Runner’s Knee

Runner’s knee typically presents with dull, aching pain around the kneecap. At times, there can be pressure and grinding of the kneecap experienced on bending and extending of the knee. This is exacerbated during activities such as:

• Walking up and downstairs
• Kneeling and squatting
• Running and jumping
• Sitting with a bent knee for an extended period of time

Causes:

There are several causes of Runner’s knee. It has been linked to:

• Injury. Trauma to the knee cap, such as a hard knock or a dislocation causing the knee cap to be misaligned, has been linked to runner’s knee.
• Overuse. Running or jumping sports that put heavy loads on the knee can lead to irritation and pressure behind the kneecap. This is especially so when there is a sharp increase in training load that increases the risk of an overload on the knee.
• Muscle imbalance or weakness. A big factor that causes Runner’s knee is imbalance, tightness and weakness of the muscles of the thigh and hip. As a result of this, the kneecap is not kept in line when the knee is bent and extended under load. A sign of this is the knee moving inward during a single leg squat, which has been linked to runner’s knee.
• Foot overpronation. An overpronated foot that has a high amount of rolling in also contributes to the knee moving inward during a single leg squat. This then leads to the kneecap not kept in line and runner’s knee to occur.
• Surgery. Knee surgery can increase the risk of runner’s knee, especially if there is an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Runner’s knee typically affects teens and young adults. Women are also twice as likely as men to develop runner’s knee, possibly due to the wider pelvis that they have.