Runners Knee Treatment

New Insights On Runners Knee Treatment

For those of you with nagging knee pain due to running or any other activity, there’s now some good news in regards to treatment options.

A accredited fitness and Pilates mentor, Heather L. Ebright, who recently concluded her research on knee and leg injuries, has developed a new video clarifying the causes of runners knee (and other running disorders) and its treatment.

Watch Heather’s FREE Video On Runners Knee Treatment Here.

Her research has identified one common underlooked cause, and a new treatment to wipe it out.

And her video imparts advice on how runners knee can be cured, probably in as little as 7 days.

All you have to do is follow a few helpful tips.

Incidentally, these tips are included in a system she developed – one designed to alleviate runners knee and other running ailments for good.   It won’t matter how hard or much you train.

And her results are supported by scientific evidence.

You don’t want to miss this.

But what about the typical advice that others give?  That is, other, common advice we all hear about?

Why The Old Hat Stuff Never Works

Ever tried the following runners knee treatment “fixes” that didn’t fix anything?

• consistently using RICE
• a lot of rest
• medication, including anti-inflammatories
• orthotics
• avoided training the way you wanted to
• gave up on your favorite activity… for good

Many other athletes have undergone the same issues as you.

Perpetually, in regard to these treatments the outcome has been the same – they don’t cure runners knee for anybody.

And they likely won’t – ever.

In fact, in an article written by Heather she states that treatment focused on just resting and stretching is something not worth focusing on.

Remember: runners knee is a chronic disorder – this means that it doesn’t just come and go like the flu.   It lasts longer.

Since the pain in chronic syndromes lasts longer, the amount of rest you need also is longer – in fact, it’s too much.

With too much rest, your muscles will decondition and weaken more than what they are.

What does Heather say about stretching?

She correctly says that it makes no sense to keep stretching muscles that are already weak.  Otherwise, you’ll have to keep stretching them over and over again.

Stretching won’t address the root cause of runners knee which consists of structural weaknesses, not an improperly stretched hamstrings or quads.

So what does?

The Proper Runners Knee Treatment – What Does The Video Say?

In order to get rid of runners knee for good, a few particulars are worth mentioning:

If you want to get rid of pain, it is important do it quickly and easily.  It doesn’t make sense to take more time than needed to cure runners knee.

Also, if you want to prevent runners knee, find just the ONE cause, and eliminate it.

And definitely don’t try anything that will make things worse!

Those are the main points… now here’s a bit more detail.

Here Are Some Things That Heather Talks About In Her Video:

Heather discusses:

• why focusing on running alone is the worst training error you can make if you want to avoid runners knee
• which usually overlooked muscles are the most important for stabilization and are essential for proper runners knee treatment
• what typical muscle imbalance patterns develop for runners – and how to counter them
• which specific strengthening exercises will help prevent runners knee and give your muscle more stamina and endurance
• how to do a simple, accurate test to check your foot alignment
• how you can start breathing more efficiently to aid your running (shallow breathing only hurts your running and can lead to injuries like runners knee)
• which exercises provide the most effective way to strengthen your core (hint: it’s not those traditional ab crunches) and are essential for proper runners knee treatment
• what movements and exercises you can do anywhere, all day long (not just in the gym) to help prevent runners knee and reinforce you running strength
• how you can change not only how you move and feel – but also how you look! Look leaner and stronger without even gaining or losing weight.
• and lots and lots more (it’s a pretty long video)

What Do I Need To Do Now?

In order to get the results, there are a couple things worth doing now.

Firstly, have a look at this video and the runners knee treatment solutions she discusses.  And follow the proper steps.

Then, come back here to post your comments about it. I’d love to hear your feedback on her video.

Here Again Is The Link To Heather’s FREE Video On Runners Knee Treatment.

Runner’s knee is a painful condition sometimes encountered among athletes, especially, as you would guess, runners.  The general symptoms usually consist of pain and soreness in the front part of your knee, particularly behind your kneecap.

The symptoms of runner’s knee arise when the kneecap slides off its normal tracking location.  When this happens it starts rubbing against the femur abnormally, thus wearing away the protective cartilage behind the kneecap.

The general diagnosis of runners knee includes more specific conditions under it such as patellofemoral pain syndrome, chondromalacia and even iliotibial band syndrome.

Runner’s knee effects just under 10% of runners.  Although demographic studies have showed a predilection for athletes between the ages of 15-50 (the ages where folks are most active), it can happen to anyone of any age and with any running experience.

The number of causes of runner’s knee are plenty, yet interrelated for the most part.  Some of them are:

1 – Weak or tight hamstrings and quadriceps:

A weak quadriceps muscle, the vastus medialis in particular, combined with a tight vastus lateralis, can cause the patella (your kneecap) to shift laterally.  When it does this it loses its tracking.

