Knee Health for Runners

If you are a runner and you are struggling with knee pain, connect with a Collegeville, PA knee pain doctor Premier Osteoarthritis Centers of Pennsylvania to discuss your situation. Depending upon the circumstances that are causing your pain, we may be able to help you minimize, manage, or even eliminate your pain.

Running Health – Knee Basics

There is a common misconception that running is bad for the knees. On the contrary, many studies have indicated that runners benefit from this high intensity activity in that running is protective of knee arthritis later in life. With that said, the repetitive use of knees during running can take its toll. Although running itself strengthens joints and helps to prevent arthritis, there are many ways in which running can lead to knee injuries and chronic or acute knee pain.

Preventing Knee Pain While Running

At Premier Osteoarthritis Centers of Pennsylvania, we are not simply concerned with treating pain as it occurs. We are concerned with preventing pain from occurring in the first place. As a result, we believe that it is important for runners to be aware of the ways in which they can help to prevent knee pain due to running. For example, it is important to wear shoes that fit, that take into account any unique challenges that you may have with your gait, and that will absorb shock while running so that your knees don’t take the brunt of this activity.

It is also critically important to pay attention to your posture, your body mechanics, and your overall form when running. No amount of therapy can make up for poor form. Similarly, no amount of proactive or reactive treatment can make up for overtraining or rushed training. Trained smart not unnecessarily hard. It is also important to stretch properly, to rest when you feel an injury starting to form, to seek medical guidance if something genuinely hurts, and to listen to your body. Finally, you may benefit from wearing a knee strap that can help to stabilize your knee and prevent swelling and discomfort.

Treating Knee Pain Related to Running

The ways in which you should approach managing knee pain will depend upon the type of knee pain that you are experiencing, how severe the pain is, when it began, what makes it worse, and any underlying medical conditions that you may have. For example, you shouldn’t take aspirin to alleviate knee pain if your doctor has told you to avoid blood thinners. You may benefit from knee injections, but not if your condition is so advanced that only surgical intervention will make any lasting difference to your quality of life.

When you meet with our experienced team, you can discuss the particulars of your situation and receive personalized guidance as to how you can best go about managing your knee pain and preventing knee pain from occurring in the future. Contact Premier Osteoarthritis Centers of Pennsylvania to learn more. We look forward to speaking with you.