Hi Austin,
I am a physical therapy student with a small bit of clinical experience, and I think based upon your mechanism of injury that you should get a diagnosis from a medical professional. Chiropractor is not the right answer here.
It’s difficult to tell much from just the few short paragraphs you wrote, and there are some key points missing in determing what pathology you may have… such as how you jumped and in what phase of jump the injury occurred, exactly where you’re experiencing pain, how the pain progresses throughout the day and what aggravates it, eases it, etc…
There are also a few simple physical tests that can be done to give you a much better idea of whether further diagnostic testing is needed.
Bottom line: You may very well have a patellar tendonopathy, but there is much more that could potentially be wrong and you need a professional opinion. If you do indeed have “patellar tendinitis,” it is typically quite easy to fix, and a stop at your nearest A.R.T. provider should be your first priority. Combine that with some corrective exercise and you should be good to go in a few weeks. This will probably include glute activation work, hip abductor and hamstring strengthening, and hip flexor and calf stretching, along with correcting any other impairments discovered during your physical exam.
And one more thing… NEVER ice your knee. This is some seriously outdated advice that unfortunately still has a strong foothold in the medical community. In ten years you will never hear a recommendation to ice a tendon. Inflammation can be controlled in that manner only in the very acute stage of an injury (as in the first day or so), and beyond that it serves no purpose other than to stiffen your joint and slow the healing process.
Dont want to drag this thread out too much but, austin, you want to first make sure you have patellar tendonitis. Anterior knee pain is most often due to one or a combination of 3 things…pat tendonitis, quad tendonitis or patellofemoral knee pain. If, in fact, it is pat tendonitis you will have pain and tenderness directly over the patellar tendon along its length from the apex (bottom) of your patella to its insertion at the tibial tubercle (bump on the front side of the shin bone). If the pain feels like its behind your kneecap then you may be dealing with some sort of patellofemoral issue.
Fuzzyapple is right on with the foam rolling which is good for anybody who trains. Once you return to lifting dont stop the foam rolling. Also important to stretch all the same muscles you rolled as well as the hip flexors…will almost gurarantee they’re crazy tight. Anti-inflammatories taken every day are good as well…whether pharmaceutical or herbal. Ice the knee at the end of the day and after training.
Lay off of leg work for a week which I believe was your plan anyway. When you return to leg training lay of the quads for a bit. Focus on glutes, hams and calves…your power comes from these muscles anyway. Ever see the hams and glutes on a track athlete…insane! Standing calf raise variations, RDL, SLDL, good mornings, ham curls, etc. When you return to quad work avoid hacks for awhile. Wide stance back squats or box squats to comfortable depth with little to no weight. Work on achieving full range without pain before adding weight and continue in that fashion.
Return to jumping when you are full-range squatting at least your body-weight for several reps…and don’t go nutz right away.
If you don’t shake this pain in a few weeks see a sports orthopedist…but dont rush to him now. He’ll x-ray it…tell you it looks fine…recommend PT and some NSAIDS. Chances are the therapist will have no idea how to advance you and you’re back where you started. Good Luck.