How to protect your knees and tendons in high jump?

In high jump, the knees and tendons take a lot of impact. The sequence of approach, takeoff, repeated jumps, and return to training particularly exposes the patellar tendon, often associated with tendonitis in jumping sports. To last, the objective is simple: prepare the joint, manage the load, and react early as soon as the first warning signs appear.

Start with a truly useful warm-up

The first protection is a progressive warm-up. Before a high jump session, the most useful approach remains an active warm-up, followed by dynamic mobility, then exercises similar to the athletic movement.

Specifically, you can organize the beginning of your session like this:

• a few minutes to gradually raise body temperature
• dynamic mobility for ankles, hips, and knees
• balance and stability exercises
• specific movements before more intense jumps

For knees and tendons, this logic is very important. A warmer, more mobile, and more activated body generally handles takeoff and landings better.

Give ankles and hips their proper place

When thinking about jumping, we often only focus on the knee. In practice, the ankle and hip also play an important role in how forces travel up the leg.

In high jump, two points deserve regular attention:

Ankle mobility

A stiff ankle can alter the mechanics of support. Maintaining good mobility, especially in ankle flexion, helps to better absorb and redistribute the load.

Hip control

A stable hip helps maintain better alignment during unilateral supports, which are very present in high jump. This is particularly useful during the approach, takeoff phases, and all preparatory work.

Strengthen before piling on jumps

Tendons like progression. They tolerate load better when they have been prepared by regular strengthening rather than by a sudden accumulation of explosive sessions.

Useful work around the knee often includes:

• well-controlled unilateral squats
• calf raises
• calf strength training
• glute strengthening
• balance and stability exercises

The idea is not to constantly do "more." The idea is to give muscles and tendons a higher capacity to absorb the stresses of jumping.

Work on the quality of landings

In high jump, a lot of thought goes into takeoff. Landing deserves just as much attention. A better-controlled landing helps distribute forces more effectively and limit unnecessary stress on the patellar tendon and the entire knee.

Some useful pointers:

• aim for a controlled landing
• avoid messy or overly "hard" foot placements
• maintain good knee control in line with the foot
• incorporate technical work, outside of full jumps, on simpler versions

The cleaner the movement, the better the load is distributed.

Manage the load week after week

Knee and tendon protection also comes down to workout organization. Many pains occur less because of an isolated jump and more because of poorly managed accumulation.

The strongest reflexes are often the simplest:

• increase the load gradually
• avoid stacking several hard sessions without recovery
• keep at least one true rest day during the week
• plan lighter days
• monitor periods when jumping volume increases rapidly

When the load increases too quickly, tendons often remind us quite quickly.

Warming balm in the preparation and recovery routine

Before the session, a warming balm can find its place in the preparation routine as a comfort gesture, just before mobility and activation. It can be beneficial when the knees, tendons, or muscles around the joint feel stiff at the start. The local warming sensation then accompanies the warm-up and integrates easily into a progressive warm-up.

After effort, it can also be used in the recovery routine, massaged onto the areas that were most stressed during jumps. This application provides a pleasant warming sensation, which accompanies muscle relaxation and extends the recovery period after training.

Early detection of warning signs

The right reflex is not to let recurring pain linger. Pain located at the front of the knee, below the patella, which increases with jumps, squats, or explosive supports, deserves to be taken seriously.

Some signs to watch out for:

• localized pain below the patella
• discomfort that returns with each jumping session
• more pronounced pain the next day or after an increase in load
• sensation that the tendon "pulls" from the warm-up
• decreased tolerance for takeoffs

In this case, the most useful thing is often to temporarily reduce the load, maintain appropriate activity, then seek medical or sports physiotherapy advice if the discomfort persists.

Conclusion

In high jump, protecting your knees and tendons primarily requires thorough preparation before jumps. A good warm-up, strengthened tendons, well-managed load, and proper technique form the most solid foundation.

IZOM Athlétique Warming Balm can find its place in this routine as a comfort gesture before activation. The real difference then lies in the quality of the warm-up, the consistency of strengthening, and how you manage your weeks.

Want to complete your pre- and post-workout routine?

Find our IZOM Athlétique warming balm on our website.