Do you have Runners Knee?

You just completed your most challenging week of training, which resulted in a perfect 20 km run that seemed effortless until about 15km when you started to feel a throbbing pain in one or both knees. You persevere through the last 5 km and flop on the couch when you get home. When you get up, the pain returns and gets a little bit worse when you walk about.

You assume that everything will be well in the morning. It’s a familiar story.

What is Runner’s Knee?

Also known as runner’s knee, patellofemoral (PFPS) pain syndrome is a common running injury. The main symptom of PFPS is pain under the patella (knee cap), which becomes progressively more intense during exertion. It is quite challenging to operate normally and leave the house with runner’s knee.

There are several theories about the cause of pain. One is that the patella is pulled outwards by structures being tight and too dominant on the outer/lateral side and weak on the inner/medial quadriceps. More recently, we now know through studies of 3 dimensions that the culprit is more likely due to an excess of internal rotation of the femur, resulting in chronic stimulation of nerve pain in the knee, but without significant tissue damage.

Because there is no tissue injury seen in PFPS, the main goal of treatment is to eliminate the aberrant movements that cause chronic irritation.

Runners Knee Treatment

Ice your knee after a painful run, and this will help decrease pain and reduce any inflammation that may be present. This can be done immediately after your run for 10-15 minutes.  To prevent this pain, a specific personalised strengthening programme is required.

If you are suffering from Runner’s Knee, please contact me to arrange a home-based biomechanical assessment and rehabilitation/treatment plan so that you can be free from this pain and run that 20 km target!