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Owen Hargreaves undergoes knee tendonitis surgery - 18/11/08

Manchester United’s Owen Hargreaves will miss the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery.

The midfielder has suffered from knee tendonitis two years and had had an operation on his right knee on 10th November. Hargreaves will also have surgery on his left knee in two weeks.

Well known knee surgeon Dr Richard Steadman carried out Hargreaves’ operation, he also saved Alan Shearers’ career in 2000, and has also operated on Michael Owen and Ruud Van Nistelrooy.

Canadian-born Hargreaves joined Manchester United from Bayern Munich in July 2007 and has only made 37 appearances so far, with only three this season.

The 27 year old missed the start of the 2007/08 season, but return after Christmas taking a prominent position in the starting line up. However, his tendonitis flared up in this year’s pre-season.

His injury also means he won’t play in England’s 2010 World Cup qualifiers in spring 2009.

Hargreaves’ injury may put his future in doubt, as manager Sir Alex Ferguson has already started searching for a replacement for his £18m signing.

Knee Tendonitis

Symptoms of knee tendonitis

Pain is felt just below the knee cap and the pain often increases when the knee is straightened when using the patella tendon. There may be puffiness over the site of pain when this knee injury occurs.

Causes of knee tendonitis

The patella tendon works whenever the knee bends and straightens under load, e.g. under your body weight and gravity. It can be injured through too high a load being put on it like kicking a ball, jumping, or squat exercises in weight lifting. Activities, such as long distance running, hopping and bounding, can also be a factor.

Treatment for knee tendonitis

Upon injury or flare up, apply cold therapy treatment, such as the Vulkan Instant Ice Pack, to reduce swelling and relieve discomfort. You may also want to seek medical treatment, use our Find a Practitioner to source a healthcare professional in your area. Upon return to training, wearing a knee support is advised. We recommend the Vulkan Knee Wrap, Vulkan AE Knee support and Vulkan Knee support.