Loose kneecap?

[dk2323]

I'm just now coming back from a long layoff after getting some consistent patellar tendon pain after squatting. While it's nowhere near as bad as it was, I am starting to feel it a little bit. While I was massaging the tendon, I noticed a pretty big difference in my kneecaps.

When I straighten my leg completely and try to move my left kneecap side to side, its firmly in place. When I do it with my right (the one that had tendonitis), it kinda jiggles back and forth. It definitely feels way looser.

I've never had any sort of injury with my knees besides the tendonitis, so it may just be something genetic. In any case, does this sound familiar to anyone? What measures should be added when doing the program to deal with this, assuming this is what irritates my patellar tendon?

[RTN]

I work in a physical therapy clinic, and from my experience, patella femoral tendonitis [syndrome] is usually caused by irregular tracking of the kneecap from muscular imbalance. It is fairly common in taller patients and females, although anybody can suffer from it.
For most people either the vastus medialis and/or lateralis muscle of the quadriceps group is a weak link. Also weak hip extenders, adductors, and abductors are also common.

When going from a flexed to extended position at the knee, the patella should glide vertical without any tilting or rotation. Knee taping can help to correct the patella tracking until the muscles mentioned above have a chance to strengthen.