What can cause knee pain in runners?

Patellofemoral pain, also known as runner's knee or anterior knee pain, refers to pain or discomfort felt around or behind the kneecap (patella). Several factors can contribute to the development of patellofemoral pain, including:

  1. Overuse or repetitive strain: Engaging in activities that involve repetitive knee motions or high-impact activities, such as running, jumping, or squatting, can put excessive stress on the patellofemoral joint and lead to pain.

  2. Muscle imbalances: Weakness or imbalances in the muscles surrounding the knee can affect the alignment and tracking of the patella, leading to increased pressure and irritation. Weak quadriceps or tightness in the muscles of the thigh or hip can contribute to patellofemoral pain.

  3. Abnormal patellar tracking: The patella normally glides in a groove at the end of the thigh bone (femur) when the knee is bent or straightened. Any abnormalities in the alignment or tracking of the patella, such as lateral displacement or tilting, can cause pain.

  4. Joint problems: Conditions that affect the joint structures, such as arthritis or chondromalacia patella (softening and damage to the cartilage behind the patella), can contribute to patellofemoral pain.

  5. Malalignment or structural issues: Anatomical factors like flat feet, high arches, leg length discrepancies, or abnormal knee alignment (e.g., knock knees or bowlegs) can alter the forces acting on the patella and increase the risk of pain.

  6. Trauma or injury: A direct blow to the kneecap, a fall, or sudden movements that stress the knee joint can cause acute patellofemoral pain.

  7. Improper footwear or training errors: Wearing worn-out or inappropriate shoes that do not provide adequate support or engaging in improper training techniques, such as sudden increases in intensity or volume of activity, can contribute to knee pain.

It's important to note that the underlying cause of patellofemoral pain can vary from person to person. If you're experiencing persistent knee pain, it's recommended to consult a healthcare professional, such as a sports medicine specialist or an orthopedic doctor, for an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment plan.

Why do runners get sore knees?

PodChatLive is the weekly live stream for the continuing education of Podiatrists as well as other health care professionals that may be interested. The show goes live on Facebook and after that is later on uploaded to YouTube. Each livestream features a different expert or team of guests to speak about a unique topic each time. Questions are answered to live by the hosts and experts throughout the livestream on Facebook. Also, there is a PodCast recording of every livestream made available on iTunes in addition to Spotify and the other standard podcast platforms. They've gathered a substantial following which keeps increasing. PodChatLive can be viewed as one of many ways by which podiatry practitioners can get free continuing education credits. PodChatLive is hosted by Ian Griffiths coming from England and Craig Payne out of Australia.

For each and every event there is usually one guest talking about there specialization or there's one topic with several experts dealing with that topical area. One of several topics which was earlier explained has been one on patellofemoral pain. The guests in that episode were the physiotherapists, Brad Neal and Simon Lack along with the Podiatrist, Alice Corbett. All of them work with one of the PodChatLive hosts, Ian Griffiths in the UK and all are at the same convention hence the show got advantage of having them all together in one location. These guests discussed the condition of if patellofemoral pain is caused by distal or proximal influences and the way to choose an treatment dependant upon which or each that could be a problem. A lot might possibly rely on your competent tendencies and belief strategy. The options may well include foot orthoses if it's being influenced local or it may consist of core exercises and gait retraining in the event the problem is regarded as proximal. Different athletes are likely to respond to various interventions or treatments for their own knee soreness based on exactly what the main concern is.