Knee pain is quite common in running and can be extremely irritating. Runner’s knee isn’t a specific injury, nor does it occur only from running. It is used as a broad term use to describe pain around the knee joint. Runner's knee is an overuse injury due to repetitive movements that stress the knee joints. Usually a dull ache is located under/on the knee cap or on the outside of the knee. You may have swelling or grinding in the knee or a flicking sensation on the outside of the knee. Women tend to have an increase risk of runner's knee pain due to anatomical differences in the hip and knee alignment.
What can cause Runner's Knee Pain?
Training Errors: Sudden increase in volume or intensity
Prolonged overuse/overtraining
Poor stability in ankle, knees, and hips.
Reduced flexibility: particularly quadriceps, calves, IT band, hamstrings
Excess body weight
Imbalances in muscles and tendons
Poor tracking of the patella (knee cap)
Plica
Common Conditions Associated with Runner's Knee:
PFPS (Patellar Femoral Pain Syndrome)
ITB Syndrome (Iliotibial Band Syndrome)
Patellar Tendinopathy
Osteoarthritis
Degenerative Meniscus
How to prevent knee pain?
Properly warming up will be important to stretch and pre-activate muscles before you exercise. If you are experiencing pain while running, you may have to reduce your volume initially or stop temporarily to allow the knee to settle down. A biomechanical assessment from a physiotherapist will be important to determine muscular imbalances and to provide a rehab program specific to you. Your physiotherapist will go through a detailed discussion regarding activity volume and intensity and help create a return to run plan to progressively increase running tolerance. Occasionally a patellar brace or taping to improve knee tracking may be used initially to improve tolerance while moving. If warranted, a run assessment on the treadmill would be useful to get more information on how the trunk, hips, knees, and ankles are loaded during running.
Treatment Options:
R.I.C.E (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) principles initially to settle acute symptoms such as swelling and pain
Physiotherapy management
Correction of training errors
You shouldn’t have to put up with knee pain while running! Here at Aeon Health we are passionate about running and have extra training in treadmill analysis and running related injuries. Our comprehensive 45 minute physiotherapy appointment and 60 minute running assessment allows time to assess, treat, and create a plan for you to return back to your activity with ease.
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