"Patellofemoral pain syndrome, sometimes also called “runner’s knee,” is the most common of all running ailments, accounting for 16.5% of injuries according to one recent study.
It’s characterized by a dull pain that is “behind” or “around” the top of the kneecap.
Typical aggravating movements include squatting, running (especially downhill), descending stairs, and prolonged sitting.
This makes training particularly difficult, and can mean you are forced to throw your plans out the window.
If you have patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), you will also likely have pain when resisting leg extension, and possibly tenderness if you push against the kneecap itself.
What is the Causes of Runner’s Knee?
Historically, research on PFPS focused on factors that affected the motion of the kneecap, particularly how the quadriceps control how the patella “tracks” in the femoral groove.
Indeed, scientific research has showed that people with poor quadriceps and calf flexibility, poor vertical jumping ability (which is highly dependent on your quads), and weak quadriceps are all risk factors for PFPS.
Blame was often ascribed to a small muscle on the outside of your thigh, called the VMO, which seems to fire differently in people with PFPS. And runners who did exercises that were designed to target the VMO often recovered!
What is the Treatment for Runner’s Knee?
Fortunately, research in the last ten years has uncovered another mechanism that contributes to knee injuries in runners: hip mechanics.
It turns out that, while it appears that the kneecap “tracks” towards the outside of your leg during squatting and running motions, it’s actually the femur rotating underneath the kneecap.
When Can I Return to Running?
Most treatment plans that are published in scientific journals consist of 4-6 weeks of exercise and no aggravating activities (including running), but all cases of an injury are different."
