I wanted to go through how to get knee pain relief from running that lasts. There are five things that you need to do.
The first part is effective exercises that will help you overcome knee pain. I will also go through the fifth part, which is important when it comes to running knee-pain free.
I had Jenna to demonstrate the exercises.
1. Single-Leg Quad Stretch
Lie on your side, straight from the front and side. Grab the ankle and pull it toward the seat. Feel for a light stretch in front of the thigh to the hip.
If you do not feel much of a stretch when you place the heel toward the seat, then bring the knee back in the same position to intensify the stretch in front of the hip.
Single-leg Quad Stretch
Perform one set of 2 reps, alternating back and forth on each leg with a 20-second hold with an intensity of light stretch in the quadriceps and hips.
a. Single-leg Quad Stretch (Modified Position)
Instead of bringing the heel toward the seat, just flex the knees at 90 degrees and bring that knee back.
This will focus on getting a stretch in front of the hip with less stress on the knee joint, but you will still be able to stretch out the hip and, often, the stretch will carry on into the quads.
The common thing is with people who run is that they have tight quads and tight hip flexors, so this stretch is important especially if you sit a lot. If you are not working on your recovery before running, you will end up having a buildup of tightness in your quads and your hips, so it is important to release it and relax. This stretch will help you do that.
Single-leg Quad Stretch (Modified Position)
2. Single-leg Raises From Chair
In an upright sitting position, sit on the edge of the chair. Brace your hands to the side and tighten your abdominal area. Lift the foot up and straighten the leg bringing it up as high as you can, and then go back down.
Single-leg Raises From Chair
This exercise strengthens the quads and the hip flexors in the near-end position, giving a good dynamic stretch in the hamstrings, depending on your flexibility.
Perform one set of 5 reps on each side — you can do 5 on one leg or alternate it back and forth — in a smooth, controlled movement with a good stop at the top position for 1 second, returning to the start position with light intensity.
3. Monster Band Shuffle
In a standing position, place the tubing just above the knee. Shuffle by moving from one side and dragging the other leg, keeping resistance on the tubing constantly.
This exercise works on targeting the side-to-side stability in the hip. The muscle targeted is gluteus medius, which is a key muscle to help stabilize the hip. A lot of times in people with knee pain from running, they have poor hip stability and poor gluteus medius muscle activation, endurance and strength.
Monster Band Shuffle
Perform one set of 5 times one way and 5 times the other way when you shuffle in a smooth, controlled movement. You can go through that once and see how it goes, but you can also progress it up to three times each way.
4. Monster Band Half-squat
In a standing position, place the band just above the knees and separate the feet hip-width apart. Squat down — keeping the knees out to the side and over the foot and go back up.
Monster Band Half Squat
We are targeting the outer hip area and gluteus medius area working on the tracking of the knee and strengthening of the hip.
Perform one set of 5 reps in a smooth, controlled movement with a quick stop at the bottom position with the intensity felt around the knee and hip.
So give these exercises a go if you are looking for some exercises to help you overcome knee pain from running.
Tips: Footwear and Running Surfaces
Footwear: Make sure that you have the proper footwear for yourself with. This means wearing shoes that have the proper cushioning and stability.
Running surface: Harder surfaces like cement or asphalt puts much more stress throughout the body, specifically the knees. If your running takes you across unstable surfaces like trail running that put much more stress through the body as well. You can run on park mulch or gravel. Also, look at how flat that surface is. If it is unstable, try running on a stable flat surface compared to an uneven surface like in trail running.
So, those are the exercises and tips to help you overcome discomfort if you have knee pain from running.
If you are looking for a fast, simple, safe and effective program to eliminate your stubborn knee pain then check out Knee Pain Solved, here!
Take care!
Rick Kaselj, MS