Knee pain when running?
If your knee hurts when you run, this post is for you. Here are a few of the most common reasons why you may get knee pain when you run and how to work on it.
You just started and you are doing too much too fast. To start, increase your workload by 20%-30% every 4 weeks. If you do not have any pain increase your volume 30% every 2 weeks.
You have strength imbalances. This causes you to overload some areas and underload others. For example, maybe you are really firing your quads but have issues getting those hamstrings going. You could also have one leg that is stronger than the other meaning you are actually running further on one leg than the other. To test imbalances we want to work unilateral movement patterns. Single leg squats and single-leg deadlifts.
You are overstriding. If your heel hits the ground on every step you are overstriding, this puts major force on your knee and is actually making you slower. Work on landing each step with your forefoot and bringing your heels to your butt. Pro tip: record yourself running and then slow it down you will be able to see how your foot lands. You can reach out to me to dive deeper into your running technique.
Lack of ankle ROM. You should have 35+ degrees of dorsiflexion on both ankles. If it is limited it will lead to compensation patterns and pain. Measure your angle and work on lower leg mobility after each run.
