How Do I Stop My Inner Knee From Hurting When I Run
Some proactive measures you can take to prevent Runners Knee include:
- Regularly exercise your thigh muscles
- Wear quality, supportive running shoes
- Avoid running on hard surfaces like concrete
- Keep a healthy weight to alleviate pressure on your knees
- Stretch and warm up before your run or workout session
- Cautiously add intense exercises to your workout regimen
- Consult your doctor about physical therapy
- Replace your shoes when they wear out
What’s Causing Inside Knee Pain After Running
by AZ Pain Doctors, on Jan 6, 2021 11:38:00 AM
Whether you’re an ultramarathon runner or a 5k runner in it for the free t-shirts and snacks, running is a part of your life. And a healthy part at that!
Running supports your cardiovascular fitness, muscular endurance, and your mental health. It’s a great hobby for those that enjoy being outdoors or staying active with friends and family.
But when you start to notice inside knee pain after running you start to worry that maybe something is wrong. Keep reading to learn what might be causing that pain and what you can do to make it feel better.
Medial Collateral Ligament Tear Or Sprain
The MCL is a band of tissue that runs along the inner edge of the knee. It plays a significant role in connecting the shin and thigh bones along the inner part of the joint to keep the knee stable and functioning properly. An MCL injury occurs when the knee is pushed past its limits on the inner part, resulting in a partial or fully torn MCL.
When the MCL is injured, the knee can over-extend itself or bend too far in a direction it should not.
Common symptoms that appear during an MCL injury include:
- Pain on the inner part of the knee joint
- Swelling of the knee
- A feeling of looseness and instability in the knee
If you hear a popping sound and feel pain on the inside edge of the knee, you have probably torn your MCL. Your knee may also lurch to the side. Using a knee brace for ligament tears is the best way to ease this pain.
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Other Forms Of Tendonitis
Other inflamed tendons around the knee may also lead to pain in the front of the knee. The quadriceps and hamstring tendons, if involved, may also result in knee pain.
The quadriceps tendon connects the muscles on the front of the thigh to the top of the kneecap, whereas the hamstring tendons connect the muscles of the back of the thigh to the top of the tibia.
Damage to and inflammation of any of these tendons can also cause pain in the front of the knee.
How Is Knee Pain In Teens Treated
Treatments depend on the cause of your teens pain.
Pain from overuse and general knee pain management tips include:
- Apply ice to the knee. Ice, wrapped in a towel, relieves inflammation and swelling. Apply up to 20 minutes at a time.
- Take anti-inflammatories, such as ibuprofen , naproxen or aspirin, to reduce pain and swelling.
- Rest. Rest allows tissue to heal. Your teen should take some time off from the activity that caused the pain.
- Use compression around your knee if prescribed by your healthcare provider or physical therapist.
- Elevate the knee to reduce swelling. Keep the injured knee elevated above the level of the heart anytime your teen is sitting or icing their knee.
- Follow through with the physical therapy plan. Physical therapy can help relieve pain, reduce swelling, increase strength and flexibility, improve range of motion, increase speed and endurance and improve coordination and balance. Physical therapists teach strengthening and stretching exercises and can suggest braces, insoles or other orthotics as appropriate.
- Lose weight if overweight. Extra weight puts strain on the knee joint.
Osgood-Schlatter disease:
- Take anti-inflammatories to reduce pain.
- Apply ice to reduce pain and swelling.
- Commit to an exercise program.
- Relieve pain and discomfort through electrotherapy and/or hydrotherapy .
Sindling-Larsen Johansson syndrome:
- Soft tissue treatments, including myofascial release, trigger points, massage.
Ligament treatment:
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What Causes Inside Knee Pain
Published on: 5th August 2022
Pain on the inner side of the knee is probably the most common kind of knee pain there is. Youll often hear it called medial knee pain medial simply meaning middle, since this part of your knee is situated towards the middle of your body.
Most knee pains are mild and clear up naturally. But persistent or recurring knee pain needs to be investigated. And the location of the pain gives us an early clue about what might be causing it.
So what are the biggest causes of persistent inside knee pain? Here are some possibilities.
Why Do I Have Pain In The Front Of The Knee
The most common cause of anterior knee pain is often felt to come from a muscular imbalance or a particular pattern of weakness. This will be the case for the majority of you reading this. At least thats what we think is the most common cause. We have come a long way in evaluating runners and other people who present with pain in the front of their knees. They often show the same findings when we use high-speed cameras to videotape them while running or walking. Now, this might be a chicken vs. the egg thing. Right? Which came first, the weakness pattern or the pain? We like to think it was the weakness that came first. We are still working on proving that.
