The quadriceps tendon is the one that joins the muscle in front of the thigh (quadriceps muscle) with the ball joint. The patellar tendon is the one that connects the ball with the anterior face of the tibia. These tendons participate in the movement of the knee and are in charge of performing the extension movements.
Rupture usually occurs in people who have previously suffered tendinitis where the tendon has degenerated or patients who have suffered a trauma to the tendon. There are also multiple diseases that weaken the tendon, favoring its rupture, such as rheumatic diseases, renal failure, as well as drugs such as corticosteroids generally and used for a long time.
At the time of rupture, severe pain suddenly appears on the anterior aspect of the knee, accompanied by an inability to extend the knee.
In all cases, reconstruction of the tendon is required by surgery. There are different techniques for the reconstruction of the tendon. Almost always the break occurs in a degenerated tendon therefore the suture should be reinforced with some external element. Some professionals like to extract tendons from another part of the patient’s own body and others use artificial reinforcements.