How To Avoid Knee Pain When Running
If you love running, then suffering from knee pain is one of the worst experiences. It can keep you from doing what you love and maintaining your health.
Running can put stress on your joints, and especially the knees. Therefore having knee pain while running is more common than you think. So in this article, let’s talk about what typically causes knee pain and how to prevent knee pain when running.
That way you can get back to enjoying physical activities that fill you with joy.
Read More: What Food to Avoid When You Have Knee Pain?
How To Prevent Knee Pain When Running
As always, a good plan is to consult with a doctor for knee pain in Baltimore. In the meantime, here are some tips to keep in mind to avoid knee pain when running:
Get a good warm up in
Warming up before you start running is essential. It gets the blood flow going. Your muscles and joints need a little bit of prep time before you start putting the heavy demand of running on.
To warm up before running you can do a few basic exercises. For instance, you can try jogging for short distances.
This will promote synovial fluid flow. Synovial fluid is like lubricant for your joints. Your kneecap, the patella, is connected to the lower femur by the patellofemoral joint.
Since these two bones can rub against each other during running movements, you want their connection to be smooth.
In addition, when you warm up, you can start activating your glute and hip muscles. These are important for providing stability and alignment while you run. Start with a few short runs and even squats to get all of these areas activated first.
Better running shoes
It’s always worth the investment for great running shoes. Even if you spend a little bit more, it’ll be well worth it in protecting your joints and knees and long run. You want to get running shoes that provide cushioning to decrease the impact of running on your knees.
Try to avoid running in shoes that are not designed for it, like basketball shoes, flats or boots. Great running shoes should be light while providing extensive support. When asking how to prevent runner’s knee, footwear is a top priority.
Take it off-road
Therefore, if you have access to hiking or running trails, this is a good second option. Additionally, you can run on grass or on sand, like a beach. In general, the softer the surface, the less pain you’ll have when running.
You may have noticed a theme with the answers to “how to stop runner’s knee pain” and it boils down to being kind to your joints.
Build up over time
If you’re experiencing pain while running, then you want to start small and then build up. Go for a large 5 mile run if you start experiencing pain after half a mile. Start small and build up slowly.
When you get acclimated, it’s easier to understand how to prevent knee injuries running. You will be more in sync with your knee comfort level.
Use proper running form
Joint stress can occur if you are running straight up and down with your form. If you lean slightly forward, you can reduce the stress and pain on your joints. This is also something that allows you to use your natural momentum to run farther with less effort.
Take more strides
When you take big long strides, each step produces more stress. If you focus on shorter, smaller strides, it’s better for your knees.
Less force and velocity has time to build up on each stride. It may feel less natural at first, but eventually you’ll get used to it and it’ll be much better for comfort.
See a runner’s knee expert
If you experience discomfort in your knees, then you may consider seeing an orthopedic specialist. They can help you with certain exercises or inserts called orthotics.
These help cushion you and improve your gait to distribute weight evenly. Additionally, orthopedic surgeons can operate on your knee to repair damaged tendons, ligaments, and joints.
Surgery may not be necessary, but for some people, it can actually be the best option to restore natural pain free running.
Avoid Knee Pain — Baltimore
Now you know how to avoid knee pain while running at a basic level. visiting an orthopedic specialist in Baltimore today. You can get the proper diagnosis, therapy, and accessories for surgery that you need. That way, running becomes fun again.