Understanding the symptoms of runner’s knee can help you pinpoint and treat this injury before it worsens. And when you do that, you’re able to get back to the life you love sooner rather than later.
While no two people experience the same symptoms, here are three of the most common:
Knee cap that is tender to the touch: Does your knee cap hurt when you move it? Does it hurt even if you slightly touch it? This is a telltale sign of runner’s knee.
Increasing pain when active: With runner’s knee, the more you use it the more pain you’ll experience. Along with increasing pain, you may also experience weakness and/or instability in your knee.
Strange sounds: Does your knee cap click, grind, or rub when you bend and straighten your knee? These sounds are not normal, which makes them easy to hear.
Although runner’s knee can slow you down for an extended period of time, rest is a good thing as you recover. Once you begin to feel better, slowly work your way back to full-time activity. And of course, take steps to prevent this injury from recurring in the future.
Jennifer Ferdinand, owner of Serendipity Wellness Studio in Burke, VA, has been practicing massage therapy and esthetics since 2006. She is nationally certified through NCBTMB, and licensed in Virginia for both Massage Therapy and Esthetics.