Prevalence of Jumper’s knee among recreational badminton players: a cross-sectional study

Background: Badminton involves rapid directional changes, jumping, and lunges that increase the risk of overuse injuries, particularly patellar tendinopathy (jumper’s knee). Although injury prevalence varies among different player populations, data on recreational badminton players in India remain limited. This study assessed the prevalence among recreational badminton players aged 18-30 years. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from May 2025 to October 2025 among 75 recreational badminton players selected through convenient sampling method. Participants scoring <80 on the Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment-Patella (VISA-P) questionnaire were assessed using the Royal London Hospital Test (RLHT) for patellar tendinopathy. Pearson correlation analysis determined the relationship between symptom severity and clinical findings. Results: Of 75 participants (30 males, 45 females; mean age 22.5±2.8 years), 22 (29.33%) tested positive for jumper’s knee. Prevalence increased with age: 4.76% (age 18-20), 36.84% (age 21-25), and 43.75% (age 26-30). A moderate negative correlation (r=-0.474, p=0.001) was found between VISA-P scores and RLHT results. Conclusions: This study demonstrated a significant prevalence of jumper’s knee (29.33%) among recreational badminton players, particularly in the older age groups. The findings highlight the need for injury prevention strategies and proper training protocols in this population.