From the SAYSO Trainer’s
Notebook
Many knee ailments are lumped under the term “runner’s knee,” a loose heading for aches and pains involving the kneecap. Women are especially vulnerable to ligament injuries and other knee disorders. Female athletes apparently have more knee laxity, less muscle strength and endurance, and different muscle reaction time than male athletes. These factors have contributed to a large rise in women’s knee injuries, two to eight times the level found in male athletes.
Runner’s knee happens when the tendon below the kneecap becomes irritated from overuse or there is wear under the kneecap. Sometimes, leg muscles pull the kneecap out of the groove in which it normally slides up and down, causing painful grating on the cartilage.
Preventing runner’s knee often involves simply replacing your worn-out shoes or insoles, which helps reduce impact. Switching from a hard to a soft running surface—or from a hilly to a flat route—also may relieve symptoms. Orthotics, which lift your arches and help position your feet so impact doesn’t lead to misalignment at the kneecaps.
Strengthening and stretching the muscle is important. To help hold your kneecap in line, strengthen your quadriceps, the front thigh muscles. Getting more rest and cross-training can also help prevent overusing one set of muscles.
If you get a bad case of runner’s knee, take several days off and use anti-inflammatory medication, such as ibuprofen. When resuming practice, be sure to warm up and cool down and to ice your knee for 20 minutes after the practice.