Hitting the road on your own two feet is fun and rewarding exercise. Joggers enjoy being outside as well as a release of endorphins and an aerobic heart workout. But jogging can result in knee problems. If you're just beginning your jogging routine, be aware of common knee injuries and how to treat them.
Iliotibial Band Syndrome
Iliotibial band syndrome, or IB syndrome, starts as a general pain across the knee, but it can get so bad that you'll have to quit your new exercise routine. The IB consists of thick fibrous tissue that starts at your hip and crosses over your knee. This tissue is easily inflamed, so the constant flexing of your knee during jogging makes IB syndrome common among runners. Although doctors know to look for the syndrome in runners, the condition can be hard to treat.
Treating IB Syndrome
Treatments for IB syndrome range from icing and medication to cortisone shots and surgery. Your doctor will tell you first to stop flexing your knee, which means taking a break from jogging. Once the swelling of your IB goes down, your doctor will likely recommend that you work with a physical therapist. The therapist will show you how to stretch your IB and strengthen other muscles that support your knee, such as the gluteus medius on you pelvis. If none of these treatments stops the pain, you may need surgery to snip the IB where it crosses the knee.
Runners Knee
Runners knee is the nickname for the most common of jogging injuries, which clinically is known as patellofemoral pain syndrome. Runners knee is the result of repetitive contact between your knee cap and the end of the femur, the bone in your thigh. When this syndrome develops, you feel knee pain with each step that gets worse when you jog downhill. Runners knee generally happens with overuse of the knee, so when you're just starting out as a jogger, don't run too many miles too soon.
Treating Runners Knee
Treatments for Runners knee are similar to those for IB syndrome: rest, anti-inflammatory treatments like icing and medications and physical therapy. A therapist can teach you how to strengthen your quadriceps, the muscles of your thigh that stabilize your knee cap. Weak quadriceps muscles allow your knee caps to slip too far to the left or right. Knee stretching also helps ease the pain of runners knee. Doctors disagree on the effectiveness of taping the knee and using braces or knee sleeves to treat this problem.
