Overuse injuries can be some of the most frustrating to take care of. This isn’t simply due to the pain (which may be very uncomfortable). It’s because you can not move like you used to. Running is a really common exercise, and therefore, runner’s knee is one of the most frequent of the overuse injuries.
What is Runner’s Knee and Do I Have It?
For the most part, it is exactly what it sounds like. The repetitive motions involved in running can lead to irritation at the point where your knee cap (patella) rests on your thighbone. The tricky thing is figuring out that you’ve got it.
Now, despite being known as Runner’s Knee, many people won’t feel pain while running in any way. In reality, running may make it feel better. Generally talking, runner’s knee may result in pain when walking around, going up and down stairs, or sitting with the knee bent for long amounts of time.
Symptoms
They can include tenderness behind or around the knee cap, usually toward its centre. You can also feel pain toward the back of the knee, or like your knee is cracking or perhaps giving out. Uphills, downhills, stairs, as well as rough terrain can aggravate this overuse injury.
How Can I Treat Runner’s Knee?
The first and most important thing to do is REST. If you have runner’s knee, it is because your knee can not deal with the physical stress you are putting on it. Scale back a little. If you normally go for a three mile run, cut back to 1 mile or two for a short time. You can even take a small break from running completely. The trick with treating overuse injuries, is stopping or slowing the action at the first indication of pain.
You might want to have a rest from running for some time, but not underestimate strength training in preventing overuse injuries. Well-designed quadriceps help support the knee. If that your quads are not up to par, your knees could suffer the consequences. The same goes for tight hamstrings. Add in certain strength and flexibility training, and you will be surprised by how you can minimize overuse injuries like runner’s knee. In fact, runner’s knee tends to influence recreational athletes more so than either athletes or regular runners. A normal runner will typically be better conditioned with respect to quadriceps and hamstrings, and thus are less vulnerable to the injury.
