What is a Patellar Tendon Tear?

The patellar tendon connects the bottom of your knee cap to your shin bone. You may experience a partial tear or complete rupture in your patellar tendon. In a partial tear, the tendon is damaged but remains grossly intact. A complete rupture would result in a severed tendon and an unattached knee cap. In such cases, you would not be able to straighten your knee.

What are the symptoms of a patellar tendon tear?

Pain, tenderness and swelling of the knee are common symptoms of a ruptured patellar tendon. As the tendon becomes more damaged, the pain and inflammation get progressively worse. In complete ruptures, you may hear a ‘pop’ at the time you sustained the injury, experience extreme difficulty and instability in walking, and your knee cap may move into your thigh as it is no longer attached to your shin bone.