Sun Run physiotherapy: Runner's knee
Credit to Author: Paul Chapman| Date: Mon, 02 Mar 2020 14:00:50 +0000
Have you ever experienced pain in the front of your knee that develops when you run? If so, you could be experiencing a condition that often appears in the running world called patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS). It is characterized by diffuse pain around the front of your kneecap that becomes irritated with activities such as running, hill training, jumping, squatting, ascending/descending stairs, and prolonged sitting where the knee is in a bent or flexed position. PFPS is common amongst the running population, especially in females, due to the repetitive nature of the sport. PFPS is reported to be the most common overuse injury runners seek rehabilitation for and is associated with a high rate of persistence and recurrence if training errors are not corrected.
Effective strategies for managing pain related to PFPS may include: education on activity modification, targeted muscle strengthening, and gait retraining. It is important for a runner to understand how to change their running habits to reduce the load on their knee joint. One way of doing this may be to reduce running volume during a given run while increasing the frequency of runs/week. Typically, muscle groups that tend to be weaker in the PFPS population include the quadriceps and gluteal muscles. Therefore, strengthening exercises that target these muscle groups can be beneficial for injury prevention and rehabilitation. An effective training strategy for runners to improve their biomechanics can be to increase cadence (steps/minute) and decrease step length. By increasing the amount of steps a runner takes within a minute while taking shorter steps throughout the run, the knee joint is more optimally aligned. In fact, even a single session focusing on increasing step rate has been shown to reduce knee pain related to PFPS. Hopefully, you can draw on a few of these strategies and work with other like-minded runners to stay active and motivated when you are experiencing knee pain.
Now in its 25th year, SportMedBC’s 13-Week InTraining Program has helped tens of thousands of runners and walkers reach their goal of completing the Vancouver Sun Run. With five programs to choose from and 50 clinic locations across the Lower Mainland and B.C., there is truly a program for everyone. Visit SportMedBC.com to learn more.
Written by Casey Goheen is a registered physiotherapist