UVic validates a protocol for the prevention of patellar tendinopathy

Researchers in the SPARG (Sport Performance Analysis Research) research group at UVic-UCC, in collaboration with Ramon Llull University and the Joventut Badalona basketball team, have published an article that validates a protocol to prevent patellar tendinopathy, a very common condition in team sports, in the prestigious Strength and Conditioning Journal, published by the American National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

The protocol shows how the use of various exercises, technologies and training regimes can prevent this condition in sports such as football, volleyball, handball and basketball, where it may affect up to 20% of practitioners, especially among male athletes.

Patellar tendinopathy is a structural alteration of the tendon that connects the patella (kneecap) to the tibia. It is very common in sports involving jumping, acceleration, deceleration and sudden changes of direction. The most common cause is repetitive microtraumas on the extensor mechanism of the knee, and the most common symptom is pain in part of the tendon, accompanied by limited use of the knee joint.

The protocol outlined by the SPARG research group is based on experimental research currently available. A practical proposal with different exercises and training methods has been developed after an extensive and systematic review of epidemiological studies on the prevention of injury in different types of sports equipment. These methods are backed by various international research studies, and aim to provide guidelines that can be applied at different times in the sports season.

The reasons for the appearance of this condition are complex, and it does not affect all athletes to the same extent at all stages of the season or during their career. For this reason, the article highlights the fact that the prevalence of this condition is increasing in younger athletes, which is why prevention should start from the beginning of their intensive sports specialisation, which in Catalonia usually takes place at around 14 years old.

The project was led by Dr Javier Peña, a member of the SPARG and the director of the Physical Activity and Sports Studies Centre (CEEAF) at UVic-UCC, with the doctors Ernest Baiget, Albert Altarriba, Antoni Caparrós, Xantal Borràs (SPARG) and in collaboration with Dr Bernat Buscà, lecturer at the Blanquerna Faculty of Psychology, Education and Sport Sciences at Ramon Llull University, and Dr Daniel Moreno-Doutres, the head of physical preparation of Joventut Badalona.

Although the article will be published in the June issue, it can already be consulted free of charge on the journal's website.

Link to the website of the journal.