Knee Pain? 3 Ways to Reduce Pain…That Don’t Involve 6 Weeks Off.
If you’re having knee pain with running and wondering how in the heck to fix it without having to stop running - you’re in the right place.
While some types of pain can necessitate time off from running, it’s a lot more rare than you’d think!
In this article, I’m going to break down 3 ways that research has shown to significantly reduce knee pressure and pain in the front of the knee, which is often referred to as “runners knee”
First, let’s break down what in the heck runner’s knee means
The tendon in the front of your knee, called your patellar tendon, can develop irritation - often called patellar tendonitis or “runner’s knee”.
There can also be irritation of the kneecap itself - often called patellofemoral pain syndrome.
Now, research shows that both of these types of knee pain can improve with the right training plan.
Strength training can be used to improve overall tendon health to help reduce pain AND reduce risk of injury moving forward.
There are also ways to significantly reduce pressure in the front of the knee with running itself.
This is important because with the right training plan adaptations, you can either 1. Avoid having to stop running or 2. Get back to running much more quickly than the traditional take 6 weeks off, rest, ice, etc routine.
So, without further ado - let’s dive in!
Cadence
Maybe you’ve heard this term - maybe not!
Let’s talk about how changing your cadence can drastically change how your knees feel with running.
Your cadence refers to, in any given minute, how many times your feet are hitting the ground when you run.
A higher cadence = your feet are hitting the ground MORE often.
A lower cadence = your feet are hitting the ground LESS often.
Now, here’s what you need to know.
The higher this number is, the LESS pressure on your knees with running.
In fact, research shows that increasing your cadence by 5-10% can decrease the amount of pressure on your knees by up to 20%!
And that can make quite a difference with how running feels on your knees!
So, what if you increase it more than this - well, without getting too nerdy on you, it’s not worth it. Why? Well, then it starts costing you MORE energy to run - which can just make it harder or more painful.
So, 5-10% really is the sweet spot!
2. Running form
Just like cadence, your running form is an easy tweak you can make to significantly reduce the amount of knee pressure you feel with running.
This image is highlighting something called your shin angle, basically, does your heel extend past your knee when you land with running?
If so, this can be a reason for increased knee pain with running.
Here’s a few ways I often coach my clients through changing this:
Think about shortening your stride
Think about your heel landing under your heel, not past it.
Think about landing on a flatter foot, not just your heel
All of these little tweaks can decrease knee pressure significantly!
3. To Hill or Not to Hill
Hills can drastically change how your knees feel.
This is a GOOD thing because it gives you more options to keep running while rehabbing knee pain.
Let’s break it down…
Your knees work significantly harder with downhill running and hiking.
Why? That’s because, when you’re doing downhill, your quads (thigh muscles) have to control you down through a specific type of muscle contraction called eccentric contractions.
What does this mean? Basically, it’s a REALLY tough workout for your quads.
That means downhill running is like a torch blaster on your quads AND knees.
A good challenge? Absolutely!
ALSO something that can cause knee pain if it’s increased too quickly? ALSO absolutely.
ALSO a tool we can use to help improve your knee pain?
You got it.
Sticking with flatter routes is an easy way to decrease knee pressure, for the right person, without having to give up running entirely.
When I’m guiding my 1:1 clients through a return to run process, we often start with flat routes until they’re at their “happy mileage” and then start introducing hill workouts, sprints, etc after that.
In my 8 years of coaching runners, I’ve found this to be a way to get them running faster - and let’s be honest, that’s why you’re reading this blog, right?
Now, I hope this has been a helpful resource if you’re currently dealing with knee pain that’s keeping you from running.
While knee pain can be a reason to have to stop running, it’s necessary a lot less often that prescribed - and there are lots of options to continue running while recovering.
If you want to learn more about how runners knee can improve with strength training, be sure to check out this article - where I explain how tendons heal with strength training.
