Publications

Myoton Clarification Note: A Guide to Interpreting the Inverse Relationship Between Logarithmic Decrement and Tissue Elasticity

Background: Jumper’s knee is a common overuse injury in athletes, characterised by activity-related pain and impaired patellar tendon function due to microtears. Therapeutic eccentric and isometric exercises have been shown to alleviate symptoms and improve lower-limb function.

Aim: To evaluate the effects of an 8-week targeted exercise programme on pain, range of motion, and patellar tendon biomechanical properties in volleyball athletes with patellar tendinopathy.

Methods: Twenty-one male volleyball players with patellar pain were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 10) or a control group (n = 11). The intervention group completed a structured physiotherapy programme twice weekly for eight weeks, consisting of bodyweight-based isometric and eccentric exercises, including wall sits, tibialis raises, calf raises, split squats, Patrick step exercises, etc. Outcome measures were symptom severity and functional status assessed via the VISA-P questionnaire, lower-limb range of motion (knee flexion and hip flexion/extension) measured with a goniometer, and patellar tendon biomechanical properties (tone, stiffness, elasticity) measured with the MyotonPRO myotonometer. Assessments were conducted at baseline and post-intervention. Data were analysed using nonparametric tests, with significance set at p < 0.05.

Results: After eight weeks, the intervention group demonstrated a significant improvement in VISA-P scores (55 vs 89; p < 0.01), whereas the control group showed no change (61 vs 62; p > 0.05). Between-group differences were significant (89 vs 62; p < 0.001). Minimal changes in range of motion were observed, except for greater right hip flexion gains in the control group (p < 0.05). In the intervention group, patellar tendon tone and stiffness decreased significantly in the relaxed left leg (p < 0.05), indicating improved tendon mechanical properties.

Conclusions: An 8-week structured exercise programme effectively reduces pain, enhances functional status, and improves patellar tendon biomechanics in volleyball players with jumper’s knee, supporting its use as a non-invasive management strategy.

Keywords: jumper’s knee, physiotherapy, exercise programme, biomechanics

The findings of this study support the use of a structured, progressive exercise programme as a safe and effective intervention for reducing pain, improving knee function, and enhancing patellar tendon mechanical properties in athletes with jumper’s knee. These results highlight the role of therapeutic exercise as a first-line conservative strategy for patellar tendinopathy, offering both functional and biomechanical benefits. Future research should involve larger sample sizes, incorporate multiple assessors to improve measurement reliability, and include additional functional or performance-based outcome measures. Furthermore, controlling environmental factors such as training conditions and competition schedules will help to more accurately evaluate and validate the effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions.