RUNNER'S KNEES

What Causes Runner’s Knees?

Overuse of your knees such as doing repeated bending or high-stress exercises like lunges or plyometrics can cause runner’s knees. Other reasons why runner’s knees can occur are:

• A direct hit to the knee from a fall or blow
• Misalignment of your bones from anywhere in your hips to your ankles can cause pain in your kneecap.
• Problems with your feet, such as:
  • Hypermobile feet (when the joints in and around the feet move more than they should).
  • Overpronation, when the foot rolls too far inward while walking or running, causing excessive flattening of the arch.
  • Having flat feet
• Wearing improper shoes that do not provide the right support when exercising.
• Quadricep muscles that are underdeveloped or weak. The quadricep muscles in your thigh are responsible for kneecap stable when you bend or stretch. If these muscles are weak or tight, they may not be able to keep your kneecap in place.

Treatments For Runner’s Knees

The best treatment for runner’s knee is rest. Rest as much as possible and avoid activities that aggravate the pain, such as running, squatting, lunging, jumping. Ice your knees to alleviate swelling and pain every 3-4 hours for 2-3 days.

Another way to ease swelling is to elevate your leg by putting pillows underneath. For extra support, you can use sleeves or patellar straps to wrap your knee. You can use topical ointments intended for pain relief to supplement your treatment. If the pain does not go away, consult your doctor. Most likely, your doctor will recommend physiotherapy to strengthen and stretch your quadricep muscles.

Different people heal at different rates and a lot of it depends on your body and the severity of the injury. Even if you feel better, it is wise to take it easy on your knees. Do not go back to rigorous physical as it can worsen your injury.

How To Prevent Runner’s Knees

• Develop the muscles in your thighs to be strong and limber with regular exercise
• Use shoe inserts if you have flat feet or other problems with your foot
• Ensure that your shoes have sufficient support and change shoes once they wear out and lose their shape
• Maintain a healthy weight through diet and exercise
• Do not suddenly increase the intensity of your workout especially if you are squatting, deadlifting, lunging with weights
• Use a knee brace to support your knee if you had runner’s knee or other previous injuries