[Andy Reed]

Hi Ryan

Great question. Tendon adaptations, in general, are very slow, and 2 weeks will not be enough to make a lot of difference.

Things I would recommend looking at in this “acute” stage – isometric holds. There are a variety of ways to achieve this – iso-lunges, wall sits, seated leg extensions, isometric leg presses etc – you can google these. Isometric holds are quite useful early on, as they reduce pain, and trigger some of the necessary adaptations in the tendon structure; holds are usually in the 20-40s range. There is some evidence now that taking a collagen/Vit C supplement 30-6- mins before these exercises can promote more rapid healing (look up Baar et al, UC Davis’ work).

Isometrics can be done daily. After this I would usually progress to some sort of heavy eccentric or eccentric/concentric work. The weight should ultimately be challenging – 3-5 rep max. These are challenging and should NOT be done daily – 2-3 times per week is good.

I love the Spanish Squat for patellar tendons – look it up.

The final part of the equation is to introduce more explosive work – box jumps, box drops, drop squats – plyometrics basically. Again – these can be very challenging – 1-2 times weekly max.

Hope that helps – a good therapist will be able to check your form, do a biomechanical assessment, add in some additional manual therapy/modalities and confirm the diagnosis.