Do you experience pain in the front of your knee when you run? If you want to run pain-free, this article could make a world of difference to you.
Patellofemoral pain syndrome is one of the most frequent causes of pain in the front of the knee. This disorder can have a big effect on your ability to run, the way you walk, as well as your quality of life.
If you don’t sort out the pain in your knee, you will eventually have to stop running; you will then lose fitness and decrease your quality of life. If you fix the pain in your knee, you will be able to keep running, stay fit and healthy, and enjoy a better quality of life.
Don’t wait for the pain to get so bad that you can’t run anymore; start getting better today, so you can run as often as you like — pain free.
3 tips for pain-free running
- Reduce your stride length when you run and increase your cadence. This means shortening the length of each step you take and increasing the speed of each step. This way you need to take more steps to cover the same distance, but each step is quicker, so you should still take the same amount of time. Research shows there is less stress placed on the knee joint with a shorter stride than there is with a longer stride. Less stress on the knee joint means less pain.
- Strengthen the quadricep muscles, which help support the knee. This should be done within certain limits, though. To get the best results, try the following two exercises, which strengthen the quads without putting excess pressure on the knee joints:
- Squats to 45 degrees are a great and easy exercise to help strengthen the quadricep muscle without putting pressure on the knee.
- Short quad arcs are a great way to strengthen the quads without putting pressure on the knee joint.
- Keep the calf muscles loose. Running tightens the calf muscles, which can lead to extra stress on the knee causing knee pain when running. Using a foam roller is a great way to keep your calf muscles loose.
If you suffer from pain at the front of your knee when running, you may need more than the above tips to fix the problem. For a free assessment, be one of the first five people to book an appointment with us and mention this blog. The offer is only valid for the next month. Call (02) 8072 7278 for the city clinic or (02) 8966 9300 for Manly, or check out the website at www.alternativeffotsolutions.com.au
