Geschatte leestijd: 3 minutenMany runners regularly experience knee pain. More often than not, this discomfort can be easily resolved by strengthening the gluteal muscles with specific exercises and improving movement. In this article, I’ll show you how to get started.
Contents of Knee Pain While Running
What is a runner’s knee?
The official term for a runner’s knee is patellofemoral pain syndrome. Another term often used is ‘theater knee’. All terms indicating that you suffer from ‘vague knee pain that mainly occurs in physically active people’. [1] It’s noteworthy that this runner’s knee occurs more often in women than men. [2]
The pain is mainly felt when bending the knee, sitting with bent knees, standing up after prolonged sitting, and kneeling. However, complaints mainly occur during running, hence the name runner’s knee.
There are various possible causes of your “runner’s knee”. Of course, it’s advisable to consult a professional for examination to be sure about the cause of the complaints. However, in many cases, you can do a lot yourself.
One of the main causes of patellofemoral pain syndrome, or runner’s knee, is having weak gluteal muscles [3]. Especially an underdeveloped and inactive gluteus medius often turns out to be the culprit [4].
Read all about different knee injuries and their causes in the article about knee injuries.
What can you do against a runner’s knee?
If you love running but not the complaints it brings, you’ll need to work on strength training. Exercises are needed to strengthen the buttock muscles under resistance. Sometimes body weight is enough, but training in a gym is more versatile and therefore advisable.
Many people nowadays lead a sedentary lifestyle and don’t use their gluteal muscles enough, causing them to become inactive. When the gluteal muscles then cannot perform their function (stabilization, balance) properly, compensation occurs in the knee joint. To prevent this, you can ensure that the buttocks fire better. This way, the knee receives less force and there will be less irritation.
I often help my personal training clients directly with better activation of the gluteal muscles, so that no pain is felt during, for example, a squat. By doing one or more simple activation exercises, the gluteal muscles are better controlled, which immediately provides relief or disappearance of knee pain. However, it’s normal for pain to recur the day after training, as the gluteal muscle often returns to its ‘sleeping’, inactive state.
However, consistently training the buttocks properly after mobilizing the hip complex and activating the gluteal muscles will result in continuously better-functioning gluteal muscles and fewer knee complaints in the long run. The right way to go about it is to first ensure that the buttocks perform their function better, and then to strengthen them with that improved function.
Running to get fit?
An expression I often use: ‘You should run because you’re fit, not to get fit.’ With this, I want to make it clear that running is good for you if your muscles and joints are in balance and you don’t have (significant) overweight. Often, people start running who are (re)starting sports from scratch and/or spend a large part of the day sitting. In such cases, the gluteal muscles are often unable to absorb the shocks of running. The consequences are known…
Below are 3 videos to help you strengthen and activate your gluteal muscles.
Mobilization and activation exercises
The two best exercises for training the gluteus maximus are shown in the video below. I explain what the most common mistake is and, of course, demonstrate the correct execution as well.
The fire hydrant is one of the exercises that directly trains the gluteus medius. Easy to do at home without equipment.
By performing the above exercises several times a week, you will quickly notice that the gluteal muscles become stronger and more active during running. If you have a sedentary job, it’s advisable to get up from your desk regularly and do some stretching and mobilizing as shown in the first video.
Conclusion
Knee pain during running or strength training is often unnecessary. To get clarity about the cause, it’s always advisable to consult a professional, but improving the function of your gluteal muscles and strengthening them can solve and prevent a lot of suffering. Mobilize your gluteal muscles to keep them flexible and active, and strengthen them by training your buttocks several times a week.
If you have any questions about this article, I’d be happy to see them in the comments.
If you could use some help working on strong, round buttocks, Smartass is the online training and coaching program for women who strive for a toned body and a healthy lifestyle. Sign up simply by registering here!
References
- Arroll and A Edwards. Runner’s knee: what is it and what helps? Br J Gen Pract. Feb 1999; 49(439): 92–93.
- Willson JD, Petrowitz I, Butler RJ, Kernozek TW. Male and female gluteal muscle activity and lower extremity kinematics during running. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). 2012 Dec;27(10):1052-7.
- Willson JD, Kernozek TW, Arndt RL, Reznichek DA, Scott Straker J. Gluteal muscle activation during running in females with and without patellofemoral pain syndrome. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon). 2011 Aug;26(7):735-40.
- J.Rowe et al. Hip Strength and Knee Pain in Females. N Am J Sports Phys Ther. Aug 2007; 2(3): 164–169.
