Popliteus tendinopathy

Case contributed by Chris O'Donnell
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Feeling of giving way with prolonged standing, posterolateral knee pain and swelling especially after prolonged exercise.

Patient Data

Age: 75 years
Gender: Male
mri

Swelling and abnormal T2 signal indicative of tendinopathy in the popliteus tendon at its origin from the lateral femoral condyle extending into its bony groove

Case Discussion

Popliteus tendinopathy has a similar MRI appearance to tendinopathy in other locations albeit at a rare site. It tends to cause posterolateral knee pain on exercise (e.g. walking) as the muscle is one of the initiators of knee flexion (rotating the tibia medially on the femur). This condition is rarely seen in non-athletes as in this case.

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