Runner Knee Pain

Runner's knee pain is a generalized pain in the knee and surrounding connective tissue that results from activities that repeatedly put high amounts of stress on the joint. Treatment involves following the RICE method (rest, ice, compression and elevation), pain management, and preventative strengthening and stretching. Severe cases can require surgery.

Identification

• Runner's knee, also known as Patello-femoral Pain Syndrome is a loose term applied to pain at the front of the knee that may result from a number of causes. This injury primarily affects runners, manual laborers, and those who participate in sports. Runner's knee can cause moderate to severe aching pain in and around the kneecap, which may become chronic due to overuse and failure to receive treatment.

Causes

• According to the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, the most common cause of runner's knee pain is overuse of the joint during sports or other activities in which constant bending of the knee irritates the nerves and connective tissues surrounding the kneecap. Other causes may include injury to the kneecap from falling, hyperextended tendons, atrophied or otherwise weakened quadriceps muscles, misalignment of any of the bones in the hips, femurs, or kneecaps, flat feet, fallen arches, or overpronation (where landing on the foot after a step collapses the foot's arches, causing the muscles and tendons to overstretch).

Diagnosis

• Symptoms of runner's knee pain consist mostly of an aching pain behind or around the knee, particularly in the area where the femur (thighbone) and kneecap come together. This pain will occur during bending, kneeling and squatting, and intensifies when walking down an incline. Those afflicted with runner's knee may also experience swelling of the knee joint and a grinding or popping feeling when bending or moving the knee through its range of motion
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  After a physical exam, a doctor can diagnose runner's knee via an X-ray, MRI, or CT (computed tomography) scan.

Treatment

• According to time-to-run.com, most cases of runner's knee pain will heal in four to six week, and standard treatment for runner's knee pain involves following the RICE method. RICE stands for rest, ice, compression and elevation. Following them in that order means resting the affected muscle, then periodically applying ice treatments for 20 minute intervals. The ice helps reduce swelling, taking pressure off the irritated nerves and connective tissue.

  Compression and elevation will help minimize the swelling even further and help speed the healing process. Patient can wear an elastic bandage when exercising, and when resting, and keep the injured area elevated so that the swelling drains from the muscle.

  Those with runner's knee should ice the affected area three to four times a day until the pain has subsided. If the pain does not subside within a week, you should consult a doctor, as severe cases may require surgery to remove damaged cartilage or to realign the kneecap to ensure that stress is evenly distributed during walking and exercise.

Pain Management

• Those suffering from runner's knee can take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Both will reduce the inflammation and swelling around the knee while providing pain relief from associated muscle and connective tissue aches.

  Stretching the quadriceps muscle, light massage of the muscle tissue, or myofascial massage will also ease pain around the knee and its connective tissues.

Prevention

• According to Shelley Drozd at Runnersworld.com, preventing future episodes of runner's knee requires strengthening and stretching the thigh muscles, using shoe inserts or arch supports, exercising while wearing a knee brace, and losing weight. Cyclists should adjust the seat height on their bicycles to ensure that they don't overextend the knee while pedaling.