Tight hamstrings can further weaken, or inhibit, the activity of the quadriceps and worsen the condition, whereas weak hamstrings don’t protect your knee as much as normally functioning hamstrings.

2 – Improper or worn-out running shoes:

Proper running shoes act to provide shock absorption and stability to your feet. In turn, it provides stability for your legs and the rest of your body.  If your running shoes fail to do this, as in the case of worn-out shoes or improper shoes to begin with, then your chances of getting of runner’s knee increase all the more.

3 – Improper surface or terrain

Running on hard surfaces such as concrete (e.g., on the sidewalk), or uneven terrain can put more stress on all parts of your body, let alone your knees.  While it is necessary to run on these types of surfaces at some point during your training curriculum, you should only do so when you are in shape, other can lead to damage of your knees.

4 – Improper Biomechanics

In short, I am referring to how you bad you look in the eyes of savvy doctor or trainer (don’t take it hard).  Specifically, runners who overpronate (associated with flat feet), and those who oversupinate (associated with high arches), are more likely to get runner’s knee.  Overpronation, in particular, is associated with excessive internal rotation of your feet and tibia when running, thus straining your knees.

Bow-leggedness and a higher than average Q angle can also tend to shift the kneecap laterally (to the outside), thus sliding away from its normal tracking location.

In regards to dynamic biomechanics, overstriding is the most common running form error leading to runner’s knee. This consists of landing your foot too far forward, even if only a couple of inches, thus creating extra strain and forces on your knees.

5 – Too Much Too Soon

This cause can be obvious or tricky depending on the person.

The more obvious dilemma concerns folks performing activities that their bodies are not accustomed to yet.  This not only includes the points in #3 above, but also things like increasing the extensiveness and/or intensiveness of your workouts too much, too soon – often beyond the recommended 10% increase in workload per week.

The tricky aspect covers the issue of you running with a group, or are doing a workout that your best friend does that he can do without any problem whatsoever.  However, when you do it, you (literally) run into problems not encountered by any of your peers.  Realize that you are a different person than anyone else, and that your capacity and shape may be lower (or higher) than your buddies.  Thus, you and your trainer will have to adjust the workouts accordingly.

That’s all for now – stay tuned for some helpful insights on runners knee treatment.

Welcome to our site on runners knee treatment.

“Runners knee” is a general term for any condition whereby one feels pain in the front part of their knee.

Conditions can include: patello-femoral pain syndrome, chondromalacia patellae, iliotibial band syndrome, jumper’s knee, or Osgood-Schlatters syndrome.

This condition is most common in runners and cyclists. Runner’s knee may also be observed in athletes who participate in tennis, volleyball, soccer and skiing and hiking.  It is also found in those that participate in sports on a sporadic basis, i.e., the weekend warrior athlete.

The pain is usually located in the front of the knee behind the kneecap. The symptoms often get worse, not only after running, but also jumping, climbing or going down stairs,  or after a prolonged period of sitting.

There is also reoccurring pain even after taking a few days off, and a grinding sound clicking when moving your knee.

There are multiple causes of runners knee, and proper runners knee treatment must address all these issues.  Not all sufferers will have these causes.  They are:

• weak and tight quadriceps
• a higher than normal Q angle
• bow-leggedness
• improper shape or form when executing exercises or activity – this is a big habit in runners you focus too much on running “to China” instead of incorporating interval workouts and strength conditioning
• doing do much too soon
• not accustomed to running on uneven terrain
• overweight issues
• lack of omega-3s in diet
• stress (even if you don’t consciously realize it)
• lack of medication or surgery (just kidding)
• improper foot wear

Runners Knee Treatment Secrets?

I would like to advise that the most common runners knee treatments advised help manage this condition, but they are not very effective treatments in the long run.

Rest, ice, compression and elevation are the primary treatments advised for an acute condition or flare up. It is particularly important to use the four treatments when inflammation or swelling is noticeable and when the area feels warm to the touch.

Braces can provide compression to allow athletes to continue playing, although continuing to play when pain is felt may not be the best idea. When the pain is chronic but not serious, braces work better than anything else, as they provide additional support.

As you may gathered in my joke above, medications such as anti-inflammatories, although advised, are not helpful.  In fact, they make things worse, because they “help” you ignore your body’s warning signal telling you something is not right and needs correction.

Runners knee treatment exercises commonly advised include squats and leg extensions since both of these strengthen the quads.  However, care needs to be taken when performing these.  Remember, if you have runners knee, you likely will feel more pain during squatting.

It is much more beneficial to strengthen your core and hamstrings and relax your lateral quads (with massage, active release techniques, etc) than to do squats right away.

Proper footwear and orthotics are essential as well.

I will talk about more about runners knee treatment in the next post, so stay tuned.

Runners Knee Treatment information coming soon!

Watch Heather’s FREE Video On Runners Knee Treatment Here.