Run away from your knee pain with The Physio Clinic Glasgow!
Published: 07 December 2023
Got Knock Knees? How The Physio Clinic Glasgow Can Help Prevent and Treat Runner’s Knee
If you’re an athlete or fitness enthusiast struggling with anterior knee pain labelled as “runner’s knee,” help is available! Read on to learn what causes this irritating injury, who’s most at risk, and how your experienced physiotherapists at The Physio Clinic Glasgow can assess the underlying issues and create a tailored treatment plan to stop knee pain in its tracks.
What’s Causing My Knee Pain?
Runner’s knee, known in the medical world as patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), refers to pain around and behind the kneecap (patella). It results from overloaded, irritated tissue in this area leading to inflammation and sensitization of local pain nerves.
When your knee moves properly, your kneecap smoothly glides up and down a groove in your femur bone thanks to specialized cartilage behind it acting as a shock absorber. But repetitive overuse through sports like running combined with contributing factors like muscle imbalances can irritate this cartilage. Your patellar tendon connecting the kneecap with the tibia bone can also become overloaded with repetitive strenuous activity.
Overtime, constant friction and excessive pressure causes the tissues around and behind the kneecap to become very unhappy! Swelling, damage to the cartilage and tendons, and sometimes minor bone changes results. This leads to an achy, piercing, or burning pain around or behind the kneecap.
Often the pain starts out mild but progresses as the irritation in the knee continues without proper rest and rehabilitation. Left untreated, runner’s knee can sideline athletes for months. In some cases, patellofemoral cartilage breakdown may eventually contribute to degenerative arthritis if not addressed.
Am I At Risk?
While runner’s knee can happen to anyone with overuse issues, you face higher risks with:
* Novice runners rapidly increasing mileage
* Females, who tend to have wider pelvises and anatomical knee alignment changes
* Young adult athletes involved in frequent pivoting sports
* Underlying muscle weakness/imbalances or loose ligaments
* A previous knee injury or surgery
* High-impact activities with repetitive pounding like basketball or downhill running
Thankfully with an early diagnosis and personalized physiotherapy treatment plan from the experienced therapists at The Physio Clinic Glasgow, most cases of runner’s knee fully resolve.
Tailored One-on-One Physiotherapy Sessions
Your knee pain likely stems from multiple contributing factors. At The Physio Clinic Glasgow, your experienced physiotherapist will conduct a thorough assessment checking for:
* Loss of flexibility
* Muscle imbalances
* Hip weakness
* Faulty movement patterns
* Poor running/cycling mechanics
* Problems with the foot, ankle or alignment up the whole chain
* Joint restrictions
Armed with this information, your physiotherapist will design a strategic combination of hands-on manual therapy and specialized exercises tailored to your needs. This treatment is key to identifying and resolving the root causes of your knee pain for good!
Common Physiotherapy Treatments Offered
With customized physiotherapy from The Physio Clinic Glasgow, clients find relief from runner’s knee pain and return to sports they love through modalities like:
* Neuromuscular Re-education – Uses biofeedback to improve communication between the nervous system and muscles for better firing and coordination. This can also help with pain management.
* Targeted Exercises – Focus on building strength where it is needed as well as movement compensations from the foot to the hip that distribute excess strain onto the knee.
* Gait Retraining: Rebuilds proper running/walking mechanics like stride length, foot strike, and alignment to prevent future overuse issues.
* Return-to-Sport Drills: Prepares you to safely transition back to pivoting sports or running through agility, power and endurance challenges.
With an individualized multi-pronged approach, the knee rehabilitation experts at The Physio Clinic Glasgow help athletes and weekend warriors overcome runner’s knee and PFPS to get back on their feet doing what they love.
Reduce Your Risk in the Future
The great news is that runner’s knee is largely preventable in the future if you:
* Gradually build up sports like running over several months
* Maintain strength via regular hip, glute, quad, and hamstring conditioning
* Swap out your worn shoes for fresh stability footwear
* Listen to warning signs early on like mild knee soreness after workouts
By applying the tailored treatment plan and self-care tips provided by your Physio Clinic Glasgow physiotherapist, you can beat runner’s knee—and keep it from coming back!
Ready to Run Pain-Free?
If you’re nodding your head thinking, “Yep, this sounds like my knee pain,” we can help! The assessment experts at The Physio Clinic Glasgow offer cutting edge runner’s knee and patellofemoral treatment to get athletes back on track. Book an appointment online or call us today so you can return to the sports and activities you love minus the knee grief.