The most common area of injury in running is the knee, and many people will feel significant knee pain and discomfort after running. What's wrong with knee pain after running? Here are a few common causes of running knee pain.
Running knee
Running knee, also known as patellofemoral pain syndrome, is the most common cause of knee pain, which is generally pain on the inside of the patella, or friction pain that can be clearly felt in contact with the patella and femur. The pain increases when pressing the hand on the patella to extend and flex the knee, and escalates when walking up and down stairs.
Causes
During running, factors such as excessive intensity and unsuitable shoes cause the patella to be subjected to too much external force from the front perpendicular to the knee joint, resulting in excessive wear on the contact surface of the patella and femur.
Manifestation
Runners feel discomfort in the cartilage of the knee during exercise, with mild or moderate pain, usually occurring the first time they run 40 miles per week, and recurring or even worsening even after a few days of rest and starting again.
What to do
1. Take a break from running for 1-2 weeks.
2. Then run the stairs until there is no pain. If you feel pain after running, ice the knee immediately.
3、Take anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen or aspirin, after running under the guidance of your doctor, but take them after meals, not before running.
4, use a hot water bag to warm the knee for half an hour before going to bed
5, choose the right shoes, and reduce the amount of running and slow down the speed, try to run on a flat road, playground running often change the direction of running
6, often do side leg raises and squatting against the wall and other actions to help strengthen the muscles.
Prevention methods
1, try to choose softer ground running, like the plastic track, to avoid the impact of the ground on the knee too much during the exercise.
2, choose the right foot type and gait running shoes, can help reduce the pressure on the knee.
3, when running to control the time, do a good job before and after the run warm-up and stretching, and standardize the running posture.
4, stretch the back of your thighs and calves before and after each exercise, this will prevent the toes from moving inwards and help you stay away from running knees.
5, often do squatting against the wall and other exercises that can exercise the quadriceps, in addition to focus on practicing the glutes.
6, usually also pay attention to the exercise of the knee joint, like squatting horse stance or standing pile are able to help exercise the knee strength.
Meniscus injury
Meniscus is in the middle of the femur and tibia, play a role in relieving the dispersion of pressure and stomach knee activities to provide lubrication of the cartilage pad, divided into medial and lateral. A common meniscus injury in running is generally a torn medial meniscus, which can cause mild knee swelling and pain when bending the knee.
Causes
During running, the moment of a sharp stop and change of direction, or the moment of landing from a running start, there is an external force from perpendicular to the medial side of the knee joint acting on the flexed knee joint.
Manifestation
1. Pain on one side of the joint, which is relatively fixed, or an obstruction or popping sound when the knee is flexed to a certain angle.
2. Inability to squat fully, or a feeling of being stuck at a certain point when the knee is flexed.
3, muscle weakness, feeling unable to control the joint, will appear to kneel down phenomenon.
4、Suddenly there is an obstacle to straightening during exercise, but it will unlock after activity.
Countermeasures
If meniscus injury occurs, the best way to deal with it is to seek medical treatment.
Prevention methods
1, avoid running on uneven ground when running, strengthen the stability of the three major lower limb joints of the hip, knee and ankle to improve.
2, strengthen the muscle strength around the knee joint to improve the stability of the knee joint, increase the flexibility of the ankle and hip joint, coordinate symmetrical muscles and force lines less load on the knee joint itself. Like the use of foam shafts to relax the quadriceps and lateral broad fascia tensor muscles on the front side of the thigh. There is also a single-leg stand, static squat, single-leg squat, etc. to help exercise the knee muscles.
Patellofemoral injury
The patella is located in the front of the knee joint and plays a role in power transmission and fulcrum in knee movements, such as jumping, squatting and standing, and is the main part of maintaining the stability of the knee joint, patellofemoral injury is also one of the more common causes of knee pain in running.
Causes
The knee joint often needs to flex and extend during running, so the patellofemoral articular surface will be squeezed and rubbed against the femoral articular surface for a long time, which will cause patellofemoral cartilage damage over time, such as cartilage degeneration, softening, fragmentation, joint surface not smooth, etc., causing knee pain.
Expressions
1, after sitting suddenly straighten the knee, will hear a crunching sound, hand on the knee joint flexion and extension of the knee joint will also feel astringent feeling inside the knee.
2, cartilage degeneration, softening, cracking, joint surface is not smooth, etc., caused by knee pain.
3, the symptoms are not very obvious when walking on a flat surface, but the pain increases after exercise, such as squatting and standing, going up and down stairs, going up and down slopes, and running.
Countermeasures
Stop running, pay attention to rest, and exercise the quadriceps to help balance the medial and lateral head muscles of the quadriceps to relieve patellar malalignment and avoid patellar injury. A common exercise method is to do shallow squats of less than 60 degrees, roll with a foam roller or use a massage stick to roll and massage.
Prevention methods
1, when running, pay attention to wear shoes that help maintain body balance, preferably shock-absorbing shoes, and also pay attention to regular shoe changes.
2, do not run downhill, that has a greater chance of patellar injury.
3, avoid sudden changes in the intensity of running exercise, enhance the strength and endurance exercise should be gradual, gradually increase the amount.
4, full warm-up before running, active joints, can make all parts of the patellofemoral joint surface are stimulated, synovial fluid nutrients can evenly penetrate into the cartilage tissue to enhance the lubrication of the joint.
Iliotibial bundle syndrome
The iliotibial bundle is located on the lateral thigh, at the same level as the greater trochanter, and starts under the outer hip of the thigh and ends at the outer calf of the knee, helping to reduce the pressure of body weight on the knee joint. Iliotibial bundle syndrome presents as pain in the lateral aspect of the knee.
Causes
During running, the tense iliotibial bundle rubs against the lateral epicondyle of the femur during knee extension and knee flexion.
Manifestations
1. Pain in or around the lateral epicondyle of the femur, mainly stabbing pain, which increases when running, especially when running downhill.
2. The pain is most pronounced when the knee joint is flexed 20-30 degrees or straightened.
Countermeasures
The best way to relieve pain is to stop running. If the situation is not serious, use a yoga roller to stretch in the painful area after running, and carry out rest, ice, bandage and pressure, and elevate the affected limb. If the pain is too significant, seek medical treatment in a timely manner.
Prevention methods
Improve running by reducing the amount of running exercise, actively stretching and relaxing, and massaging the outer thighs and outer hips. Avoid running downhill and uphill when running.
