In this article, we will go through the top three knee pain relief exercises for runner’s knee. Try them out and see the benefits!
Top 3 Knee Pain Relief Exercises for Runner’s Knee
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1. Foam Rolling Out the Quads
Place the foam roller on the floor then lie down on it. Foam roll out the right quads. Start from the hip then roll through the main belly of the quad going to just above the knee and then continue to roll in a smooth controlled movement.
Foam Rolling Out the Quads
Perform one set of 5 reps in a smooth controlled movement. Moving down and up the quad is one repetition. The intensity is depending on how much body weight you put into the foam roller. The more body weight you put into the foam roller, the deeper the massage is. It should be at the point where it is uncomfortable feeling like you are getting a massage from the foam roller.
Remember — do not overdo it or put too much weight into it because you will irritate the quadriceps, which will lead to more knee pain.
2. Lying Down Quad Stretch
Start by lying on your side on the mat and rest your head on your forearm. Stretch out the left knee. Hips and shoulders are stacked up. Tighten up your abdominal area. Bend one knee and bring the leg back. You should feel a stretch in the quads, in the hip flexors and in your iliotibial band as well.
Lying Down Quad Stretch
Perform one set of 2 reps with 20 seconds hold at the end position and look for a light stretch.
Do all the exercises alternating back and forth. Like the first exercise, the quads foam rolling, you do it on the right side and then switch to the left side. The reason is, you want to balance the body. Even if the knee pain is just on one side, it will work well and will prevent an injury on the pain-free side. Also, it gives the painful side a little bit of a break from the exercises. You might be doing a whole bunch of exercises to help with your knee pain but you are not giving your knee a rest to recover on what you put it through.
3. Hip Drop
Often, the root cause of runner’s knee is a hip issue that involves stability, strength, endurance and activation in the muscles of the hip. This hip drop exercise works well.
Standing on one leg is what happens most of the time with our movements. When we walk or run, we pretty much stand on one leg as opposed to squat where you are standing on both legs evenly. This exercise targets the hips for stability, strength activation and endurance.
Stand on one leg and then bend on your knee. Drop the hip out and then bring it back up as you straighten the knee and squaring the hip.
Hip Drop
Perform one set of 5 reps on each side in a smooth controlled movement with 1-2 seconds hold at the end position.
Give these three exercises a go to help when it comes to knee pain relief for runner’s knee.
If you are looking for a fast, simple, safe and effective program to eliminate your stubborn knee pain and patellofemoral pain syndrome, then check out the Patellofemoral Syndrome Solution program, here!
Take care!
Rick Kaselj, MS