Why knee pain occurs when running

Video: Why knee pain occurs when running

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Avid runners have a sore knee after running, and while running, there are unpleasant sensations of a cutting, stabbing type. The focus of pain can be localized on the inside, under the knee or on the outside of the leg.

Knee pain is caused by injury to the patella due to improper running technique. A serious reason is flat feet, muscle overstrain. Any unnatural movement in the knee, lack of warm-up can cause pain under the knee, in front of the knee to the ankle joint.

Causes of knee pain while running

Common causes of pain:

improper joint movements;
flat feet;
wrong shoes;
running without warm-up.

If we exclude objective reasons - an uneven track, lack of preparation for stress, then there will be reasons that require the intervention of a doctor.

Most often arthritis develops. At first, it is manifested by minor pain when bending the knee, numbness of the leg. Further, arthritis becomes serious, articular ligaments are damaged, severe pain appears, and the ability to move is lost.

Particularly difficult and difficult to recognize even by experienced doctors as the cause of pain under the knee is the iliotibial tract syndrome. Due to the damage to its tissues during friction against the supracondylar bone, human movements are disrupted. The pain spreads laterally along the entire length of the leg, below the knee.

Naturally, such friction occurs in every person, so it is important to correctly distribute the loads on the legs. In the case of such a disease, it is difficult for a doctor to determine how to treat a patient in order to relieve him of severe pain as soon as possible.

Failure to follow basic running guidelines

There are special recommendations for organizing independent daily runs. They require the fulfillment of conditions for the correct movement of the legs. Why do your legs hurt while running - maybe due to non-observance of the basic rules?

It is necessary to find a successful route for the cross, so that there is a uniform pavement coverage or a well-trodden dirt path everywhere. The ideal option is a stadium with a special covering of running tracks. Without this condition, the run itself, as such, loses its physiological meaning.

Violation of running technique. Each person has his own gait, his own foot position, which is why the movements of the legs are added during running. First, you should work out with a trainer, on simulators that give the correct setting of the legs, then switch to free running. Otherwise, a person is waiting for an eversion of the foot, followed by a displacement of the knee structures, dislocations, subluxations.

Lack of pre-workout warm-up

All sports activities begin with a warm-up. Before you start running, you need to warm up the muscles, prepare them for the load. Due to the lack of warm-up, pain occurs when running, discomfort appears in the movements of the entire leg. Warm-up exercises help to keep the core properly while running, so that there is an even distribution of the load on both knees.

Lack of warm-up disrupts the function of the joint, which eventually develops to a complicated pathology. At first, there will be slight pains in the kneecap, it will be a "wake-up call" that it is time to look for the cause of the pain: either it is a running technique, or it is old sneakers.

Incorrect running technique

Beginning runners find it difficult to move correctly right away. They can incorrectly hold the body, run with a heel blow. At the same time, running gives off pain in the knees, because there is no shock absorption, the articular tissues are unnecessarily squeezed.

The basic rules in running technique are:

run smoothly, put your foot gently, without hitting it on the surface of the track;
keep the body straight in order to evenly distribute the load on both knees;
keep the heel and toe parallel, both feet in relation to each other;
run, choosing the average stride length that is optimal for yourself;
keep your head straight.

You need to start jogging with a few minutes of walking, be able to control your breathing.

For this you need:

inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth;
breathe deeply, belly;
in the cold season, breathe through your nose.

Correct posture:

do not slouch or bend back;

bend your arms at the elbows;
keep the top of the body relaxed, only the legs should be tense.

Posture position and correct breathing make it possible to set a rhythmic long run. You can listen to music with headphones, often the melody helps to set the pace of the run, but the music should not be distracting, especially if you are running along the highway.

Excessive load

Beginners should start off with short runs at an average, slow pace. We need to learn how to control the pulse - it should be 120 beats / min. Avoid overwork, at the first sign of heavy breathing or fatigue, switch to light running, then to a step.

Excessive exercise is harmful to novice athletes. It leads to fatigue, pain when running in the knee joint. As a result - emotional displeasure, the person does not have a positive attitude to continue training.

More often it is the beginners who are injured, who have given themselves an excessive load. You need to set realistic goals for yourself, although you want to be equal to someone strong and fast. You need to realistically assess your physical fitness, training experience. What to do if your legs hurt after running, - will answer a therapist, a neurologist, who should be contacted in a timely manner.

Incorrectly fitted shoes

Training requires special running shoes. Their purpose is to protect the structures of the joints and the spine. Running gives its specific load to the shoe. The correct shoes have their own characteristics, as in the photo.

Signs of the "right" footwear:

Depreciation. These areas are usually marked with special icons.
The outsole and upper are made of soft material.
The presence of rubber protective inserts on the sole.
Making shoes from breathable materials.
There is a rigid insert on the heel.
Free hinges.
Removable insole.
Shoes without instep supports.
Lightweight shoe.

There is a difference between sneakers in pronation and supination. Pronation characterizes the position of the leg. It has already been noted that the correct positioning of the legs is parallel to the foot. But the models of sneakers are sewn both parallel and with hyperpronation - the divergence of the feet to the outer sides, and with hypopronation - with the turn of the feet inward. This should also be considered when choosing shoes.

