Aim: Jumper's knee affects more frequently athletes participating in jumping activities. This pathology is very difficult to treat: various therapeutic treatments are used, often based on the physician¹s personal experience rather than clinical evidence. The aim of this prospective study is to present our experience with the treatment of jumper¹s knee using extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) in a group of patients followed up for 2 years after treatment. Methods: In this study, we included 73 sports patients (83 knees), 54 males and 19 females, aged between 15 and 69 years (mean age: 32 years). All patients underwent clinical and instrumental diagnosis (ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging and X-rays) in order to identify presence, location and seriousness of the specific tendinopathy. The symptomatology was classified using the visual analogical scale and according to a 6-stage clinical evaluation range. Shock wave treatment was applied with an electromagnetic shock wave generator. The protocol consisted in an average of 4 sessions (minimum 3, maximum 5), at a 2/7-day interval. In each sessions, 1 500-2 500 impulses were administered with an energy varying between 0.08 and 0.44 mJ/mm2. Results: We obtained satisfactory results in 73.5% of cases (54.2% excellent results and 19.3 good results). In performing athletes (16 tendons), treatment was satisfactory in 87.5% of cases, with an average time of resuming sport of approximately 6 weeks. Conclusion: The outcome of the described shock wave treatment appears to be satisfactory and confirms the role of this alternative treatment in the management of the tendon disorders.
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