Today, I will share a few pain relief exercises for the runner’s knee. These are the top 3 exercises to keep your knees pain-free.
I want to wish everyone in the United States a happy Thanksgiving Day. Enjoy the day with your family and friends pain-free.
Enjoy the exercises, and have a happy Thanksgiving Day!
CLICK HERE to watch the YouTube video.
I got Andrea to demonstrate the exercises to keep your knees pain-free.
1. Foam Rolling Out the Quads
Roll the foam out the right quads from the hip, continue through the main belly of the quad, going to just above the knee, and then go through smooth, controlled movements.
Foam Rolling Out the Quads
Perform one set of 5 reps, moving down and up the quad as one rep. Move in a smooth, controlled movement with an intensity that depends on how much bodyweight you put into the roller. The more bodyweight you put into that foam roller, the deeper the massage. Please do not overdo it because you will irritate the quadriceps, leading to more knee pain.
2. Lying Down Quad Stretch
Lie on your right side to stretch out the left knee. Tighten the abdominal area, bend the left knee and bring the leg back. Stay lined up when it comes to hips and shoulders. You should feel a stretch in the quads and likely in the hip flexors, and you might also feel it in your iliotibial (IT) band.
Lying Down Quad Stretch
With a runner’s knee, it is often difficult to do the typical quad stretches you find, and I find this one works.
Perform one set of 2 reps, holding the stretch for 20 seconds, looking for a light stretch.
Note: With the first two exercises, alternate back and forth. So, for the foam rolling out the quads, do it on the right side. After doing one set, do it on the left. The reason is that you want to balance the body. Also, even if the pain is just on one side, it will work well to prevent an injury on that pain-free side. This also gives the painful side a little break from the exercises. So, you might be doing a whole bunch of exercises to help with your knee pain, but you are not giving your knee rest to recover when it comes to what you put it through.
3. Hip Drop
Stand on one leg with a bend in the knees. Drop the hip out and then go back up, straightening the knees and squaring up with the hip.
Hip Drop
With this one, we are working on the hip. The cause of the runner’s knee is often a hip issue, which often involves stability, strength, endurance, and activation in the hip muscles. So, this hip drop exercise works well.
Most of the time, we tend to stand on one leg with our movements ― walk or run ― as opposed to a squat where you are standing on both legs evenly, so we want to replicate that.
Perform one set of 5 reps on each side in a smooth, controlled movement, holding 1 to 2 seconds in the end.
Give those three exercises a go to help with knee pain relief for the runner’s knee.
Take care!
Rick Kaselj, MS
If you are suffering from knee discomfort and want to eliminate knee soreness permanently, then click here to check out the Knee Pain Solved program!
