I think this is a first for us. We have a second entry for an injured player, Steve Francis. We covered his original injury in 2005 when he had bruised ribs. I look back at the entry now and chuckle. In the 2.5 years since we've covered so many more things. Starting 2008 with a new Steve Francis injury seems appropriate.

Yes, Steve Franics is out with quadricep tendinitis, and yes, I know this is the second entry in a row on quadriceps injuries. Who knew there would be such a rush of quads injuries at the end of the year?

What is quadricep tendinitis? Unlike the injury sustained by Vince Young, the Steve Francis injurt is tendinitis. Tendinitis affects tendons, hence the name. In the case of quads it affects the connection between the quads and the knees. The connection to the patella, a fancy name for your knee cap, is important for stability when moving. You can see that this would cause a basketball player issues.

What are the symptoms of quadricep tendinitis? You're going to feel pain when you move your knee extending or bending your leg. This is due to the fact that that the knee capis putting stress on the tendons. There will also be swelling, though is may be slight in nature. The swelling is inflamation as your body deal with the situation. You'll find your knee is stiff and seems to lock up, especially after you exercise or use it for a long time. 

How do you treat quadricep tendinitis? Rest is the cure all for this injury.With quadricep tendinitis you need to make sure you heal completely, as the injury will rehappen if the tendons are not given enough time to heal. It's important to not quit using the quadriceps all together. Normal range of motion should be maintained throughout the healing time. If you need to deal with the pain use an over the counter pain relief. For localized swelling use ice. 

How long does it take to recover from quadricep tendinitis? Bad news. It's going to take 4-6 weeks to reover fully and through this time your exercise needs to be restricted. No leg presses, running or jumping. The worse news is that the quadriceps tendons will be more likely to move into tendinitis.