I recently came across a great article that I had all but forgotten about. In March of 2010 Men’s Journal had a 6 page spread about the knee and injuries related to it. Since we have so many runners here at O3 I thought it would be prudent to post part of the article which has to do with “patellofemoral pain syndrome” otherwise known as “Runner’s Knee”.
The article explains that runner’s knee is the result of irritation in and around the kneecap and a very common injury. The main causes? Weak hamstrings, weak quads, and a tendency to land with rigid, unbending knees (because of said weaknesses).
Their treatment suggestions: Since Runner’s knee is an overuse injury, the best fixes involve strengthening the muscles around the knee, switching your running surface from concrete to something softer, and honing your technique (keeping your knees slightly bent from the time your shoe contacts the ground through toe-off).
The article goes on to say that a study in the American Journal of Sports Medicine found weak quadricep muscles destabilize the knee, making it five times more likely you’ll develop runner’s knee. Their suggestion: Stretching, foam rolling, and DOING SQUATS.
As many of you know we here at O3 STRONGLY believe runner’s should have a strength training routine as a part of their running routine. Here is a recent testimonial from one of our members:
Remember I was hoping to run the Asheville Citizen-Times 5K relatively pain-free this past Friday? Here’s what I did: Mon. & Weds. | Afterburn classes with Adam-recommended modifications Tues. | A short/slow 2.3 mile run with one decent hill, a few smaller ones Thurs. | Nothing but ice and ibuprofen 3x a day (every 5 hours or so) Fri. | Nothing until 6:45pm, when I started warming up for the 7:30pm start of the race RESULT: Ran my BEST time EVER (26:23, when my prior best was 29:10!), with ZERO knee pain! Placed 1st in my “old-lady age group” (that’s what Wiley calls it – such respect!) out of 24 gals age 50 – 54. I was pretty excited – got a very cool medal, too! 😀 I was the 16th woman overall (out of 272), and finished 64th in a field of 445. All I have is a little minor swelling, that strange clicky feeling every once in a while, but it seems to be getting a bit better each day. LESSON LEARNED: With running and training, sometimes less is more. 😀 LESSON ALREADY UNDERSTOOD, BUT REAFFIRMED: All of you guys (you, Jay, Adam, Kerissa) are awesome trainers who really know your stuff, care about your clients, and help each of us find ways to kick butt, stay strong and get stronger. This injury was due to me getting a bit carried away, doing a little too much. My thanks to all of you for helping me figure out how to best manage it, get through it, and get back to running pain-free. – Cindy
