Probably best to be pro-active, but this type of thing is usually very simple.
Two tests:
- Jump up and down 5-10 times
- try doing a squat with your heels (very) elevated and then compare to a squat with your heel flat
If your symptoms are exacerbated by the jumping (specifically, each ground contact made as you jump) and/or squatting with heels elevated exacerbates your symptoms moreso than squatting with your heels flat, it’s likely patellar tendinopathy. If not, patellofemoral pain (which is a sort of useless diagnosis, but it has implications I’ll discuss later in this post).
For patellar tendinopathy (PT)
PT onset is usually associated with an acute increase in workload/volume of the knee extensors. It can also be associated with poor strength/loading of the knee extensors, but this is unlikely given the fact you lift. Rarely, it is a true biomechanical/movement issue, and this avenue should only be pursued if the above management strategies do not work.
Outcomes for PT are excellent with correct care. Stretching and SMR is not correct care and will get you nowhere, but following the above guidelines should keep you sorted. For more info on PT management, look up Jake Tuura, his website The Jacked Athlete and his Jumper’s Knee Protocol
For patellofemoral pain (PFP), you could be dealing with something more complex and multi-factorial but it’s far more likely you’re dealing with an issue of acute overload, that will ease up over 7-14 days maximum.
If you hit that 14 days and you’re still symptomatic, you may be developing true PFP. Being able to successfully manage PFP within 3 months is a key prognostic factor. PFP management can involve improving quad and glute strength for gen-pop, but this is unlikely to help a trained individual like yourself. PFP management protocol is thus more likely to involve checking your biomechanics. This can include stability/proprioception exercises and certain mobility protocols (but not stretching… stretching is dumb for managing most injuries). Again, don’t worry about that until you get there, because the pain you’re experiencing now is far more likely to be an issue of acute overload than any real injury or degeneration.
That said, a quick linchpin test for your ability to manage this is to drop down into a split squat with your symptomatic leg forward and loaded. If a 30-45s hold alleviates your symptoms, you’ll be $$ for managing your symptoms, using the isometric hold as an analgesic, particularly prior to lower body training.
Above all else, don’t change your training unless you’ve recently increased (within 4 weeks) your lower-body training volume. If this is the case, reduce volume slightly to your volume before the increase, and build up volume slowly from there (adding a little bit of volume every 10-14 days).