Runner’s Knee, a common injury for runners

Runner’s Knee, or Patellofemoral Pain syndrome, is a fairly common overuse injury causing pain at the anterior part of your knee, around or behind your kneecap.

It is very common in runners but can also affect other active people who participate in sports such as cycling and climbing. Although this injury lasts for months, people recover completely after following an appropriate rehabilitation protocol.

Signs & Symptoms of Runner’s Knee

The most common symptom of Runner’s Knee is an ache or discomfort pain behind or around the knee cap, especially when squatting, walking or climbing stairs.

Most runners notice the pain minutes or straight after they have commenced running. However, people do not feel pain when resting or lying in down in one spot

Other additional symptoms include creaking & cracking noises (crepitus) along with stiffness in the knee and inability to bend. Sometimes mild swelling could cause runners knee

Causes of Runner’s knee

Runner’s knee can be caused by a sudden return to activity after a long period of rest or when training too much and not getting enough rest.

Furthermore, the following impairments can lead to develop runners knee :

• Inner quad weakness (Vastus Medialis Oblique)

• Ilitiobial band tightness

• Gluteus medius weakness

For the majority people, Runner’s Knee is simply a sign that they need to slow their training and better recover more.

Treatment Options

Physiotherapy Exercise Program

The most effective way to treat Runner’s Knee is exercise rehabilitation. Strengthening the hip and knee muscles is proven to improving function and strength, making runners to return to their normal activity within 6–12 weeks of treatment.

In fact, several studies demonstrated that more than 70% of runners who completed a course of exercise rehabilitation remained pain-free three years after their initial injury.

An exercise rehabilitation program should focus on hip and knee exercises, as well as core strength and balance.

Exercises should be performed 2–3 x per week with a gradual progression in the difficulty.

Do you want a rehab plan in order to fix your runner’s knee, at revival we provide personalised plans in order to put you back on track! Contact us for more information.