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Training Through Patellar Tendon Pain: A Capacity-First Approach for Field Athletes
- Greg Dea
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
Training through patellar tendon pain is a common challenge for field athletes who rely on repeated jumping, landing, and change of direction. Too often, the default advice is to rest, reduce load, or avoid jumping altogether.
While this may settle symptoms temporarily, it rarely prepares the tendon for the real demands of sport. When training resumes, pain often returns — sometimes worse than before.
A more effective approach focuses on building tendon capacity, not simply avoiding load.
Why Rest Alone Often Falls Short
The patellar tendon exists to transmit force between the quadriceps and the lower leg. In sports such as AFL, soccer, rugby, and basketball, this force is applied repeatedly through:
Accelerations and decelerations
Jumping and landing
Change of direction
Ground contact under fatigue
Removing load for prolonged periods reduces the tendon’s tolerance to these forces. Returning to training without rebuilding capacity increases the likelihood of persistent symptoms.
For athletes, the goal is not to stop training — it is to train in a way that restores tolerance and confidence.
Training Through Patellar Tendon Pain Requires Capacity
A capacity-first approach to training through patellar tendon pain is built on two key principles:
Strength protects the tendon
Rate of loading matters as much as total load
Rather than eliminating training, athletes benefit from controlled, progressive strength work that improves how force is absorbed through the knee.
This foundation allows more reactive and elastic demands to be reintroduced safely.
The Role of Slow Strength Training
Slow, controlled strength training plays a central role in tendon capacity development. It helps to:
Increase quadriceps and lower-limb force output
Improve tolerance to sustained tendon tension
Reduce excessive reliance on reactive landing strategies
Provide a predictable stimulus with lower symptom flare-up risk
For this reason, strength should remain in place throughout a tendon-loading phase, even when jumping volume is temporarily adjusted.
Reintroducing Jumping and Landing Safely
Avoiding jumping indefinitely is neither realistic nor helpful for field athletes.
When training through patellar tendon pain, elastic and landing work should be reintroduced gradually by:
Starting with low-amplitude contacts
Emphasising controlled landings and positioning
Progressing height, rate, and reactivity over time
Adjusting plyometric load before reducing strength work
This approach allows the tendon to adapt without unnecessary setbacks.
Managing Pain Without Guesswork
Some discomfort during training is expected when rebuilding tendon capacity. Clear guidelines help remove uncertainty:
Pain up to 3/10 during training can be acceptable
Symptoms should settle within 24 hours
Persistent next-day stiffness or swelling signals the need to adjust load
Having defined progression and regression rules reduces fear and improves adherence.
Supporting Training Between Sessions
Isometric loading, such as Spanish squat holds, can support symptom modulation and maintain tendon engagement without impact.
When combined with targeted mobility and tissue work for the ankle, hip, and trunk, these sessions provide a low-threat way to maintain movement quality between higher-load days. They support training but do not replace strength or plyometric work.
A Performance-Oriented Path Forward
Training through patellar tendon pain does not require athletes to shut down or avoid their sport. It requires a structured, progressive approach that respects both capacity and performance demands.
Programs that maintain strength, progressively reload the tendon, and provide clear decision-making frameworks allow athletes to return to higher-demand environments with confidence.
Learn More
If you are an athlete or coach looking for a structured, performance-focused approach to training through patellar tendon pain, our Patellar Tendon Capacity & Landing Control program provides a clear 4-week pathway.
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