If you are a runner or cyclist, etc then your training may influence your anterior knee pain. If you train too hard, too fast, and too often then you are at a higher risk of developing anterior knee pain. Most amateur runners run too fast on their easy days and too slow on their hard days. Proper base building, for strength, endurance and conditioning our joints to adapt to distance is of paramount importance. Zone 2 running programs are extremely important even for elite runners. Try to keep your training at a continuously progressive pace. You should be slowly increasing the load, distance, or speed over time. Try not to increase your load, eg. distance, speed, etc more than 10% per week. Most runners overuse injuries are training errors.
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Conditions Associated With Inner Knee Pain
There are several types of knee injury and other conditions that can cause inner knee pain.
Medial collateral ligament injury is a tear of the ligament that runs down the inner side of your knee. A ligament is a band of tissue that connects one bone to another. Your medial collateral ligament connects your thigh bone to your shin bone, helping to stabilise your knee. A tear can happen if you have a direct blow to your knee, if you twist your knee or if you overuse your knee.
Anterior cruciate ligament injury is a tear to one of the ligaments that runs across the inside your knee, connecting your thigh and shin bones. You might completely or partially tear your anterior cruciate ligament. Its a sudden injury caused by twisting or overextending your knee. It can happen if you suddenly slow down, stop or change direction and is nearly always associated with sports.
Meniscal injury is a tear to one of the cartilage shock-absorbers in your knee. These are known as the menisci . You could tear a meniscus if you twist your knee. This type of injury is common in sports where you have to change direction suddenly for example, football or basketball. It can also happen if you work in a job that involves heavy lifting and twisting, such as construction or manual labour. Youre also more likely to tear your meniscus without any particular injury as you get older, through wear and tear.
Treatment Of Burning Pain In Knee
Prolozone Therapy
Many of the structures in the knee have a poor blood supply, which is why they can struggle to heal on their own. It is the oxygen and nutrients in our blood supply that help to heal these structures.
Prolozone Therapy involves the injection of oxygen and nutrients into these structures to provide a direct supply of what is required to heal and repair.
As the treatment is helping to treat the root cause of the problem, it is deemed to be a permanent fix.
The main aim of the treatment in most cases is to reduce joint friction and provide pain relief.
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When To Seek Medical Help
If your injury is mild, you may be able to manage your symptoms yourself, without seeking medical advice. But you should see a doctor or physiotherapist, if:
- you cant put weight on the affected leg
- you have severe pain, even when youre not putting weight on it
- your knee gives way, clicks, or locks
- you cant move your knee
- your knee is hot, red or very swollen or you have a fever
Medial Knee Plica Syndrome
A plica is a fold in the thin tissue that lines your knee joint. They allow you to bend and move your leg with ease. Most people have four of them in each knee. The medial plica, medial meaning inner, is one of the four folds in your knee. It can get irritated from an injury or overuse of your knee. It occurs commonly in people who are very active or people who have recently increased activity or started exercising an increased amount. It can also result from a trauma where your knee gets hit significantly hard.
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Pain On The Inner Side Of The Knee
Pain on the inner side of the knee often comes on gradually. However, in some casesparticularly if caused by a sudden impact or injurythe onset of pain is immediate.
Medial knee pain is the term most commonly used to describe this type of pain, which can be experienced either as a dull, aching pain, or a sharp pain. Given the importance of the knee joint in our daily lives, the impact of pain can be significant.
Possible Causes Of A Burning Or Stabbing Knee Pain
Some knee pain is due to overstretching or excessive strain put on the ligaments and tendons of the knee, possibly by sporting exercise such as athletics or cycling. The ligaments and tendons can become overstressed, irritated and inflamed causing pain. A very common cause of this type of pain is a tear in the meniscal cartilage or surface cartilage of the knee.
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How Can I Treat My Knee Pain
Treatments at home, such as rest, ice, using bandages or bracing, and elevation can often help. If your doctor gives permission, over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications and stretching or strengthening exercises can also often aid in relieving the pain. If your symptoms worsen or do not improve, make sure to seek medical attention.
Are you experiencing knee pain while bending down? At Flexogenix®, our board-certified physicians are dedicated to non-surgical solutions for knee and joint pain. Contact us today for a no-cost consultation and let us give you a personalized plan to relieve your pain and get you back to the active lifestyle that you deserve.
Five Common Reasons For Inside Knee Pain
Pain on the inside of the knee can happen to anyone, whether youre a runner, footballer or casual gym-goer. Today, Bodyset Senior MSK Physiotherapist, Matt looks in detail at five of the most common causes of medial knee pain. He also shares tips on how to avoid a knee injury and what to do if you it happens to you.
