26 Jan What Is Runner’s Knee & What Can You Do About It?
Paying close attention to your body is a must and it’s important that you don’t ignore any twinges, niggles or aches, whether you’re very active or otherwise.
It can, of course, be tempting to tell yourself that the problem will just resolve itself in a few days, but if you continue to tell yourself this, you could soon find yourself faced with an even bigger problem, one that can be particularly tricky to resolve.
Runner’s knee (which doesn’t just affect those of you with a penchant for pounding the pavement, despite what the name may lead you to believe), is characterised by pain in and around your kneecap, revealing itself when you’re active and using the joint. You can also experience pain if you’ve been sitting for a long time with your knees bent.
Other symptoms include kneecaps being tender to the touch, as well as a clicking, rubbing or grinding sound when you bend and straighten your knee (Johns Hopkins Medicine, conditions and diseases guide).
Of course, poor running technique or overtraining can lead to the condition, but causes can also include weak thigh muscles, inadequate foot support, tight hamstrings or Achilles tendons or injury.
How can you prevent runner’s knee?
It’s important that you don’t overstress your knees, so bear this in mind when exercising and make sure that your knees never go over your toes when doing the likes of lunges, squats and so on. They should always be in line with your toes, but take care not to lean too far forward with the knees themselves, as this can put a lot of stress on the joints.
It’s also essential that you keep your weight down to a healthy level, so if you know you could make improvements in this regard, perhaps now would be a great time to start revising your diet and getting more exercise, if you need to.
How can you treat runner’s knee?
Strength exercises can make a huge difference to the symptoms you may be experiencing, and this is something we here at Frimley osteopathy clinic OsteoVision can certainly help with.
Try exercises like clamshells, donkey kicks and fire hydrants, all of which are designed to help keep your knee and hip in proper alignment. Depending on your ability, strength and range of motion, you can do them either as a bodyweight exercise or use a resistance band to help you make improvements.
You can also make a real difference to tightness in your muscles and improve flexibility by using a foam roller and doing stretches each day.
Do some research into myofascial release, as you can do this yourself without having to see a physiotherapist and it can make a huge difference to your tendons, muscles and ligaments. If you’d like to find out more, get in touch with us today.