What I’ve Learnt About Knee Pain

Knee pain is a really common problem for athletes – especially those who do a lot of sports. I’ve learnt a lot about knee pain in the last few years (unfortunately), and it can really throw the spanner in the works when it comes to training! The upside is that there are a few tips I’ve learnt about knee pain, to hopefully help anyone else who might have similar problems.  The most important thing is to respect the knee joint – it’s very complicated and there are a lot of things that can go wrong with it!

Stop When You Get Pain

If you start getting pain during a certain activity, then make sure you stop immediately. The longer you carry on with an injury the more likely you are to cause further damage. If you’ve started to get patellar tendonitis for example, and you carry on running, then it’s only going to get worse until you can address the underlying problem. Once it develops into tendinosis then it’s much more difficult to treat.

Question Your Physio

This is a big one! I was treated for a long time for patella tendonitis, when in actual fact I had something called a fat pad impingement which requires different types of treatment. Obviously, you’re going to a physio because you want their expertise, but that doesn’t mean they can’t make mistakes or that you can’t ask for clarification on something. It’s also essential to get a physio that knows a lot about the knee, as there is a huge range in knowledge when it comes to this complex joint.

Sometimes, rest alone isn’t enough

If your pain isn’t going away after a few weeks then you should always go and see a doctor and ask to be referred to a specialist. In many cases, a knee injury will just require rest, but if you have something more serious then this may not be enough. The quicker you get a diagnosis of the problem the more likely you are to make a full recovery.

Knee pain can be a horrible experience, especially when it becomes chronic. For an athlete, it’s essential to keep your body in shape so that injuries are less common. One of the most commonly seen causes of knee pain is a weak inner quad muscle, so doing quad exercises on a regular basis (making sure to recruit the VMO) will help to prevent injuries. Flat feet can also cause knee pain, especially if you do a log of running, so make sure you buy the right pair of shoes for the job. Many of the top brands manufacture running shoes for “over pronators”, which are great for people with flat feet.

Above all, listen to your body and be sensible about how much exercise you do. If you do too much, too soon, it’s only a matter of time before you pick up an injury. In the best case you’ll be out of action for a while, the worst case it could last for years and require surgery. It’s important not to take this risk.