Sep 16, 2024
Training Tips by Runzy Director of Coaching Joe McConkey
Knee Pain Reconsidered
'Running is bad for your knees' is unfortunately a common refrain amongst non-runners, as it is often completely inaccurate. If one is having knee pain during or after running and there is no pre-existing structural damage, the issue is likely one or more of the following:
- The person needs to lose weight before running.
- The biomechanics and posture are excessively loading the 'front end mechanics' - i.e. the landing/absorption phase.
- There is excessive femoral and/or tibial rotation during the stance phase of their gait.
This last category, where for example the knee collapses inward during the stance phase and the foot externally rotates during the swing phase, means the fix involves more than icing the knee, more than not running, and more than wearing a knee brace. Instead a soft-tissue 'upgrade' might be needed to engage in healthy running. This might involve:
- Establishing optimal pliability and muscle engagement in the glutes so that the tracking of the femur is more efficient.
- Improving extensibility and flexibility of the groin and hamstring muscles to prevent excessive pulling of the femur inwards during the flight phase.
- Retraining linear movements, with minimal rotational movements, of the femur through various single leg exercises.
- Attaining minimal tension and restrictions from the muscles in the posterior knee area when the leg is fully extended, again to facilitate optimal and free movement patterns.
With a bit more 'discovery' most folks will find that it is not the act of running that causes knee pain, but instead it is a body that simply has not been properly prepared or properly cared for.
