Isometric Exercise to Reduce Pain in Patellar Tendinopathy In-Season; Is It Effective “on the Road? / Ebonie Rio, Craig Purdam, M Sports Phys, Michael Girdwood, M Physio Prac, and Jill Cook

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Bibliografía: p.191-192

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of an isometric squat exercise using a portable belt, on patellar tendon pain and
function, in athletes during their competitive season. Design: Case series with no requirements to change any aspect of games or
training. The object of this pragmatic study was to investigate this intervention in addition to “usual management.” A control or sham
intervention was considered unacceptable to teams. Setting: In-season. Participants: A total of 25 male and female elite and
subelite athletes from 5 sports. Intervention: 5 3 30-second isometric quadriceps squat exercise using a rigid belt completed
over a 4-week period. Main Outcome Measures: (1) single-leg decline squat (SLDS)—a pain provocation test for the patellar
tendon (numerical rating score of pain between 0 and 10), (2) VISA-P questionnaire assessing patellar tendon pain and function, and
(3) self-reported adherence with completing the exercise over a 4-week period. Results:Baseline SLDS pain was high for these inseason athletes, median 7.5/10 (range 3.5-9) and was significantly reduced over the 4-week intervention (P , 0.001, ES r 5 0.580,
median change 3.5). VISA-P scores improved after intervention (P , 0.001, ES r 5 0.568, mean change 12.2 6 8.9, percentage
mean change 18.8%, where minimum clinical important difference of relative change for VISA-P is 15.4%-27%). Adherence was
high; athletes reported completing the exercise 5 times per week. Conclusions: This pragmatic study suggests that a portable
isometric squat reduced pain in-season for athletes with PT. This form of treatment may be effective, but clinical trials with a control
group are needed to confirm the results