What to do about Runner's Knee

We've got a lot of great tips on our website, including information about certain health issues.  For example, Runner's knee, or IT Band Syndrome, is a sharp pain on the outside of the knee or hip caused by the friction between your iliotibial band and knee or hip. This friction can be due to different factors, including overpronation, excessive supination, leg length discrepancies, tight hamstrings or IT bands, foot structure and/or muscle imbalances.

Running and stair climbing aggravate the pain, while sitting for long periods of time may lead to stiffness and soreness in the knee.

If you experience Runner's knee, be sure to rest the area sufficiently and take action to reduce inflammation after activity. Strengthening your quadriceps and stretching your hamstrings and IT band can also help.

The impact of each foot striking the ground in running is equivalent of three to five times of your body weight – or more! Feet in misalignment do a poor job of absorbing this impact, unnecessarily stressing the shins, knees, hips and lower back. As you run this is repeated at every step, which can cause stress injuries, pain and excess wear on joints. Similarly, feet in misalignment are less stable and do a poor job of transferring energy. During propulsion energy that should be directed toward the ground is lost leading to wasted motion. Overall performance and endurance suffer.

Select the right running shoes for your foot type and be sure to replace them regularly.