ReviewHealthcare (Basel, Switzerland)2024
The Effects of Soft-Tissue Techniques and Exercise in the Treatment of Patellar Tendinopathy-Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Review in Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Construction elements and preliminary framework of a sport-medicine-education collaborative intervention model for patellar tendinopathy.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Percutaneous Electrolysis for Patellar Tendinopathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Calcific Patellar Tendinopathy. A Case Report Integrating Diagnostic Ultrasound Throughout a Multi-Modal Treatment Approach.International journal of sports physical therapy · 2026Article
- Percutaneous Electrolysis, Percutaneous Peripheral Nerve Stimulation, and Eccentric Exercise for Shoulder Pain and Functionality in Supraspinatus Tendinopathy: A Single-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2025Article
- Improvement responses in patellar tendinopathy patients treated with ultrasound-guided galvanic electrolysis technique: A 3-year follow-up study.Journal of experimental orthopaedics · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPatellar tendinopathy is a degenerative clinical disorder that causes load-related pain in the lower pole of the patella or patellar tendon. It predominantly affects young male athletes engaged in sports involving repetitive tendon loading, particularly explosive jumping. The combination of manual techniques with therapeutic exercise is hypothesized to provide greater benefits than exercise alone.
objectiveThe aim of this study is to analyze the scientific evidence regarding the effects of soft-tissue techniques combined with therapeutic exercise versus therapeutic exercise alone on pain intensity and function in individuals with patellar tendinopathy.
methodsA systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Lilacs, IBECS, CENTRAL, WOS, SciELO, Academic Search, CINAHL, SportDiscus, PEDro, and Google Scholar databases were consulted. Randomized controlled trials and quasi-randomized trials focusing on the effects of soft-tissue techniques combined with therapeutic exercise (experimental group) versus therapeutic exercise alone (control group) on pain and function in individuals aged 16 years and older with patellar tendinopathy were selected. The Cochrane tool for risk-of-bias assessment and the PEDro scale for methodological quality were used. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: A total of six studies (
conclusionsThe combination of manual techniques, such as dry needling, percutaneous electrolysis, transverse friction massage, and stretching, along with a squat on a 25° inclined plane, appears to be effective in the treatment of patellar tendinopathy. Static stretching of the quadriceps before and after the squat five times per week, along with dry needling or percutaneous electrolysis sessions twice a week for 8 weeks, is recommended. However, future studies analyzing groups with passive techniques versus therapeutic exercise are needed to standardize the treatment and establish the optimal dose.
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