This study analyses the outcome of 27 professional athletes with patellar tendinopathy undergoing arthroscopic surgery after failing conservative treatment.

Twenty seven professional athletes with patellar tendinopathy refractory to conservative management underwent arthroscopic debridement of abnormal patellar tendon and excision of the lower pole of the patella. Pre- and postoperative evaluation was undertaken using the IKDC score, Lysholm knee scale and VISA-P scores for all patients at 1 and 3 years. No patients were lost to follow-up. The return to sports and rehabilitation was also assessed.

The IKDC, Lysholm and VISA-P scores were all significantly improved at 1 and 3 years follow-up. These scores remained significantly better for the patients assessed at 5 and 10 years follow-up. Nineteen of the 27 professional athletes returned to sports at the same level, with a further 5 playing at a lower level. These 24 patients were symptom-free. The other 3 athletes returned to sport at a lower level without symptoms for 3 years after the index operation, but then developed symptoms compatible with a Blazina stage I patellar tendinopathy. All patients were able to return to sports by 3 months.

Arthroscopic surgery for patients with patellar tendinopathy refractory to conservative management appears to provide early return to sports with significant improvements in symptoms and function, with improvements maintained for at least 3 years up to 10 years.