Medial collateral ligament strain
The MCL is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. The others are the ACL , PCL and LCL . The role of these ligaments is to maintain the stability of the knee joint and prevent forces from moving the thigh and shin bones apart. The MCL runs vertically along the inside of the knee from the thigh bone , across the knee joint to the shin bone . Ligament injuries often occur due to an obvious mechanism of injury, such as a twist or a force hitting the outside of the knee . Dependent on the severity of the injury, there may be swelling, bruising and pain on the inside of the knee. You may also experience difficulty walking and a feeling of instability in the knee.
Medial meniscus injury
Wear and tear
Pes anserine bursitis
Plica syndrome
What can you do to reduce knee pain?
What can we do to help?
Need some support?
If you are in pain and would like to consult a physiotherapist, book in for a 45-minute assessment. Call 033 0333 0435 or book online below.
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Using A Foam Roller To Treat Knee Pain When Bending
To help treat your knee pain try using a foam roller on your knee first thing upon waking up in the morning, daily during your workouts, and also right before bedtime for about ten minutes total each time.
This treatment is good for your muscles and brings a lot of relief to those with knee pain when bending. Roll each leg until you feel the pain subsiding, never doing any rolling that causes more pain!
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Is It Okay To Run With Knee Pain
Ultimately, no. If youre experiencing knee pain after exercising, you need to rest it until the pain dissipates. If it returns during use again, then youve likely got a bigger problem that self-care and home remedies wont resolve.
Dont rush! Youll know youre ready to get back out there if:
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What Causes Knee Pain
The most common causes of knee pain include:
- Meniscus tears tears to the C-shaped pieces of cartilage in your knee, which are called menisci
- Runner’s knee dull pain at the front of your knee also known as patellofemoral pain syndrome
- Sprained ligaments
- Tendonitis inflammation of your tendons
Old knee injuries that werent treated correctly can also cause chronic knee pain or knee pain that flares up occasionally.
Knee Pain On Inside: Five Common Injuries
Meniscus Irritation or Injury
The medial meniscus helps absorb weight as you move, particularly during high impact activities like running and jumping. It is often injured while playing sports. Unexpected collisions, stopping and starting at high speeds and twisting movements are the events that typically result in meniscal injury. Afterward, you may notice pain and swelling throughout the knee especially on the inside of the joint. You will also experience a loss in range of motion, and may feel like your knee is unstable while walking. If you have suffered a traumatic injury to your meniscus you should seek medical attention immediately. Depending on the nature of the tear, surgery may be warranted.
While traumatic meniscus injuries are common, it is also possible to irritate the meniscus through repetitive movements. Frequent squatting and bending while working, can over time, cause small fissures to develop in the meniscus resulting in nagging pain and instability. In these situations, an offloader knee brace can be a great treatment option. Because the brace actively reduces pressure on the joint, it will help keep you on your feet and working while letting your meniscus heal.
Pes Anserine Bursitis
Synovial Plica Syndrome
Medial Collateral Ligament Sprain/Strain
Medial Knee Osteroarthritis
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Brief Anatomy Of The Knee
The knee is a vulnerable joint that bears a great deal of stress from everyday activities, such as lifting and kneeling, and from high-impact activities, such as jogging and aerobics.
The knee is formed by the following parts:
-
Tibia. This is the shin bone or larger bone of the lower leg.
-
Femur. This is the thighbone or upper leg bone.
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Patella. This is the kneecap.
Each bone end is covered with a layer of cartilage that absorbs shock and protects the knee. Basically, the knee is 2 long leg bones held together by muscles, ligaments, and tendons.
There are 2 groups of muscles involved in the knee, including the quadriceps muscles , which straighten the legs, and the hamstring muscles , which bend the leg at the knee.
Tendons are tough cords of tissue that connect muscles to bones. Ligaments are elastic bands of tissue that connect bone to bone. Some ligaments on the knee provide stability and protection of the joints, while other ligaments limit forward and backward movement of the tibia .
If You Feel Inner Knee Pain When Active Swelling Stiffness And Decreased Mobility:
You probably have knee osteoarthritis. Along with the symptoms mentioned above, there might also be a creaking, crackly sound that is heard when the knee moves. You may also feel warmth on your knee joint. With osteoarthritis, it can become difficult to get in and out of chairs or cars, use the stairs, or walk.
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Whats Behind The Knee
The back of the knee has complicated anatomy.
As well as the knee joint that sits in the middle, there are muscles from the thigh and calf that pass through this area. Firstly, the large hamstring muscles start from the pelvis and pass across the knee to attach to the lower leg bones. In addition, the large calf muscles start at the bottom part of the thigh and cross the knee to form the large Achilles tendon.
Finally, there are important nerves and blood vessels that cross the back of the knee to supply the lower leg and foot.