Tendon tears are common when playing sports as you age and may require months-long rehab

Q. I am 42 and felt a pop just above my knee when I was playing basketball.

After icing my knee, I continued to experience pain and it was difficult to walk. I went to the emergency room and X-rays came back negative. They gave me crutches and a knee brace and told me to see an orthopedic surgeon.

An MRI revealed I had a partial tear of my outside quad muscle near the kneecap. The doctor said I would need a brace with my leg held straight for at least a month followed by a rehabilitation program for a couple of months.

Is there any way to speed up the healing process? Would surgery speed my recovery?

A. There are four large muscles on the front of your thigh that come together to form a thick tendon that attaches to your kneecap. These muscles help you extend your knee against gravity.

Most of the time, when an athlete in your age group feels a pop playing sports as you describe, this tendon has torn completely. It is nearly impossible to walk if this quadriceps tendon is torn completely. If this occurs, then surgery is required to restore function.

Recovery back to sports from this surgery usually takes six to 12 months. It appears that your injury is a partial tear that has the ability to heal itself with bracing and rehab.

Your doctor is giving you good advise and I would follow this protocol in an effort to return to sports as quickly as possible while minimizing the risk of further injury.