Most common cause of knee pain from running

Image Credit: TheUsher 

You may have had an episode of knee pain from running. This is a common problem especially for sportspeople who put excessive stress on their knees. This culminates in a medical condition where there is pain around the front area of the knee. This is medically referred to as anterior knee pain syndrome, chondromalacia patella, patellofemoral mal-alignment or more commonly, the patellofemoral pain.

Causes

The knee is a very complex joint. It is made up of various different tissues. This means that there are many factors that may precipitate in anterior knee pain syndrome. This could be problems arising from the bones, muscles or other connective tissues in the knee.

The most common causes of runner’s knee include;

• Misalignment of the kneecap
• Dislocation of the knee which may be partial or complete
• Trauma or injury to the knee; this could be direct or indirect
• Myopathy; this is a problem with the muscles around the knee or those that move the knee. The problem could be weakness, imbalance or tightness among other things.
• Individuals with flat feet frequently experience the problem
• Overuse pain is common to people who walk stand or run for extended durations
• Irritation of the knee joint tissue is also fairly common in active sportsmen and women
• Wearing off of the cartilage or synovial membrane that lines the knee may result in pain in the joint

Presentation of symptoms

People with this problem complain of a dull ache or pain beneath or around the kneecap. The pain is often localized around the lower end of the thigh. 

Mostly the pain will be made worse or be precipitated by walking especially up and down the stairs, activities that bend and stress the knee such as kneeling, sitting for long periods and squatting. All these activities make the pain worse if they are done for extended durations.

Diagnosis

A medical history will be taken whereby you will be asked about the symptoms. Be as honest as possible. You will then undergo a physical examination aimed at assessing various attributes of your knee such as strength, mobility and congruency or alignment. 

Depending on your condition the doctor may ask that you undertake some diagnostic imaging procedures to assess the structure and extent of damage to your knee. Such imaging techniques could be x-ray, MRI or CT scans.

Treatment

After a medical review has been done on the affected knee, the doctor will then decide on the most fitting course of treatment for your condition. 

Most people only require adequate rest and appropriate patellofemoral pain syndrome exercises to alleviate the condition.

Symptomatic relief to the pain may be achieved by painkillers especially NSAID drugs such as aspirin. 

You may be issued with special braces or tapes for supporting your knee during activities such as sports. Special shoe insets known as orthotics may be also prescribed.

Surgical maneuvers may be necessary in some cases. The procedures include: arthroscopy and realignment procedures.

Prevention

Physical fitness is crucial in preventing anterior knee pain. In sports a proper warm up is always advised. The training or exercise should be progressive beginning from simple to more complex activities.

Proper running gear and form are also excellent in preventing anterior knee pain.

Inside Kneecap Pain After Running

Because of the complex structure of the knees, it can be hard to pinpoint problem areas especially when it’s

coming from the inside. If you’re sensing knee pain from running and you are certain that the problem is internal, you should consult your doctor so that proper diagnosis and treatment can be made.

Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS) can show symptoms both on the outer and inner part of the kneecap. If the problem is internal, there could be swelling of tissues underneath the knee cap. This can be quite painful as the knee cap moves every time you walk and run; and when this rubs on affected tissues, the pain can really be unbearable.

Unlike Meniscus injury and ligament injury, PFPS very seldom requires surgery as this can often be fixed by rehabilitation procedures. By doing the stretches included in the program of patellofemoral pain syndrome exercises, a patient can effectively recover from this condition.

Resting is also a part of the overall treatment procedure as this would allow the tissues to heal naturally. In the same context, keeping up with strenuous activities can cause more damage. And you will never recover from experiencing knee pain from running because of this.

Meniscus Injury and Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome Exercises

Meniscus refers to a group of tissues that are comprised of cartilages. This can be found on joints such as your knee joints and it functions as a shock absorber when your bones are rubbing against each other. The meniscus also facilitates smooth movements when you’re performing tasks that require your motor skills.

The meniscus membrane can get damaged when exposed to too much trauma such as when you engage in sports. Some of the symptoms of having damaged meniscus tissues include pain, swelling, locking of the knee, and sudden inability to move your joints.

