Runner's Knee
Article by John Miller
What is Runner’s Knee?
Runner’s Knee
As the name suggests, Runner’s Knee is knee pain suffered by runners. Rather than being a specific condition, a runner’s knee can be one of the numerous injuries. Essentially most runner’s knee falls into either anterior knee pain or lateral knee pain commonly experienced by runners.
What Causes Runner’s Knee?
Anterior Runner’s Knee Pain Sources
Anterior knee pain is pain felt in the front of your knee. The most common conditions in runners are:
- Patellofemoral Joint Pain Syndrome
- Chondromalacia Patella
- Patella Tendinopathy
- Knee Bursitis
- Fat Pad Impingement
Lateral Runner’s Knee Pain
Lateral knee pain is felt on the outside of your knee. The most common cause of lateral knee pain in runners is Iliotibial band (ITB) syndrome.
What are the Symptoms of Runner’s Knee?
As mentioned earlier, a runner’s knee is not a specific diagnosis but rather a cluster of knee pain conditions suffered by runners.
Therefore, by definition, a runner’s knee symptoms can be described as “knee pain during or after running”. In most cases, they are overuse type injuries rather than acute trauma.
It is best to have your runner’s knee professionally assessed for more specific symptoms to identify the specific injury. Until then, for more information about the various runner’s knee conditions and their symptoms, please click the link to the specific conditions.
- Patellofemoral Joint Pain Syndrome
- Chondromalacia Patella
- Patella Tendinopathy
- Knee Bursitis
- Fat Pad Impingement
- Iliotibial band (ITB) syndrome.
How is Runner’s Knee Diagnosed?
Your sports physiotherapist or sports physician are qualified to diagnose your runner’s knee. Please seek their professional opinion for an accurate diagnosis since treatment can vary considerably depending on the diagnosis.
Runner’s Knee Treatment?
Runner’s knee treatment will vary according to the specific underlying condition. Please seek the professional advice of your trusted physiotherapist.
More info: Runners Injuries
Common Causes - Knee Pain
Knee pain can have many origins from local injury, referred pain, biomechanical issues and systemic issues. While knee pain can appear simple to the untrained eye, a thorough assessment is often required to ascertain the origin of your symptoms. The good news is that once a definitive diagnosis is determined, most knee pain quickly resolves with the correct treatment and rehabilitation.
Knee Ligament Injuries
- Knee Ligament Injuries
- ACL Injury
- PCL Injury
- MCL Sprain
- LCL Sprain
- Posterolateral Corner Injury
- Superior Tibiofibular Joint Sprain
Knee Meniscus Injuries
Kneecap Pain
- Chondromalacia Patella
- Fat Pad Syndrome
- Patella Dislocation
- Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
- Osgood Schlatter’s Disease
- Sinding Larsen Johansson Syndrome
Knee Arthritis
Knee Tendon Injuries
Muscle Injuries
- Corked Thigh
- Thigh Muscle Strain
- Hamstring Strain
- ITB Syndrome
- Popliteus Syndrome
- Muscle Strain (Muscle Pain)
- Cramps
- DOMS – Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
Knee Bursitis
Children’s Knee Conditions
Other Knee-Related Conditions
- Runner’s Knee
- Plica Syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Stress Fracture
- Overuse Injuries
- Restless Legs Syndrome
- Sciatica
Knee Surgery
Knee FAQs
- How Do I Know If my Knee Injury Is Serious?
- Is Surgery Needed For My Meniscal Injury?
- Is Surgery Needed For My ACL Injury?
- What Are The Symptoms Of A Torn Ligament In Your Knee?
- Why Does My Knee Hurt On The Inner Side?
- Is Walking Good For Knee Pain?
- What Can I Do To Relieve Knee Pain?
For specific information regarding your knee pain, please seek the assistance of a healthcare professional with a particular interest in knee condition, such as your knee physiotherapist.
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Acute Injury Signs
Acute Injury Management.
Here are some warning signs that you have an injury. While some injuries are immediately evident, others can creep up slowly and progressively get worse. If you don't pay attention to both types of injuries, chronic problems can develop.
For detailed information on specific injuries, check out the injury by body part section.
Don't Ignore these Injury Warning Signs
Joint Pain
Joint pain, particularly in the knee, ankle, elbow, and wrist joints, should never be ignored. Because these joints are not covered by muscle, pain here is rarely of muscular origin. Joint pain that lasts more than 48 hours requires a professional diagnosis.
Tenderness
If you can elicit pain at a specific point in a bone, muscle, or joint, you may have a significant injury by pressing your finger into it. If the same spot on the other side of the body does not produce the same pain, you should probably see your health professional.
Swelling
Nearly all sports or musculoskeletal injuries cause swelling. Swelling is usually quite obvious and can be seen, but occasionally you may feel as though something is swollen or "full" even though it looks normal. Swelling usually goes along with pain, redness and heat.
Reduced Range of Motion
If the swelling isn't obvious, you can usually find it by checking for a reduced range of motion in a joint. If there is significant swelling within a joint, you will lose range of motion. Compare one side of the body with the other to identify major differences. If there are any, you probably have an injury that needs attention.
Weakness
Compare sides for weakness by performing the same task. One way to tell is to lift the same weight with the right and left sides and look at the result. Or try to place body weight on one leg and then the other. A difference in your ability to support your weight is another suggestion of an injury that requires attention.
Immediate Injury Treatment: Step-by-Step Guidelines
- Stop the activity immediately.
- Wrap the injured part in a compression bandage.
- Apply ice to the injured part (use a bag of crushed ice or a bag of frozen vegetables).
- Elevate the injured part to reduce swelling.
- Consult your health practitioner for a proper diagnosis of any serious injury.
- Rehabilitate your injury under professional guidance.
- Seek a second opinion if you are not improving.
