Knee pain during and after running
You may be reading this page as you currently have knee pain or may be a runner looking to prevent knee pain! This week will we go in depth into what knee pain is, what causes it, and what you can do to help fix it!
What is Knee Pain and Who gets it?
Knee pain plain and simple is pain anywhere on your knee at any time! It can be on the sides, under your kneecap, or above and below the knee cap. You may also have some swelling that makes your knee bigger like a balloon. If you fell on the knee or hit something, there might even be a bruise.
Knee pain can happen to anyone! It does not matter if you just started running, are experienced and training for a marathon, or something in between. As much as 50% of runners will deal with a running related injury annually.
What causes Knee Pain?
There can be many different diagnoses of knee pain such as patellofemoral pain syndrome, iliotibial band friction syndrome, patellar tendinopathy, and bursitis. All of these different structures can be aggravated and irritated from a multitude of factors that we will look at next.
Why do I have knee pain when I run?
The different causes of knee pain can be influenced by many different factors like your running form, training schedules, training loads, weak muscles, tight muscles, and even your shoes!
Training Schedules and Loads
If you increase the distance or time you are running, this can be more than your body can handle resulting in knee pain. A quick rule of thumbs is to never add more than 10% in terms of your distance or time each week to prevent injuries. It is also recommended to include a variety of runs like slower for distance and faster tempo runs to add variety to your training load.
Weak Muscles
Weak glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings can change the way your body moves. Weak glutes can cause your knee drop in changing your running form. Strengthening these muscles allows them to work optimally to reduce and prevent injuries. It can take 4-6 weeks to see these changes so be patient!
Tight Muscles
Like weak muscles, tight muscles cause the misalignment in your running form. This results in your knee moving in ways it does not like causing pain and irritation. Stretching and foam rolling can be good ways to reduce the tension and restore proper alignment particularly in your hamstrings and quadriceps.
Shoes
If your shoes are really old, or not very supportive they can alter the way your feet interact with the ground, sending stress up to your knees. It is suggested you change your shoes every 300-500 miles.
What can I do to help my knee pain?
A physiotherapist can identify the problems in your training plan and load, running technique, running shoes, and muscle strength and flexibility. With this, they can determine specific exercises and stretches and provide the right advice to help reduce your knee pain. This could be done with a foam roller, exercise bands, and on our in-clinic treadmill.
In the meantime, reduce the amount of running you are doing per week and use ice or even a bag of frozen peas on the painful knee for 15-20 minutes after activity to reduce some of the pain and swelling. Make sure to put a towel or layer between your skin and the ice to prevent any burns. You should never put ice directly on your skin.
At Ballsbridge Physiotherapy in the heart of Dublin 4, we can help you with many different running injuries. If you’re in pain and need some advice please contact the clinic today by phone (01) 660 6582 or book online.