TITLE:
Ultrasound and Doppler-Guided Surgery for the Treatment of Jumper’s Knee in Professional Rugby Players
AUTHORS:
Håkan Alfredson, Lorenzo Anthony Masci
KEYWORDS:
Jumper’s Knee, Patellar Tendinopathy, Rugby, Surgical Treatment, Ultrasound + Doppler
JOURNAL NAME:
Pain Studies and Treatment,
Vol.3 No.1,
January
12,
2015
ABSTRACT: Background: Jumper’s knee is relatively common among rugby players, and treatment of this condition is known to be difficult. Intratendinous revision surgery has shown poor results. New research on innervation patterns, and a new US+DP-guided treatment method targeting the regions with vessels and nerves outside the tendon has shown promising results in patients with Jumper’s knee. Material: This study includes 12 patellar tendons from 9 professional rugby players (mean age 26 years) with a long duration (range 12 - 72 months) of pain from the proximal patellar tendon. For 3 tendons there was previously intratendinous revision surgery with a poor result. Method: Treatment with Ultrasound (US) and Doppler (DP)-guided arthroscopic shaving + open scraping, followed by immediate weight bearing and gradually increased loading up to full loading after 6 - 8 weeks, was performed. Results: For 9 tendons there was a good clinical result, and all returned to full professional rugby within 4 - 6 months. The mean VISA score increased from 49 to 78 (p