What is Runner’s Knee? – Causes & Treatment Options

A guy experiencing runner's knee pain.

Keeping active and moving as much as possible is one of the best things you can do for your body. It increases your quality of life and even increases your years. Unfortunately, some people experience aches and pains from activity that make it difficult to continue.

One of the most common yet challenging places for an active person to get pain is in the knee. Read on to learn more about what is runner’s knee, its causes and treatment options.

Runner’s Knee Pain: What Is It?

Runner’s knee is a broad term without a specific diagnosis that is used to describe knee pain, even in people who aren’t runners. Pain may be felt when bending the knee in a squat, running, jumping, or any other activity.

What Causes Runner’s Knee?

The most common cause of runner’s knee is overuse. Intense exercise or continuous movement can cause inflammation or just general pain. Other reasons someone might experience runner’s knee is a misalignment of the knee, a fall or hit to the knees, muscle imbalances, and even foot problems.

The treatment you receive for your runner’s knee will depend on the cause which can be determined through an exam in the office.

Runner’s Knee Treatment

Chiropractic adjustment to treat runner's knee.

Treatment along with rest of the aggravating activities is important while your knee heals. This can be a frustrating process, but it is temporary and the better you adhere to resting, the sooner you will feel better.

Chiropractic Adjustments

While resting from activity, getting chiropractic adjustments is very beneficial. If the knees are not lined up properly, the pain will continue despite rest. The chiropractor can adjust the knees if needed which will line them up properly and help decrease pain.

Electric Muscle Stimulation treatment for runner's knee.

Electric Muscle Stimulation

Electric muscle stimulation is another resource that can help with the pain and inflammation around the knees. By placing electrode pads around the knee, the system sends light pulsations into the surrounding muscles which helps to flush out the inflammation, relax the muscles and decrease pain. This is a good option to do in addition to rest for relief as you wait.

Graston Therapy

Graston therapy is a very effective runner’s knee treatment option, especially in those who keep active. This treatment is done by using a metal tool that works through the muscle tissue, breaking up adhesions and scar tissue in the muscle. This decreases pain and inflammation and increases movement ability. This treatment is recommended during activity and rest, as it has benefits in both areas.

PRP Therapy

PRP therapy injection for treating runner's knee pain.

For more severe damage, PRP therapy can be life changing for many and has helped a lot of athletes return to their activities. PRP therapy is a form of regenerative medicine very similar to stem cell therapy.

This treatment is done with our nurse practitioner in the office. By drawing a small amount of your own blood, she then separates the plasma from the blood in a centrifuge. Plasma is a natural occurring substance in our own blood that has growth and healing factors. Your platelets help decrease pain and inflammation and begin to regenerate the tissue in the surrounding area.

The plasma is injected into the knee joint and the growth factors work to repair damage, decrease pain and inflammation and help to regenerate the surrounding tissue. This treatment is highly recommended for knee pain and has had positive results.

We Specialize in Runner’s Knee Recovery & Treatment

For individuals who like to keep active, runner’s knee is an inconvenient and frustrating thing. Fortunately, treatment of this condition is possible, and results can be met. But, just learning what is runner’s knee isn’t enough. Take action and call our office today for an exam.

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