What is Runner’s Knee and how it is treated?

Running is among the most cost-effective, easiest, and accessible forms of exercise. You don’t need a lot of equipment, and you can do it almost anywhere, anytime. However, as with any high-intensity exercise, running entails risks, including the development of runner’s knee.

What is runner’s knee?

Right off the bat, it is worth mentioning that runner’s knee isn’t just a problem specific to runners. Rather, runner’s knee is a broad term used to refer to the pain you feel in your knees.

Medically speaking, runner’s knee is known as patellofemoral pain syndrome. In this condition, patients experience dull pain behind or around the patella (kneecap). Pain may be experienced when walking, climbing or descending stairs, kneeling, squatting, running, sitting, standing, or when bending the knee for extended periods.

What causes runner’s knee?

Runner’s knee may develop when the soft tissue, cartilage, or tendons in your knee are irritated, injured, or strained. The following can increase your chance of developing a runner’s knee:

• Overuse of the knee without enough rest – you may develop runner’s knee when you don’t continuously use your knees without any rest interval.
• Trauma to the knee – trauma may happen when a blunt object hits your knee.
• Any misalignment of your bones from your hips to your ankles, particularly when you have an existing anatomical abnormality, can lead to a disproportional distribution of weight to your lower extremities. This, too, could lead to runner’s knee.
• Unbalanced or weak thigh muscles – your muscles support your knees. If you have weak muscles or the power of your thigh muscles isn’t balanced, then your knees receive undue pressure and eventually get injured.

How is runner’s knee treated?

The most common way to treat a runner’s knee is to give your knee a rest. Depending on your health condition, rest may last for a few days to a few weeks.

You can start by minimising physical activities. If that’s not enough, you may want to consider giving your knee a complete rest or consulting with qualified professionals to learn more about sports injury rehabilitation techniques.

In addition to rest, you may apply cold and hot compresses. Wrapping your knee with an elastic bandage, sleeves, or patellar straps can also help. When lying down or sitting, use a pillow to elevate your legs.

How can physiotherapy help?

Physiotherapy is among the best treatment modalities for runner’s knee. It is safe, non-invasive, and effective. With physiotherapy, you don’t have to resort to steroid injections or surgeries.

Physiotherapists are highly trained to analyse your posture and body alignment. They can easily identify potential causes of runner’s knee and initiate treatment promptly.

Moreover, you get to know essential exercises to strengthen your muscles and joint tissues to prevent runner’s knee in the future. Physiotherapists offer health education to help you learn how to perform various physical activities and exercises correctly.

In some cases, physiotherapists would also prescribe foot orthotics when necessary. Foot orthotics help in correcting biomechanical foot issues. It’s an effective way to treat a runner’s foot and prevent recurrence.

Various physiotherapy treatment modalities could help. These include manual therapy, sports rehabilitation, osteopathy, and dry needling services in Dubai, among others. A combination of these techniques will surely help improve your condition.

Looking for the right help

Now that you have a better idea of what runner’s knee is, it is time to get the right help. This is where Scandinavian Physiotherapy Center comes in. The leading Dubai physiotherapy clinic has already helped thousands of people recover from musculoskeletal injuries and has kept a lot of them healthy. They will not just manage your runner’s knee, but also assist you in achieving a stronger body. Call them today and see for yourself how they can improve your overall wellness.