Minor cases of meniscus injury can improve with patellofemoral pain syndrome exercises; but serious cases may require surgical procedures. So if you suspect having this type of knee injury, seek medical attention at once.

Ligament Injury

Aside from muscles, you also have ligaments on the inner part of your knee joints. Ligaments can tear when exposed to sudden twists and similar types of trauma such as when one jumps and makes a bad landing.

The symptoms of having damaged ligaments on the knees will depend on the gravity of the problem. If there’s just a partial tear, only minor pain and swelling can occur. But a complete tear can be really painful; and it may even require surgery.

When to Seek Medical Advice

For mild forms of body pain that can simply be attributed to overworking certain parts of the body, just getting some rest will often result in full recovery in no time. However, if you notice that the pain and symptoms are recurring and progressing into something worse, then it would be wise to consult your doctor about it.

Should You Still Run?

Listen to your body and don’t force yourself to run if your knees are already painful. Note that your knees have joints, ligaments, cartilages and tissues that can be damaged, and ignoring pain could lead to serious problems. You can suffer from torn ligaments, damaged muscles, dislocations, and fractures if you experience knee pain from running and simply choose to ignore the symptoms.

What's Anterior Knee Pain?

Anterior knee pain is also known as patellofemoral pain syndrome. The knee cap’s scientific name is patella and this is the part of the knee that’s mainly affected when a person has this problem. And since most people who are affected by this experience knee pain from running, it is also popularly known as runner’s knee.

The problem could also go beyond the knee cap too, as there are cases wherein the tissues and cartilages underneath the knee cap can start to soften and even deteriorate. And since these can no longer support the patella efficiently, pain and other knee problems can be experienced. If therapy is recommended, one can adopt patellofemoral pain syndrome exercises.

Understanding Anterior knee pain from running

The knee’s basic structure puts the patella or knee cap right in front of the entire knee mechanism. When a person moves such as when one goes for a walk, the knee bends and the knee cap glides so as to accommodate such movements.

If the surrounding tissues and muscles on the patella are not that strong and well-established, this could greatly affect the knee cap tracking and can cause pain to a person. And if the activities engaged in are really intense such as when one is into physical sports or training exercises, improper patella tracking can even lead to injury.

There are also cases wherein the abnormal positioning of the patella is inborn. And if there’s a poor alignment of the knee cap to the rest of the bones in the same area, this makes a person prone to knee pain and injuries. That’s why experiencing knee pain from running is a common occurrence to those who have this case.

Causes of Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

The internal mechanism of the knee which could be affected by poor patella tracking can be one of the main reasons for developing PFPS. Moreover, if one is always engaged in activities and sports such as football, basketball, cycling, skiing, and the like, it also makes a person vulnerable to such problem.

You will notice that all the aforementioned activities demand a lot of work on the knees. The legs and feet need to maintain balance, and the knees are twisted in different directions when running, jumping, and dealing with obstacles on said sports. It is for this reason why athletes often suffer from leg and knee injuries.

And there are other factors that can lead to the development of runner’s knee too, even if you are not that active in sports and other similar activities. Studies show that having flat feet also makes one prone to anterior knee pain. The reason for this is that flat footed people can’t support their body weight properly and their knee joints can become overloaded with pressure from their body weight.

Patellofemoral pain syndrome exercises Can Help Ease the Pain of Anterior Knee Pain

The pain associated with PFPS varies from person to person. When treated immediately by engaging in patellofemoral pain syndrome exercises, the symptoms can be alleviated right away. Performing such exercises regularly can also help avoid future knee problems.

When the pain and symptoms are ignored and if rest is not immediately undertaken, the symptoms can aggravate as well as the pain. And in situations like this, healing and rehabilitation can take a long time.

Most common cause of knee pain from running

You may have had an episode of knee pain from running. This is a common problem especially for
sportspeople who put excessive stress on their knees. This culminates in a medical condition where there is pain around the front area of the knee. This is medically referred to as anterior knee pain syndrome, chondromalacia patella, patellofemoral mal-alignment or more commonly, the patellofemoral pain.

