute patellar tendon rupture with tibial tubercle avulsion repair using suture anchors: tiny avulsed fragment which affects the strength of construction-a case report. Int J Surg Case Rep. 2022 Jun 10;96:107283. doi:10.1016/j.ijscr.2022.107283. The pain scale, most often used in healthcare, measures pain from 0-10 (zero being no pain and 10 representing the worst pain you could imagine).Taking suitable pain relief regularly allows you to move more normally and continue your usual activities without causing any damage. It is unlikely that medication alone will resolve your pain totally. For this reason we are using the term pain relief (A 30-50% reduction in pain would be deemed to be a good success).

Patellar tendinopathy (Sometimes known as jumpers knee) is a common soft tissue injury which can cause pain in the tendon below the knee cap (patella). It can also cause stiffness and weakness around the knee. Paracetamol is a good general pain management medication. It is used to help manage lots of different types of pain. Optimal Loading refers to having a balanced rehabilitation program which encourages early and gradual activity to improve recovery. How you progress will vary from person to person depending on the injury. It is about finding the injured areas happy place and increasing slowly and gradually.Reinking MF. Current concepts in the treatment of patellar tendinopathy. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2016 Dec;11(6):854-866. PMID: 27904789

A GP may prescribe a stronger painkiller or suggest you use an ibuprofen gel on your skin to ease the pain.Samagh SP, Huyke FA, Buchler L, Terry MA, Tjong VK. Treatment of a neglected patellar tendon rupture with a modified surgical technique: Ipsilateral semitendinosus autograft reconstruction with suture tape augmentation. Case Rep Orthop. 2018;2018:2037638. doi:10.1155/2018/2037638 Samagh SP, Huyke FA, Buchler L, Terry MA, Tjong VK. Treatment of a neglected patellar tendon rupture with a modified surgical technique: ipsilateral semitendinosus autograft reconstruction with suture tape augmentation. Case Reports in Orthopedics. 2018;2018:1-5. doi:10.1155/2018/2037638 It can also be caused by repetitive movements, or having poor posture or technique while at work or when playing a sport. This is known as repetitive strain injury (RSI). If your BMI states you are overweight or obese it is likely that losing weight will reduce your symptoms. Carrying extra fat also increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. Reducing your portion sizes and eating a balanced diet can be helpful in reducing weight. NHS informs provides a free online 12-week weight management programme to get you started right away. It is not fully clear why some people develop patellar ​tendinopathy, but is normally due to several reasons: