Knee Trouble?

In case you didn’t already know, I absolutely DISLIKE Mondays.

I feel super jacked up after the time change this weekend… so I officially loathe this Monday more than all of the others combined.

Besides my overall disdain for today, I began to feel some pain in my knees towards the end of my long run yesterday.

So, needless to day, I am stressin’ out pretty hard.

I have waaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy to many races scheduled and paid for to be dealing with this BS already.

And lets not forget to mention the fact that I have atleast 2 marathons on the calendar this year…

Ummmmm.

Yeah no thank you.

So today, we are going to dive into the symptoms,  treatment, and prevention of Runner’s knee.

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), or runner’s knee, got its nickname for an obvious reason—it’s common among runners.

The stress of running can cause irritation where the kneecap (patella) rests on the thighbone.

The resulting pain can be sharp and sudden or dull and chronic, and it may disappear while you’re running, only to return again afterward.

It can affect one or both knees and coincidentally affects twice as many women as men.

Symptoms of Runner’s Knee:

Pinpointing a single cause of runner’s knee is difficult.

Runner’s knee could be a biomechanical problem—the patella may be larger on the outside than it is on the inside, it may sit too high in the femoral groove, or it may dislocate easily.

There are also muscular causes. Tight hamstring and calf muscles put pressure on the knee, and weak quadriceps muscles can cause the patella to track out of alignment.

Just the repetitive force of a normal running stride alone can be enough to provoke an attack of runner’s knee.

To prevent Runner’s Knee:

Run on softer surfaces, keep mileage increases less than 10 percent per week, and gradually increase hill work in your program.

Visit a specialty running shop to make sure you’re wearing the proper shoes for your foot type and gait.

Also, strengthening your quadriceps will improve patellar tracking, and stretching your hamstrings and calves will prevent overpronation.

Think you have Runner’s Knee?

At the first sign of pain, cut back your mileage.

The sooner you lessen the knee’s workload, the faster healing of runner’s knee begins.

Avoid knee-bending activities, canted surfaces, and downward stairs and slopes until the pain subsides.

As you rebuild mileage, use a smaller stride on hills.

And as always, see a doctor if the pain persists longer than a week.

I’m off to go ice my knees and hopefully calm myself down in the process.

Have you had Runner’s knee before?

If so, do you have anything additional to share?

 

-RatherBeRunnin’

Let’s connect!

(Information provided courtesy of Runners World)

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