Runner's Knee - Knee Pain and Treatment
Updated: May 4, 2023
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.
I consulted pain management specialists in the United States when ongoing discomfort started affecting my normal activities. I was impressed by how carefully my symptoms were assessed and how clearly different management options were explained. I felt listened to and more informed after the consultation. http://paincenterofri.com/
A really useful article for runners, especially because knee pain can sometimes develop gradually from changes in training rather than from one obvious injury. I liked the point about increasing training volume or intensity too quickly, as it’s an easy mistake to make when motivation is high and you want to improve your running. The discussion around hip, knee and ankle stability, flexibility and muscle imbalances is also valuable because it shows how several factors can contribute to runner’s knee. I also agree that reducing the training load when pain appears and gradually building back up can be more sensible than simply trying to push through it. For runners looking at additional ways to support relaxation and recovery, a Knee Massager…