Running knee pain

Before we get into more details about running knee pain.

It’s important to get more specific, ask more questions so we truly understand what type of running knee pain we are talking about.

This first begs the question…

Have you gone to get your knee checked out and gotten a diagnosis from a doctor to determine if there’s something broken or torn in the knee?

This must be ruled out first so we know the knee is mechanically sound and we’re just dealing with pain.

Then we can start asking the following questions:

• Does the knee only hurt when running?
• Does it also hurt in a similar way when NOT running or walking?
• Where in the knee does it hurt? (Front, back, inside or outside of knee)
• Is it only in the knee or do you feel it in other parts of your leg? (shin, ankle, hips, lower back, etc)
• Does the running knee pain come on when pushing off?
• Does the running knee pain happen when the foot “lands?”
• Do you have running knee pain going up hill?
• Do you have running knee pain going down hill?
• Does the running knee pain happen with long distance running or short sprints?
• Does the running knee pain depend on the type of surface you’re running on? (Concrete, asphalt, grass, sand, rocks, gravel)

To answer all of these questions to the best of your ability allows us to get a better picture of what kind of running knee pain you have.

Then we can begin to address the tension patterns in your feet, ankles, knees, hips and lower back to determine where the key to unlocking your running knee pain resides.

It’s important to understand the general tension pattern changes in the body when we run as the nervous system gets activated so the knee pain may not be present when walking.

As we begin to run the nervous system gets amped up and changes states. Think of fight, flight, or freeze. When you’re running the body begins to move into a “flight” state. Heart rate increases, blood pressure increases and overall tension in the body increases. We have these same tension patterns throughout our body all the time whether we are lying down, sitting, standing, or walking. As we begin to run these tension patterns become more exaggerated and now we can feel where the nerves in the knee are being irritated.

This is why we may not feel pain in the knees when are are sitting, standing or walking yet will experience running knee pain.

From here you have three options:

– You can stop running for a while and rest your body in the hopes that when you start running again your running knee pain will have somehow magically disappeared.

– You can take the conventional approach and numb your running knee pain with drugs, shots or maybe a surgery to see if that changes something but realistically the underlying pattern still exists in your nervous system and will get worse over time as you get older.

– You can take this Complimentary 1 Minute Knee Pain Assessment to begin addressing the tension patterns that are pulling tight when you’re running resulting in running knee pain

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