Experiencing knee pain while running is not suppose to happen. In fact, running strengthens the cartilage, muscles, tendons, and ligaments around your knees and ankles.
So why does everyone think running ruins your knees? Because it can, but it’s mostly because people are doing something wrong. And it’s simple things that could be the issue, like footwear choice, effort, or running form.
So let’s look at those three topics and see how we can help you run pain free.
||First off, I do need to say that this is really something you should see a doctor about, and any advice given here is not meant to replace the advice of a trained physician. All of the information in this article is generic and not individualized to any certain person(s).||
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Reason 1: Running Form and Knee Pain
Everyone runs a bit differently, and that is a good thing. But there are some universal running form rules that can help everyone be a better and healthier runner. The most important one is that your foot lands underneath your knee.
I don’t care if you land on your toes, midfoot, or heel because as long as your foot hits the ground when its underneath your knee you should be pain free.
A lot of knee pain while running comes from over striding. That is when our foot touches the ground in front of our knee. This actually causes a shock to be sent up our leg and applies a stopping force to our forward motion and unsettles the joints.
A lot of people assume that this is something that all heel strikers do, but it’s not. Heel strikers can be over striders, but aren’t necessarily so. Almost everyone lands on all three portions of their feet at different times through their run. As long as your foot touches the ground when it’s under your knee you should be able to avoid knee pain while running.
Reason 2: Too Fast, Knee Furious
A lot of people see running as something where you have to sprint everywhere and run yourself into the ground. Yes, doing some sprints and other fast pace workouts is good. What’s better is doing most of your runs at a controllable pace.
Many runners go out there and try to give it their all, because the harder you work the better the results. The human body has limits and you can’t push it to the brink every time without breaking it. As you run harder you apply stress, both externally and internally, that your body doesn’t really want. In response it will take longer to recover and exposes itself to more injuries.
Another reason that going too hard every time can hurt your knees and other body parts is because you lose your proper running form. You end up over striding, twisting, or something else that throws off your gait and shifts your joints in ways they don’t want to move.
Reason 3: Bad Shoes Causing Knee Pain
Now I used to manage a running store. I have fit, scanned, and done gait analysis on thousands of people and there are 2 main problem areas that cause knee pain when people are getting the right running shoes.
Size
Most people are wearing the wrong size shoe. It’s true. In fact you are probably wearing the wrong size right now.
Our feet are complex and filled with many bones, joints, tendons and muscles. They are also holding up our entire bodyweight with every step against the forces of gravity. Over time joints, muscles, and tendons slowly spread out and our feet actually get bigger. That means what ever size you were at 18 you are no longer that size anymore.
A good running shoe should have about a thumbnails length of space between your longest toe and the end of the shoe. The reason is that your feet swell with exercise and the extra space will allow them to remain confutable and not lose toenails. Wearing the right size will also mean that the shoe is lined up with your foot a lot better and keep it from landing where it is suppose to land.
Support Level
You may have heard of support shoes and neutral shoes. Support shoes are made for people who over pronate, and neutral shoes are for everyone else. Over pronation can be a cause of knee pain but as you have read it is not the only cause. A lot of people buy support shoes because they have knee pain even though they do not know exactly what cause their pain.
Trying to self diagnose without adjusting for the other reasons above could just cause you to get the wrong shoes and cause more problems. Because support shoes will just force your knees to the outside, which is not how they like to move.
How to Fix It
The best thing you can do to prevent knee pain while running is to slow down a bit. Don’t go all out or real hard with every run. Easy slow runs are actually really great. They boost your metabolism and your aerobic health, plus it could be what saves your knees.
Next check out your running form. See where your feet are landing, posture, and arms. And always keep checking. Running form is a constant struggle to get right, especially when you’re are going fast or are tired.
Lastly, get fitted for the right shoes for you. Make sure you find a running store that does gait analysis and scans your feet. A lot of them these days are just scanning and not seeing how you actually move. That doesn’t give the full picture as who you are as a runner. Also make sure they have a good return policy, because any good running store will know that it might take a couple tries to get it just right.