If you run with any sort of regularity, then there’s a good chance that at some point you’ll have to endure pain in your knees. Even if your joints are strong, all of that pounding the pavement can take its toll on your body, eventually manifesting in some sort of pain or soreness.
When this pain gets to a certain level, it takes on a title known patellofemoral pain syndrome. This is a high-class way of saying that you suffer from runner’s knee, and it’s just what it sounds like. Even if there’s no immediate condition like a sprain to suggest that your knee is damaged, that pain is there nonetheless.
You certainly don’t want this pain to hinder your workout, but you have to be careful not to exacerbate what’s happening either. Thankfully, there are ways that you can facilitate the healing process, and a new report from Competitor lays out some of the steps of that process that you might want to look to.
The first thing to understand is that a reduction in the amount of running you take part in at any one time might be in order. As the report notes, you could find that your pain flares up only after a certain amount of time. If you’re used to running for an hour but the last half of that is pure agony, the best course of action could be cutting your running time by 30 minutes or so. Maybe you can run faster during that time and then supplement the rest of the workout with stretching or weight work.
Taking more breaks between your workouts can also help you keep pain at bay. Sometimes the people who experience the most pain aren’t those that are new to exercise; it’s the ones who exercise too much. If you’re running a lengthy distance five or six times a week, maybe cut that back to three or four times per week.
Sometimes it might not be the duration or the interval of the run that contributes to pain so much as it is something else about your workout. Maybe you’ve gotten so accustomed to running with a favorite pair of running shoes that those shoes have been put through a wringer and no longer really fit you. It may be time to put your preference for those shoes aside and get a pair that conforms to your feet much better.
Your technique might also be to blame. Many runners, when they’ve been at it for awhile, can let their form slip a little bit over the course of time. The next time you run, pay attention to how far out you extend your feet or if you pivot more than would be necessary. Work with a trainer to correct such things if you can.
Also keep in mind that, if you've gone through arthroscopic surgery in the past to correct damage, you should work with a doctor to ensure your arthroscopic knee surgery recovery continues unabated.
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