How To Manage The Runners Knee Recovery Time?

Runner’s knee can affect any level of running athletes and hijack their career like no other thing. This is the precise reason why the athletes want to know how long is the runners knee recovery time so that they can get back to running as they used to. We are going to help you know all about runners knee recovery time, what is the issue, and how to treat it.

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Know more about Runner’s knee

The term Runner’s knee covers a lot in its ambit while denoting the pain one feels in the knees at the front and around the cap or patella. The name itself suggests that it happens due to running and related activities that put too much strain on the knee joint like biking, walking, cycling, etc.

Let us first tell you the three major conditions of Runner’s knee that are differentiated according to the area that hurts:

Patellofemoral pain syndrome- This type is most common and affects the areas beneath, around, and in front of the kneecap.
Iliotibial syndrome- It involves the inflammation of the IT band and affects the knee sides. The pain is more abrupt and happens in sore spots.
Chondromalacia Patella- The knee cartilage breaks down in this and causes an aching and dull pain in the area behind the kneecap.

It is a common injury that happens due to overuse and is found to affect women more and the overweighed people.

Causes of Runner’s knee

Since the pain of Runner’s knee happens at various spots, it is understandable that different factors must be responsible for them.

Overuse or overstrain
Issues with the kneecap- misalignment, trauma, dislocation, fracture
Flat feet syndrome
Weakness or tightness in the thigh muscles
Arthritis
Synovial plica syndrome
Referred pain that emerges in the hip or back and reaches the knee
Strenuous activities with the knee as the fulcrum

Symptoms of Runner’s knee

You first need to know the different paining areas and related muscles so that you can identify the symptoms better:

Above the knees- thigh bone, hamstrings, IT band, quadriceps effected
Below the knees- shin bone, ankle joint, calves effected
At the knees- patella, knee structure, poor alignment
Now the usual symptoms include:
Pain while walking, exercising, climbing, running, sitting, standing up, etc
Swelling in the knee area
Grinding or popping in the knee portion
Joint weakness

Preventive measures

Precautionary measures are a must follow when it comes to discussing any injury treatment. Follow these general tips-

Maintain overall fitness and stay in good shape. Overweight is the worst enemy.
Footwear is important as they help shock absorption. Avoid torn shoes and always wear good fitting and comfortable shoes.
Run in the appropriate form with a tight core and bent knees.
Run over smooth surfaces.
Never increase your training intensity abruptly. Be gradual with any change.
A good five-minute warm-up and some stretching exercises before the run are good stress-relievers. Watch this video.

Treatments to follow during Runner’s knee recovery time

Starting at home isn’t a bad idea when it comes to facilitating Runner’s knee recovery and you can bring a doctor in the picture when the conditions get too severe.

RICE is the primary step of home treatment that aims for pain relief. Rest-Ice pack-Compression therapy-Elevation is the meaning and you do all of it as they hold equal importance.
You may try NSAIDs like ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin for prolonged pain relief and swelling reduction.
You can try knee taping for better support, wear insoles in the shoe, or use braces for pain relief.
Massaging with foam rollers also gives a lot of relief.
Surgery will arrive as the last option if the issue is severe like damaged cartilage or misaligned kneecap
Patellofemoral Runner’s knee mostly gets treated with non-invasive treatments.
Reduce the load from the injured knee and manage your training like this all along. Rest is the better option; otherwise, you must cut your running volume.
Meanwhile, you can focus on building the strength of the knees and make them less injury-prone. Do exercises that activate the key muscle sections and improve their endurance. Work on the glutes, quadriceps, adductors, and hamstrings.
You may need to visit a medical expert if the pain doesn’t subside and the knee joints swell disproportionately. Physical therapy, strength programs, braces, and other methods can speed up the runner knee recovery process.

Exercises for treating Runner’s knee

The uncomfortable rubbing between the patella and femoral muscles is caused by core and legs that are tight and weak. You can try some strengthening exercises focused on the hip area and stretches for hamstrings during the Runner’s knee recovery time.

Clamshells- Lay sideways, raised on the forearm, hips stacked and shoulder above the elbows. Now rotate the hip top with glued feet and knees going up. Come back to the original position and repeat.
Straight leg raises- Lie or sit with the legs straight. Keep the legs locked and raise them straight up. Hold and bring down, repeat.
Donkey kick- Be on all the fours and extend the leg up with a flexed foot and raise the leg till the hip height. Press the heels with the back flat and knees pointing down straight. Come back to the hip level, repeat.
Hamstring stretches- Lie down upfront and just pull the legs one by one back near the chest.
Running lunge- Keep one foot at the front and knee of the opposite leg on the floor. Press the hips forwards and engage through the back glute.
You can also try massaging the IT bands, glute muscle, hamstrings, and quads with the help of a tennis ball or lacrosse ball.

Duration of the rest period

Before we clear the air on how long to rest Runner’s knee, let us tell you certain facts about running with Runner’s knee. Our first suggestion is to not run at all with this condition or at least cut the training volume and intensity considerably. If you really want to run, then choose easy paths with a soft surface.

Do not completely stop the training as the idea is to avoid only those activities that cause pain. You can continue with the exercises that are going to help the healing process. Try swimming, biking, etc, that are low-impact ones and also keep the muscles conditioned enough.

Coming back to the amount of rest required, it needs to be mentioned that it is individualistic. Some may need a full rest while others can do with low burden training as their symptoms are less harsh. The basic deciding factors are pain severity and symptom seriousness.

You can take 4 to 6 weeks of rest generally or reduce the training load during this time. Resting and proper treatment is mandatory as leaving the condition as it is would make it only worse.

Improvement time taken by Runner’s knee

If you are wondering how long does it take to recover from Runner’s knee, then you will not find any specific answer with any exact numbers. As a general notion, Runner’s knee condition takes around 4 to 6 weeks for recovery. However, it is to be noted that every individual patient has a different medical case and their recovery pattern is different too.

Some runners recover faster than others. It also depends upon the nature of treatment that the affected person is following. Taking medical help from an expert can decrease the recovery time and the treatment will give better results.

While you are recovering, treat the knee softly and be attentive to the signals sent by your body. Don’t overstress and it is advisable to avoid running during the recovery phase. Be consistent and balance stretching exercises with strength training to minimize the strain on the knee while improving its strength.

Final words

That’s all! We hope to have familiarized you better with all the aspects related to Runner’s knee recovery time that will help you make a nice remedial plan to get back on the tracks as soon as possible. You just need to be aware of your body requirement and not over-strain yourself.

Knee pain shall not be ignored and early treatment can be your best bet.

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