Knee Pain
Anterior knee pain goes by a large number of names but unfortunately seems to
have relatively few effective treatments.
• Chondromalacia Patella
• Patella Tendonitis
• Patella-Femoral Syndrome
What it is
''Runners'' knee is a condition causing knee pain and many people with the condition also have poor hip stability. It affects the
anterior part of the knee causing immense pain. The knee joint attaches the thigh of a person to the lower leg. Because it is the largest joint in the human
body, it is a relatively complicated joint to understand in terms of connection and motion. It is different from other hinge joints, except for the ankle,
because it allows for some slight side-to-side movement rather than simply forwards and backwards. But due to certain factors it can become irritated and
inflamed.
Runners’ knee is a chronic overuse injury.
Continually stressing the knee joint and it’s fascia that supports it, which leads to inflammation caused by a mortar and pestle motion inside the joint.
Factors that increase your likelihood of developing runners’ knee include:
• Pronation of the ankle
• Muscle imbalances
• Internal movement of the thigh on ground strike
• Ankle Strapping
• Opposite hip drops when lead foot strikes ground
Treatment Problems
A large part of the problem in treating anterior knee pain may be that the treatment has often focused on the knee joint or what would be described as the primary pain site. In reality, for example the knee may be the repository of pain that emanates from issues of the hip or the foot. A knee –centered approach to treatment of anterior knee pain becomes a symptom-based approach. In other words, treatment often focuses on eliminating a key symptom versus trying to eliminate the cause.
Interesting enough, current research is leading to the conclusion that many of the overuse conditions of the knee are not conditions of the knee at all. Anterior knee pain may in fact be more of a symptom than a diagnosis. All of the conditions mentioned in the opening sentence may actually be related to poor stability at
the hip and core but present as knee pain. Over the past decade, anterior knee pain has been blamed on poor VMO development, poor “patella tracking” and numerous other causes. Most treatments have centered on trying to reduce the pain at the pain site with various treatments (ice, taping, ultrasound, etc.) The reality is that an aggressive strengthening program aimed from the core down is what is needed.
Conclusion
The conclusion is obvious. Weak hip and core stabilizers cause lack of control of knee and hip. These control issues result in a painful sensation in the patella- femoral joint of the patella tendon.
The key from both a cause and a solution standpoint lies in the sagittal plane (forward to backward movement) dominant strength training so prevalent today. Our strength training system is classically sagittal plane dominant as well as double leg orientated. It seems clear that the key to solving anterior knee pain lies in control of hip, knee and foot movement in the frontal plane (side to side movements) and that single leg exercises must be employed in both strength and power training to address these issues.
In Reality, not only is running form as changeable as a golf swing, but failure to correct form flaws in response to injuries all but guarantees that the same problem will return, or other problems will develop, after the original injury heals and the runner returns to regular training.
have relatively few effective treatments.
• Chondromalacia Patella
• Patella Tendonitis
• Patella-Femoral Syndrome
What it is
''Runners'' knee is a condition causing knee pain and many people with the condition also have poor hip stability. It affects the
anterior part of the knee causing immense pain. The knee joint attaches the thigh of a person to the lower leg. Because it is the largest joint in the human
body, it is a relatively complicated joint to understand in terms of connection and motion. It is different from other hinge joints, except for the ankle,
because it allows for some slight side-to-side movement rather than simply forwards and backwards. But due to certain factors it can become irritated and
inflamed.
Runners’ knee is a chronic overuse injury.
Continually stressing the knee joint and it’s fascia that supports it, which leads to inflammation caused by a mortar and pestle motion inside the joint.
Factors that increase your likelihood of developing runners’ knee include:
• Pronation of the ankle
• Muscle imbalances
• Internal movement of the thigh on ground strike
• Ankle Strapping
• Opposite hip drops when lead foot strikes ground
Treatment Problems
A large part of the problem in treating anterior knee pain may be that the treatment has often focused on the knee joint or what would be described as the primary pain site. In reality, for example the knee may be the repository of pain that emanates from issues of the hip or the foot. A knee –centered approach to treatment of anterior knee pain becomes a symptom-based approach. In other words, treatment often focuses on eliminating a key symptom versus trying to eliminate the cause.
Interesting enough, current research is leading to the conclusion that many of the overuse conditions of the knee are not conditions of the knee at all. Anterior knee pain may in fact be more of a symptom than a diagnosis. All of the conditions mentioned in the opening sentence may actually be related to poor stability at
the hip and core but present as knee pain. Over the past decade, anterior knee pain has been blamed on poor VMO development, poor “patella tracking” and numerous other causes. Most treatments have centered on trying to reduce the pain at the pain site with various treatments (ice, taping, ultrasound, etc.) The reality is that an aggressive strengthening program aimed from the core down is what is needed.
Conclusion
The conclusion is obvious. Weak hip and core stabilizers cause lack of control of knee and hip. These control issues result in a painful sensation in the patella- femoral joint of the patella tendon.
The key from both a cause and a solution standpoint lies in the sagittal plane (forward to backward movement) dominant strength training so prevalent today. Our strength training system is classically sagittal plane dominant as well as double leg orientated. It seems clear that the key to solving anterior knee pain lies in control of hip, knee and foot movement in the frontal plane (side to side movements) and that single leg exercises must be employed in both strength and power training to address these issues.
In Reality, not only is running form as changeable as a golf swing, but failure to correct form flaws in response to injuries all but guarantees that the same problem will return, or other problems will develop, after the original injury heals and the runner returns to regular training.
