Patellar tendinopathy causes pain just below the kneecap, usually in jumping sports like volleyball and basketball. Pain tends to be worse at the start of activity, may ease during warm-up, and then comes back afterwards.
What tends to work:
Rest alone often eases pain but does not make the tendon tolerate load better
Progressive loading is the core: isometric holds, then heavier slow strength work (such as leg press or squats), then faster, springier loading
Jumping volume usually needs to be reduced and then rebuilt gradually
Recovery often takes around 3 months or longer, so steady progress matters more than quick fixes
A sample heavy slow resistance session, three times a week: 3-4 sets of leg press or squat, 6-15 reps depending on the phase, about 3 seconds down and 3 seconds up. Load goes up as the tendon tolerates it.
Use the next-morning response as your guide. If the knee is clearly worse the following day, scale back slightly.