Interventions used for Rehabilitation and Prevention of Patellar Tendinopathy in athletes: a survey of Brazilian Sports Physical Therapists

Abstract

Objectives: (1) To identify the type and frequency of interventions used by Brazilian physical therapists to treat and prevent the occurrence of patellar tendinopathy in athletes and the criteria used to return to sport; (2) to compare the interventions used to the grade of recommendation of current evidence.

Methods: Design: cross-sectional study.

Setting: online survey throughout sports physical therapy association.

Participants: Physical therapists who were invited to complete a structured questionnaire.

Main outcome measures: Interventions more frequently used for treating and preventing PT in athletes and the criteria used to define return to sport.

Results: One-hundred and twenty-one physical therapists participated in this study. Quadriceps eccentric strengthening (75.2%), education (61.2%) and lower limb joint/lumbo-pelvic stabilization/hamstrings stretching (59.5%) were more frequently cited for prevention purposes, while lower limb joint stabilization (81.8%), education (80.2%) and myofascial release (78.5%) were more frequently reported for treatment. The majority of the physical therapists based their decision of athlete discharge on a combination of pain intensity, function and functional test results (44.6%).

Conclusion: There was inconsistency between interventions used in clinical practice and interventions recommended by the best available evidence.

Keywords: Prevention; Rehabilitation; Sports; Tendon injury.