Runner’s Knee and Jumper’s Knee

It is difficult to always pinpoint the direct cause of runner’s knee. In its basic form, runner’s knee occurs when that precious cartilage under your kneecap breaks down and is worn to the point where it is no longer protective, causing pain. Or, it can happen because your gait or biomechanics are off causing uneven tracking of the patella and resulting in uneven wear and tear. You may develop it because of an injury but the biggest culprit is overuse. You will notice knee pain during even the simplest activities like using stairs, squatting, and kneeling. So for those of you who live an active lifestyle, pay close attention to your knees.

Our advice to you in order to keep your knee pain in check is to focus on your overall performance. Focusing on the health of your whole system and how you prepare for heavy activity is extremely important for injury prevention. Here are a few more suggestions on how to prevent and treat runner’s knee yourself:

Alignment. When your body is in proper alignment your joints and muscles can move in a normal smooth pattern. Which will help prevent unnecessary stresses onto the knees.

Strength Training. When your body is strong, it puts less strain on your knees. Specifically focus on strengthening your hamstrings and quadriceps. Those muscles will help protect your knees during your physical activity. 

Monitor Running Mileage. Keep your running mileage below pain threshold especially if you are starting to experience any amount of pain in your knees. You don’t want to contribute to the biggest culprit of overuse.

Core Exercises. Strengthening your core is not only healthy for your posture, but also for running. Make sure you are pairing core training with your runs.

Stretching and adding in Mobility. This one is a no brainer. You should always stretch and make sure you are warmed up before a run or any other sport.

Understanding why your knee is irritated or painful is crucial. A thorough movement assessment might include gait analysis, performing a squat, seeing how you’re lunging, or reviewing our patterns going up and down stairs.

Patellar tendinitis is commonly known as “Runner’s Knee” or “jumper’s knee” and is a condition that sports chiropractors frequently treat. Tendinitis refers to inflammation of the patellar tendon and is an overuse injury affecting your knee as a result of the tendon being overstressed. The most common complaint is having pain ranging from mild to severe as well as tenderness just below the patella. Anterior knee pain can be sharp when climbing stairs, jumping, squatting or a dull and achy pain when sitting for prolonged periods.

runners-knee-jumpers-patellofemoral-pain-syndrome-chiropractic-excelsior-minnesota.jpg

How can a Chiropractor help with Runners knee or Jumpers knee?

Here at Minnesota Movement, we use the following techniques to treat and assess for this condition:

  • A proper gait assessment on our treadmill in order to address your pattern properly

  • Spinal and Extra-spinal Chiropractic Adjustments or Manipulations if warranted

  • Manual Muscle Therapy

  • Active Release Technique (ART)

  • Instrument Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM)

  • Kinesiology Taping with RockTape

  • Cupping and Flossing muscles

  • Nutritional Support for Re-building muscle