Causes

The knee is a very complex joint. It is made up of various different tissues. This means that there are many factors that may precipitate in anterior knee pain syndrome. This could be problems arising from the bones, muscles or other connective tissues in the knee.
The most common causes of runner’s knee include;

• Misalignment of the kneecap
• Dislocation of the knee which may be partial or complete
• Trauma or injury to the knee; this could be direct or indirect
• Myopathy; this is a problem with the muscles around the knee or those that move the knee. The problem could be weakness, imbalance or tightness among other things.
• Individuals with flat feet frequently experience the problem
• Overuse pain is common to people who walk stand or run for extended duration.
• Irritation of the knee joint tissue is also fairly common in active sportsmen and women
• Wearing off of the cartilage or synovial membrane that lines the knee may result in pain in the joint

Presentation of symptoms

People with this problem complain of a dull ache or pain beneath or around the kneecap. The pain is often localized around the lower end of the thigh. Mostlythepain will be made worse or be precipitated by walking especially up and down the stairs, activities that bend and stress the knee such as kneeling, sitting for long periods and squatting. All these activities make the pain worse if they are done for extended durations.

Diagnosis

A medical history will be taken whereby you will be asked about the symptoms. Be as honest as possible. You will then undergo a physical examination aimed at assessing various attributes of your knee such as strength, mobility and congruency or alignment.

Depending on your condition the doctor may ask that you undertake some diagnostic imaging procedures to assess the structure and extent of damage to your knee. Such imaging techniques could be x-ray, MRI or CT scans.

Treatment
After a medical review has been done on the affected knee, the doctor will then decide on the most fitting course of treatment for your condition.

Most people only require adequate rest and appropriate patellofemoral pain syndrome exercises to alleviate the condition.

Symptomatic relief to the pain may be achieved by painkillers especially NSAID drugs such as aspirin.
You may be issued with special braces or tapes for supporting your knee during activities such as sports. Special shoe insets known as orthotics may be also prescribed.

Surgical maneuvers may be necessary in some cases. The procedures include: arthroscopy and realignment procedures.

Prevention

Physical fitness is crucial in preventing anterior knee pain. In sports a proper warm up is always advised. The training or exercise should be progressive beginning from simple to more complex activities.
Proper running gear and form are also excellent in preventing anterior knee pain.

How to do hip flexor stretch?

Click here to download free report “5 (easy) Exercises To Beat Knee Pain And Run Stronger.  (Hint: It’s Not The Ones You Think)”

This is an advanced stretch technique for knee joint pain, front hip joint and quadriceps muscle. Opens up the front hip joint, and one of the best stretches for thigh. Kneeling in this position might not be comfortable for runners with knee injury. Use the standing or Thomas test stretch position for iliopsoas muscles. These muscles tend to be very tight in a lot of people from excessive sitting and lack of regular stretching. Hip flexor strain or injury can often cause micro tears and scarring leading to adhesions, thickening and pain.

How to test for ankle flexibility?

This is a quick test to see if you are missing flexible ankles. You need at least 10 degrees of ankle dorsiflexion for walking properly. For squatting, running and other athletic activities you need more range of motion for optimal sports performance and injury free motion. Ankle exercises are important for injury prevention and essential for running. A lot of athletes and runners are missing adequate ankle flexibility which often results in compensatory changes up the chain with high risk of injury.

Stretching hamstrings for running without pain

Hamstrings are group of three muscles which help bend the knee and extend the hip. Hamstring tightness is very common and can cause lower back pain running, low back pain, knee pain, running injuries and impair performance. Here’s a cool and effective hamstring stretch exercise using Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation or PNF technique. This is a physical therapy technique which uses the anatomy and physiology of the neuromuscular system to effectively stretch the muscles. Hamstring stretch is a contract relax technique is used here to inhibit the hamstrings so they can be stretched more effectively. 10 secs of the contract phase and 30 seconds of the stretch phase for 2-3 minutes.