Runners Knee Explained

I can tell you all about runner knee as it is a conditionvery clear that you need to have control and stability
that I experienced myself. I had this condition when Ifor correct alignment. You can try this for yourself
ran the Bristol half marathon a couple of years agoby standing up and turning your foot inwards and
and is extremely painful and will stop you fromnoticing the muscles on the outside of your leg
running all together if not treated properly, believetightening. Therefore the treatment should be
me I know!focused on strengthening this muscle. A simple test
The medical term for runner's knee is known asyou can do yourself is see how steady you are at
Iliotibial band syndrome which will be explained laterstanding on one leg. If you are unsteady then
on. First let's look at some of the common signs andprobably your gluteus medias is weak. Another test
symptoms of runner's knee.to do is a squat in front of a mirror and see if one
- pain on the outside of the kneeleg turns inwards. If it does then this is a suspect
- pain or a feeling of tightness on the outside of theweak gluteus medias.
thighOther possible Causes
- pain on the outside of the thigh when runningThere are of course many other possible causes of
- referred pain in the buttocks/gluetial musclesrunner knee injuries. In practice it is always best to
This condition can also affect cyclists too. Therelook at a global picture to identify other muscular
many other types of knee pain but today the focusproblems.
is pain on the outside of the knee.- Foot biomechanical problems
Anatomy Lesson- Over pronation
To truly understand this condition we must have a- Tight psoas muscle
look at the anatomy of the hip and leg. The Iliotibial- Ligament damage
band is not a muscle so it does not contract and act- Meniscus tear
like a muscle but is a form of connective tissue- Excess fluid in or around the kneecap causing patella
known as fascia. Fascia is everywhere in the bodytracking problems
and provides a 3d web of tissue. The easiest- Rectus femoris over tightening
example to think about is your skin. Your skin is aCorrect Treatment
form of fascia, now imagine that the fascia tightens- Stretching tfl and gluteus maximus
in your forearm. This will constrict movement in the- Strengthening gluteus medias
forearm, cause flexion in the wrist and cause possible- GAIT analysis to check feet are not over pronating
symptoms that might be associated with carpel- Correct footwear
tunnel syndrome.- Core stability e.g. Pilates class
What commonly happens in runners knee if that the- Stop running temporally
muscles that attach to the iliotibial band tightenPhoto Guide to self treatment see website for
causing the fascial band to tighten. The iliotibial bandphotos
inserts on the tibial condyle/the outside of theOne of the best treatments is to use a foam roller
knee.(in the diagram this is labelled as gerdysto release, massage and lengthen the tensor fascia
tubercle). When the band tightens this causes it tolatae. You only want to be using the roller from the
rub on the outside of the knee causing pain. Oneiliac crest to about a third down the leg. Use your
possible treatment strategy then is to focus onweight and body position to work into the muscle.
lengthening the gluteus maximus and tenser fasciaThe next foam roller exercise works into the gluteus
latae which both attach to the iliotibial band. Bymaximus. Again work into the muscle by adjusting
lengthening and relaxing these muscles this reducesthe angle of your body position. You can increase the
tension in the band allowing it to return to its normalstretch on the muscle by bringing the raised knee
length thus reducing friction on the outside of thecloser to your body. If you feel any tender points
knee. I have seen a lot of people treating thisstop and ease into them until you feel a release.
condition by using foam rollers on the band. Not onlyThis is a general exercise to work into the gluets
does this cause agonising pain but it's not treating the(muscles in you buttocks). Use your feet to work
problem because the band is long not short so ifthe roller up and down whilst your hands support you.
anything this may make it worse.Single leg raises will strengthen the gluteus medias.
Other Possible CausesStart with feet together and raise one leg. When
- Overuse. Training too much too quicklyraising the leg do it slowly and using control. Equally
- Leg length discrepancieswhen lowering the leg do it very slowly
- Over pronationAgain this is a single leg raise but the leg starts from
- Weak gluteus mediusa 45 degree angle. This makes the leg raise harder
- Overtight tfl and gluteus maximusforcing the muscle to contract more. This can be
- Other muscular problemsespecially hard for people with it band problems to
The main culprit Gluteus mediusdo.
On average 80% of all running is done on one leg soAgain this is a single leg raise but this time a fitness
it makes sense to test the strength of a runnerband is around the legs. This provides resistance to
standing on one leg and training should include singlethe exercise forcing the gluteus medias to work
leg raises and strengthening exercises.harder.
The gluteus medius abducts the leg and helps stabiliseThere are other exercises which can be useful For
the knee and femur whilst on one leg. It alsoexample one legged skipping may be useful. There
stabilises the pelvis whilst on one leg. If it is weakare other exercises that I do with clients for example
then this will cause the pelvis to drop. Weakness ofgetting them to stand on one leg whilst throwing a
this muscle causes excessive internal rotation which isball at them to catch can be a fun way of strength
going to cause tfl and gluteus maximus to tighten totraining. There are also lots of stretches you can do
compensate for this movement. If you consider thatwith a foam roller so its well worth buying one. I
during an average run a leg will strike the groundhope you have enjoyed the article and that it will
somewhere between 80 and 90 times it becomeshelp you get back to running.