And there are individual selection parameters that experienced runners should know about themselves:

feature of the foot - narrow or wide;
human weight;
the technique of the runner who chooses the presence of reinforced cushioning on the sole along the foot;
running season;
covering the track on the daily route.

You need to know this about professional footwear, according to these parameters, you need to select shoes for running.

Invalid jogging location

The correctly chosen place meets the requirements of safety, running technique, the number of calories burned. People prone to frequent colds are advised to run indoors. Gyms are also preferable for people with heart diseases who need a coach's supervision.

On the street, by definition, practically healthy people run. They can run in any weather, the ideal place for a wellness jogging is nature. Forest paths, a rolling road along the forest belt, a deserted beach, spacious fields. Not everyone has such conditions. Therefore, many choose what urban conditions offer - parks, squares, running tracks in stadiums.

Here you need to pay attention to the paths where you want to build a walking route. Paved roads - only in a hopeless situation. Then it will be necessary to purchase shoes with thick, durable soles, with higher cushioning rates.

Asphalt is the wrong place. Running on an asphalt surface leads to pathologies of the spine, knee joints suffer. If the chosen path is crossed by asphalt sections, it is recommended to walk this place at a step.

Other causes of pain

Running pain is caused by two types of causes:

illness or injury;
circulatory disorders and the occurrence of vascular pain.

Why pains appear is always difficult to understand, because the knee has a complex structure, multifaceted functions. If you experience unpleasant pain, swelling, hyperemia in the knee area, you should go to see a doctor.

Causes of knee pain while running:

trauma to the meniscus;
dislocation of the patella;
damage to the articular ligaments;
diseases that may still be latent - arthritis, arthrosis, rheumatism, bursitis, synovitis, tendinitis;
inflammation of the sciatic nerve.

If you have an injury while jogging, you need the help of a traumatologist. If the pain is not related to trauma, you need to go to see a therapist. Then the patient will undergo consultations with an orthopedist, rheumatologist, neurologist. A full examination will be carried out and targeted therapy will be prescribed.

Meniscus injury

Meniscus injury refers to closed knee injuries. It gives sharp pain, limitation of knee movements. An injured meniscus causes a blockage, which combines sharp pain with complete restriction of movement. Conservative or, immediately, if there are indications of examination, surgical intervention is required.

Sprained or torn ligaments

Knee ligament injuries are common in sports and at home. They are complete, incomplete, separated from the attachment point. Ligament injury factors determine the manifestation of symptoms.

They require immediate examination so that the treatment is directed in nature - either therapeutic or surgical.

Dislocated patella

Damage to the joint, accompanied by displacement of surfaces while maintaining their integrity. Patellar dislocation is a rarer diagnosis than other knee injuries. This is due to the reliable protection of the ligaments. Most often, dislocation occurs in athletes. It can be complete and incomplete, there is subluxation. The first occurs as a result of a strong blow that moves the joint backward or forward.

From a careless turn, slipping, an incomplete dislocation occurs, the leg may become moderately ill, whine for a long time, swell, and with further attempts to move the pain increases significantly. Requires immobilization of the limb until the complexity of the dislocation is clarified, it is possible to apply a plaster cast. Wearing an orthosis is often used.

Diseases of the knee joints

Knee pain while running can cause onset diseases that are still latent, but if you do not start treatment, they will take an open course with full symptoms and manifestations.

Possible diseases that begin with harmless knee pain while jogging:

Arthritis is expressed by pain, edema, and hyperemia. Decreased range of motion, knee crunches in movements.
Arthrosis occurs due to a destructive lesion of the cartilage tissue of the articular surface.
Rheumatism in the knee is manifested by damage to connective tissues and collagen fibers. Without treatment, pathological processes progress very quickly and the person becomes disabled.
Baker's cyst is a neoplasm under the knee. Causes discomfort, difficulty walking.
Bursitis - is expressed by swelling, hyperemia.
Synovitis - accumulates effusion in the joint.
Periarthritis - gives severe pain, swelling.

Each of the diseases differs in its manifestation and course, but each requires its own doctor's approach and the appointment of special treatment in order to anesthetize movements.

Inflammation of the sciatic nerve

Often found in neurology, entrapment of the sciatic nerve. Gives burning pains on the back of the thigh, at the same time the knee weakens.

Diseases of the musculoskeletal system

Knee pain while running is accompanied by violations in the structures of the spine.

There are many pathologies, the most common are:

Kyphosis is a curvature with the formation of a hump.
Myositis is inflammation in the muscles.
Osteomyelitis is an inflammation of the bone marrow.
Osteochondrosis - altered bone, cartilage tissue.
Periarthritis is an inflammation of the knee joint.
Flat feet - deformation of the structure of the foot.
Radiculitis is an inflammation of the nerve roots due to swelling of the paravertebral tissues.
Such and similar diseases interfere with jogging, give off a "bell" - pain in the knees.

Vascular disorders

Such pathologies are inherent in adolescence. Therefore, at this age, coaches need to be especially careful about organizing jogging, observing the basic recommendations for this age.

Violations of the circulatory system are considered physiological, without a permanent site of pain localization, and short-lived. They either go away on their own, or are stopped by non-steroidal pain medications.