Arthroscopic treatment of infrapatellar tendonitis

Infrapatellar tendonitis is a chronic overload lesion in the patellar ligam ent at the attachment to the lower pole of the patella. This lesion is foun d primarily in athletes who participate in jumping sports. Magnetic resonan ce imaging or ultrasound can show the extent of tendon pathology. Patellar tendonitis is treated with modification of activities, medications, and the rapy. When conservative measures fail, operative debridement has been recom mended. Previous reports have described a technique of open debridement of the patellar tendon, followed by an extended period of rehabilitation befor e returning to sports. Two athletes with persistent infrapatellar tendoniti s were treated with an arthroscopic debridement. Both athletes returned to full activities without restrictions within 8 weeks of surgery. Arthroscopi c treatment of infrapatellar tendonitis has not been previously described. This technical note describes the technique and two case reports of the art hroscopic treatment of infrapatellar tendonitis.