Don’t Let Knee Pain Keep You From Your Morning Run (or Evening Walk)

Understanding Knee Pain in Walkers and Runners

Knee pain is often linked to overuse, which happens when your body doesn’t have enough time to recover between workouts. Common overuse injuries include runner’s knee (pain around the kneecap) and IT band syndrome (irritation along the outer knee). These injuries typically occur due to repetitive stress, poor muscle strength, or improper biomechanics. Addressing those issues can resolve your pain.

However, older adults might experience knee pain due to osteoarthritis, a condition in which the cartilage in their joints gradually wears down, causing pain and stiffness during activity. The good news is that low-impact exercise (like walking) can help manage osteoarthritis pain in the long term. However, it’s essential that you work with us to address any muscle weakness, movement compensations, or other issues before getting started.

How We Helped a Hiker and Jogger Resolve Her Knee Pain

The multidisciplinary approach at Vibrant Health Solutions is unique compared to other practices. We combine the expertise of several practitioners to create a comprehensive care program tailored to your needs.

To illustrate how it works, here’s how we helped Brittney (not her real name), an avid hiker and jogger.

Meet Brittney

Brittney has loved hiking since she was a kid. Every weekend, she explores local trails with her hiking group. In her twenties, she also took up jogging and now goes for morning runs a few times a week.

Unfortunately, nagging knee pain began to interfere with her training. At first, she tried to push through the pain, but it only worsened, eventually making her unable to hike or run without discomfort. Frustrated, she turned to Vibrant Health Solutions for help.

How We Helped

We reviewed Brittney’s symptoms, asked about her training routine, and evaluated her medical history. After a thorough examination, we determined that she had developed runner’s knee, aka patellofemoral pain syndrome, caused by overuse and muscle imbalances.

From there, our integrated team reviewed Brittney’s case and pooled their knowledge to create a customized treatment program. Here’s what it looked like:

Laser Therapy

• This non-invasive technique used a low-intensity laser to help reduce pain and inflammation in Brittney’s knee joint. It offered some acute pain relief and helped facilitate her body’s healing processes.

Bracing

• We provided Brittney with a customized knee brace to help reduce pressure on her knee as she worked through her treatment. 

Chiropractic Adjustments

• Our chiropractor addressed Brittney’s posture and alignment, particularly in her lower back and hips. Chiropractic adjustments helped reduce pressure on her knees by improving how her body absorbed impact while running or hiking on difficult terrain.

Therapeutic Exercise

• We worked with Brittney to strengthen her quadriceps and glute muscles, further improving her knee’s alignment and correcting the muscular imbalances that had contributed to her injury.

Personalized Modifications

• Finally, we worked with Brittney to improve her running gait to reduce the likelihood of developing runner’s knee again.

What Were Brittney’s Results?

After several weeks of following her treatment plan, Brittney experienced a noticeable reduction in pain and could return to her regular jogs and weekend hikes. Thanks to the strengthening exercises and biomechanical adjustments we provided, she also noticed a marked improvement in her running time!