Runner’s Knee
Summary
The knee joint consists of an articulation between four bones: the femur, tibia fibula & patella. There are also four compartments of the knee. These are medial & lateral tibiofemoral compartments, the patellofemoral compartment & the superior tibiofibular joint. Each of these areas or compartments can suffer repetitive strain, injury or disease.
Cause
Running long distances can cause pain to the knee joint, as it is high impact exercise. Runner’s knee is one of the most common ailments among athletes, otherwise known as Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS). Pain associated with runner’s knee is located slightly above or below the kneecap. Generally it worsens when athletes run uphill, downhill even up & down stairs. Sometimes a popping sensation is audible or in the worse case, the knee could swell. Some runner’s may only experience sporadic pain, while others will experience this every time they add miles. This can be a result of poor running form & poor core strength.
A lot of these injuries are a result from motion or mobility problems in the ankles, hips or low back. Therefore, we must examine the joints above & below the knee as well. An imbalance in one of these locations could cause the leg to be unstable. Strength & mobility imbalances will have a greater effect on the body over all. Hence why we at Structura take an overall body approach when addressing symptoms such as this.
Effects
Runner knee is a name given to this specific injury but it not just for runners, anyone can get runners knee. It can affect your daily life by just bending your knees, walking, sitting and slow you down incredibly by going up and down stairs or up and down hills. The knee usually swells making it sore to move. It can also have a grind affect or hear a popping sound in the knee.
Treatment
While it is important to treat the immediate symptoms of knee pain for the client’s relief, it is of greater importance to trace back to the root cause of the knee pain & focus on correcting it. Treatment plans that deal with runner’s knee include using hands on techniques in releasing the soft tissues of the muscle & fascial lines above & below the knee.
Aside from hands on work, we will educate the client on how to sustain an active lifestyle by giving them the tools & knowledge on how to strengthen & lengthen the muscles surrounding the knee through postural re-patterning exercises, muscle flossing as well as other mobility techniques.
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