Find Knee Pain Relief with These Tips from übertherm
Runner’s knee, or patellofemoral stress syndrome, occurs when the kneecap (patella) brushes against the tip of the thigh bone (femur). As you might have guessed, this is a common injury among runners, but various physical activities can cause runner’s knee, including walking, biking, skiing, jumping, and playing soccer.
If you begin to see signs of runner’s knee—including pain while bending your leg, swelling around the knee cap, and popping or grinding in the knee—you should begin treatment as soon as possible. First of all, discontinue the activities that cause your symptoms to appear. Then, try these at-home treatments for runner’s knee.
Rest, Ice, Compression & Elevation (RICE)
You can eliminate much of the inflammation and pain associated with runner’s knee by resting, icing, compressing, and elevating the affected joint, a treatment known as RICE.
First, allow your knee to rest by keeping off your feet. Next, apply an ice pack to your knee for up to 30 minutes at a time two or more times a day. Then, compress the joint to counteract the swelling. Finally, elevate your knee by propping it up on a pillow to further reduce swelling.
RICE is an easy protocol to follow when you have a knee pain relief cold wrap on hand. This product uses patent-pending technology to treat knee pain after running with compression and cold therapy while protecting you from the harsh effects of ice. Wearing a knee wrap is comfortable, soothing, safe, and effective. It’s designed for healing, not freezing!
Treat Runner’s Knee with Strengthening Exercises
After the initial resting period, it’s time to strengthen your leg muscles so you can resume your favorite activities without risking a repeat case of runner’s knee. Since knee pain after running is often the result of tight muscles around the knees and hips, strengthening the appropriate muscle groups could be just what you need to improve your health.
Here are the exercises we suggest to help you recover from and prevent runner’s knee. It is best to do these exercises for both knees, switching off as needed.
- Quad set exercise: Lie down, face up, with your legs straight and place a rolled-up towel under your knee. Press your knee into the towel and tighten your quads. Hold for five seconds, and then release. Repeat 10 to 15 times.
- Short arc quad: Lie down on your back with your injured knee propped up on a soccer ball or similar object. Straighten your leg while keeping the back of your knee against the ball. Hold your leg straight for five seconds, and then release. Repeat 10 to 15 times.
- Straight leg raises: Lie on your back with your injured leg straight and your other leg bent. Flex the quads of your injured leg and lift it 15 inches off the floor. Hold for five seconds, and then slowly lower. Repeat 10 to 15 times.
- Clamshell: Lie on your side with both knees bent. Tighten your abs, and slowly lift your top knee, keeping your feet together. Hold for five seconds, and then return to the starting position. Repeat 20 times.
- Isometric leg lifts: Lie on your side with your legs straight, and a belt wrapped loosely around your ankles. Lift your top leg until it presses into the belt. Hold for five seconds, and then relax. Repeat ten times.
- Balancing exercises: Practice standing on one leg at a time. When you’re ready, lift the elevated leg in front of you, beside you, and behind you to improve your balance at every angle.
The sooner you treat runner’s knee, the faster your pain will subside so you can resume your favorite activities. Get your knee wrap today for the pain relief you seek!
