5 Tips For Happy Knees While Running
“Runner’s knee” or “patellofemoral pain syndrome” is an injury that affects more than 2.5 million runners per year and it is one of the most common overuse injuries in the leg! I’m talking about that nagging pain under and around your knee cap that flares up with stairs, squatting, kneeling, sitting for too long, and of course running. ⠀
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“Patello-femoral” refers to the relationship between the knee cap and the femur bone. I like to think of it like a train and a track.. there can be MANY causes of a poor train and track combo so it takes a little teasing out to determine what the source of the problem might be. Generally speaking, runner’s knee can be caused from too much compression from tight muscles or instability from weak and poorly controlled muscles. ⠀
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Some examples of things that might throw off the train and track relationship include: tightness in the quadriceps and/or hamstring muscles, excessive foot pronation, large Q angle (hips are wide and knees naturally are angled in), weak and/or tight hips, and poor control of the hips with activity. ⠀
At Wildflower PT & Wellness we perform high quality assessments in order to determine the root cause of your runner’s knee. If you have been having pain under and around the knee cap, don’t hesitate to reach out today to schedule a Physical Therapy Evaluation. Individualized advice is the best way to get back to doing what your love without pain!
In the meantime, here are 5 tips that can help promote healthy happy knees with running!
Make sure you choose a supportive shoe based on your foot structure and change them frequently during your training cycle.
Set aside time before your workout to warm-up and cool-down after.
Prioritize cross-training 2 times per week in order to build muscle strength especially in the hip, knee and core muscles.
Take the time each day to complete mobility, stretching and movement breaks from sitting so your muscles stay healthy.
Get proper sleep and make sure to fuel your runs appropriately.
I hope these tips can help you, and if you’d like a personalized recommendation for treating runner’s knee ASAP, make sure to schedule a Physical Therapy Evaluation at Wildflower today! We also offer free virtual injury consultations to make sure we would be a good fit.
Wildflower Physical Therapy & Wellness
Indianapolis Based Physical Therapy