Posted on June 17, 2008 in Latest News
Runners Knee is a condition characterized by pain behind or around the kneecap. Poor kneecap tracking is believed to be the main cause this condition. The kneecap (patella) slides over a groove on the thighbone (femur) as your knee bends and straightens. If, for example, the front thigh muscles (quadriceps) are weak or imbalanced, the resulting muscle imbalance can pull the kneecap to the left or right of the groove, causing pressure, friction, and irritation to the cartilage on the undersurface of the kneecap when the knee is in motion.
Runners Knee is one of the most common causes of knee pain in all age groups, including teens and young adults.
It can be chronic or intermittent. It is common in runners, hence the term “runners knee”, but also occurs in inactive people.
Causes
Muscle imbalances / weakness or inflexibility in the muscles that support the knee, and mechanical errors can cause poor knee tracking. There may be multiple factors involved.
Muscle imbalances in the lower body, especially the quads are common. Tightness of the muscles and tendons can also pull the kneecap toward one side.
Mechanical errors include misaligned joints in the foot or ankle; a kneecap that is located too high in the joint; flat feet / over pronation.
Symptoms
Symptoms include knee pain below the kneecap and on the sides of the kneecap, particularly with deep knee bends or prolonged sitting.
In cases of runner’s knee, pain occurs first when running downhill then gets worse and occurs with all running. Finally, pain is present even when you do not run.
Treatment
Icing: Applying Ice to the knee, especially after exercise may reduce pain and swelling. Don’t ice for over 20 minutes at a time to prevent frostbite.
Exercise: Exercises, particularly exercises to strengthen and stretch the quadriceps (front thigh muscles) and hamstrings (muscles of the back of thigh).
Knee Taping : Taping is used to realign the kneecap and hold the kneecap in place. Although knee taping has not been scientifically proven to help stabilize the knee joint, it has been shown to significantly reduce pain.
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