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How to Load the Patellar Tendon Without Making It Worse
- Greg Dea
- Jan 1, 2026
- 3 min read
Patellar tendon pain creates a difficult training paradox.
Athletes know they need load to stay strong and perform, but they also fear that loading the knee will make symptoms worse. As a result, training often swings between doing too much and doing too little — neither of which builds long-term resilience.
The solution isn’t avoiding load. It’s learning how to load the patellar tendon intelligently. This solution sits within a broader approach to training through patellar tendon pain rather than avoiding load altogether.
Why “Just Rest” Isn’t a Strategy
The patellar tendon adapts to the forces placed through it. In field sports, those forces include:
Jump take-offs and landings
Sprinting and deceleration
Repeated ground contacts
Change of direction under fatigue
Removing these forces entirely may reduce pain in the short term, but it also reduces the tendon’s ability to tolerate them later. When training resumes suddenly, symptoms often return.
Effective management requires progressive exposure, not prolonged avoidance.
Load Is Not the Enemy — Rate Is
One of the most common mistakes in tendon management is focusing only on how much load is used, rather than how quickly that load is applied.
Fast, reactive movements place high strain rates on the tendon. Slow, controlled strength work places high force through the tendon with much lower strain rates.
This distinction matters.
Athletes can often tolerate heavy, slow strength training long before they tolerate high-speed, elastic work.
Building a Load Hierarchy
A practical way to approach patellar tendon loading is to think in layers:
1. Slow strength loading
This forms the foundation. Controlled knee-dominant strength work improves force capacity and prepares the tendon for more dynamic tasks.
2. Controlled landing
Step-downs, altitude landings, and stick-and-hold drills reintroduce impact in a predictable way.
3. Elastic and reactive work
Pogos, bounds, and faster contacts come later, once strength and landing tolerance are established.
Progressing through these layers systematically reduces flare-ups and builds confidence.
What Pain Is Acceptable?
Training with patellar tendon pain does not mean pain-free training at all times.
General guidelines that work well in practice:
Mild pain during training (up to 3/10) can be acceptable
Symptoms should settle within 24 hours
Pain that escalates session to session signals excessive load
Clear rules remove guesswork and prevent overreaction to normal training sensations.
Why Strength Should Stay In
A common error is removing strength work when symptoms appear.
In reality, strength training often provides the protective buffer that allows athletes to tolerate running and jumping. Reducing strength too early can increase reliance on elastic strategies that the tendon is not yet ready for.
When symptoms flare, it is usually better to adjust plyometric volume or intensity first, not remove strength altogether.
Supporting the Tendon Between Sessions
Isometric loading and targeted mobility can play a helpful supporting role between harder training days.
Used appropriately, these strategies can:
Reduce symptom sensitivity
Maintain tendon engagement
Support joint positions at the ankle, knee, and hip
They should complement, not replace, progressive loading.
Putting It All Together
Managing patellar tendon pain is not about finding the perfect exercise — it’s about applying the right load at the right time.
Athletes who:
Maintain strength
Progress landing and elastic work gradually
Follow clear pain-response rules
are far more likely to train consistently and return to full performance.
Learn More
If you’re looking for a structured way to apply these principles, the Patellar Tendon Capacity & Landing Control program provides a clear, performance-focused framework for field athletes training through patellar tendon pain.
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