Runners Knee / Patellofemoral Joint Pain

Runners knee is often characterised by pain at the front and outside of the knee and is often another way of describing patella femoral joint pain (PFJP). 

It is important to say that is not just runners who can suffer from this. It is often as a result of overload to the structures at the front of the knee that then become sore on activity. At Pure, our Physios can identify factors that may be contributing to the development of anterior knee pain. Commonly, going up and down hills or stairs, getting out of a chair or lowering yourself on to the floor can be very painful.   

Often, the patient may have had a sudden increase in their exercise or activity level which triggers the pain, or it may be from a force to the front of the knee.  

As part of your assessment, our team at Pure Physiotherapy will complete a thorough review of strength and movement of your legs and lower back to look at the factors that may be contributing to the pain. They may look at your walking and/or running technique or ask you to repeat some of the activities that can aggravate your discomfort. This will allow them to get a better understanding of the causes of the pain. 

This will then allow your Physio to set you up on an individualised rehabilitation program with a combination of stretching and strengthening exercises. Above are some examples of exercises that we recommend. They will also discuss with you any alterations or modifications to your training program to allow the pain to settle.