What Is Runner's Knee?!

It’s one of those words that means something’s wrong but it doesn’t really tell you what exactly. Except that there’s probably pain at the knee and/or around it but could be patellofemoral syndrome, It band syndrome, etc.

Being a therapist, I ignore common terms (sciatica, runner’s knee, etc) because they tell me very little except where the pain is felt. I must have forgotten what runner’s knee meant because it looked like it listed everything a runner could get at the knee.

Which is useless…

It wouldn’t matter if I dealt with the different problems the exact same way but there are differences. What triggers each issue is different and so I need to be mindful of what exercises I give to each person.

Other than selecting specific exercises to avoid triggering pain, each person has different capabilities. That’s where the personalized approach comes in.

I make sure that the foot, hip, and abdominals are doing what they’re supposed to do. This is common with each person. No matter what is happening at the knee, those areas have a huge impact on the knee and your performance (see my weakest link blog).

If you’ve been told you have runner’s knee then I suggest you start with my foot and hip blog posts. The exercises provide a great place to start the rehab process even though the topics weren't specific for the knee.

For more specific questions you can always contact us.

L.