Runner’s Knee Treatment: How to Strengthen The Knee to Avoid Re-injury

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In our previous article, Runner's Knee Guide: Causes, Symptoms, we discussed the signs that may lead to runners knee. Now discover how to strengthen your knee to overcome and avoid injury.

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Runners Knee Treatment: A Knee's Journey

Your knee encounters impact every day. As it moves with you, it experiences the pressure of your body as it pounds against the ground. Runner's may experience the frustration and the downfall of a continual strain injury. You don't want to stop running, which is why the right information is key in recovery and how to avoid injury in the future.

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The first step in your knee's journey is to recover from the damage that may be occurring. In the previous article, we discussed what can cause the cartilage behind your knee cap to wear down. With continual hard impact on your knee without proper recovery, you can potentially suffer irreversible damage.

British Medical Journal discovered the high amount of runners who suffer from knee injuries. Age and gender can often effect the possibility of a knee injury, but is not necessarily a definitive factor.

Runner's who battle more rough terrain can often feel the effects of runner's knee sooner than those who run on more level surfaces. As the impact of uphill or downhill running takes effect, your knee may need time to recover from your more intense workouts. By giving your body time to recover and heal, then you will be able to avoid further injury and cultivate stronger muscles for you to conquer any long run.

Recovery

Recovery is key to any knee's journey. With proper rest, your body will be able to heal faster, which means you can spend more time running. Patience is hard when in the process of recovery, but when you allow your muscles and tendons to heal properly, you will be able to strengthen your body for maximum performance.

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In the process of recovery after an injury, it is important to keep your pain levels down. If your knee is swelling, try ice for 20 minutes and using anti-inflammatory herbs or medications. Tape can also aid the healing process by giving your muscles and tendons more stability in your daily routine. You may have to hold back on your usual running amount and take the time to rest your knees. By taking a step back, it allows your body to heal and slowly build up your muscles again through strengthening strategies.

Strengthening Strategies

There are several strengthening strategies to incorporate to avoid future injury. Engaging your core and glutes can greatly benefit your body as a whole. By providing stability to your lower back and knees, your body will stay balanced and engage the deeper muscles to keep your bones and joints well protected.

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Knee Exercise

Knee exercises can incorporate several different muscle groups. If you feel pain while doing knee exercises, scale back the depth and repetition of the exercise. By slowly building up your strength, you will be able to recover quicker and perform better.

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Core Exercise

Glute Bridge

Bridge exercises deeply engage your core to provide stability to the glutes and lower back, which can take pressure off your knees.

Hip Exercise

Hip Abduction and Clam Shells

Hip strength helps bring balance to your muscles and provide stability. Try out hip abduction and clam shells by following these instructions.

Find Your Stability

Once you are healed from the initial pain of runner's knee, you can practice prevention strategies. By strengthening your body, you are engaging in prevention. If you are unsure of the pain in your knee, consult a physician or physical therapist to determine the right steps for you in recovery.

Runner's knee can range from moderate to severe in nature, so be sure to monitor your pain levels and watch out for the causes and symptoms. The more aware you are, the more you can avoid injury again down the road.

The stronger and more balanced your muscles are, the more you will be able to avoid injury and run your best every single day.

Bethany Widdicombe

Bethany Widdicombe

Bethany Widdicombe is a runner at heart, a researcher by nature, and a writer by passion. Having traveled across the world, she continues to be an advocate for awareness and knowledge that empowers people to a better life. You can now find her running out on the trail, or nestled away writing her next article.

Portland, OR