Why Do My Knees Hurt When I Run?
While a seemingly low impact activity - running can be one of the most injurious sports out there. And one of the most common injuries we see from runners is knee pain. While there are many conditions and different injuries that affect the knee and each case is unique - all knee pain from running can be traced back to three different things.
We’ve been speaking to and helping runners get back to their routine for the last 10 years and today we discuss three of the most common reasons runners experience knee pain and what they can do to fix it.
1) Their Body Is Not Strong Enough To Support Running
Our muscles protect our joints from having to absorb too much impact from our favorite activities - like running. When our muscles aren’t strong enough to support those activities we begin to rely on our more passive stabilizers (our knees) - which leads to things like knee pain.
This means that runner’s who are experiencing knee pain need to incorporate strength training as part of their routine to maintain their ability to run.
2) Their Body Is Too Stiff
Another common thing we see in runners is the that they are too stiff. If we are too stiff (especially in our feet and ankles) our body won’t be able to smoothly absorb the forces being transferred from the ground and more of that impact gets sent to the knee (and hips, and low back, etc) - leading to more knee pain.
Runner’s need to be sure that they have adequate mobility to safely absorb ground reactive forces to protect their knees.
3) They Have Imbalances Side to Side
The #1 predictor of a future injury is a previous injury. Any trauma or injury (from a surgery down to a sprained ankle)- will change the way you move to protect the injured side and and cause you to start to favor one side. Overtime, this creates imbalances that put more impact on your knees. More impact at your knees = more knee pain.
To overcome knee pain - runners will need to correct side to side imbalances through single leg mobility and strength drills.
This is the reason that many traditional therapies fail to solve knee pain. Pills, injections, adjustments, massage, acupuncture are great at providing symptomatic relief but fail to address underlying movement and strength issues. And until those issues are corrected - you will continue to experience knee pain when you run.
If you’re interested in learning more we’ve put together a FREE REPORT which outlines things you can do TODAY to start to overcome knee pain. Check in out at the link below!
Evolve Performance Healthcare Specializes in helping adults stay active and strong so that they can continue to run for years to come - even when nothing else has worked - and even when their doctors have told them they need to stop running.
If you are experiencing knee pain on your runs and are looking to work with experts to get you back to your routine….Choose which option is best for you.