Runner's knee vs jumper's knee: which one do you have?

Two different structures, two different patterns. Runner's knee (patellofemoral pain) is irritation of the joint where the kneecap glides on the thigh bone: it aches around or behind the kneecap. Jumper's knee (patellar tendinopathy) is a load problem in the tendon just below the kneecap: it hurts at one precise spot on the tendon, right where it attaches to the bottom of the kneecap.

Location: vague front-of-knee or behind-the-kneecap ache points to runner's knee. A fingertip-precise sore spot below the kneecap points to jumper's knee.

Provocation: runner's knee flares with squatting, stairs, long sitting and running volume. Jumper's knee flares with springy, explosive load (jumping, landing, sprinting, direction changes), and often warms up during activity only to bite afterwards.

The rehab logic differs. Runner's knee responds to combined hip-and-knee strengthening with the joint progressively reloaded. Jumper's knee is a tendon problem: it needs a patient progression of tendon loading (heavy, slow work before springy work), and responds poorly to complete rest. Both take weeks, not days, and neither usually needs a scan to get started. Pick the matching guide below.