Increase Your Strength and Mobility to Decrease and Prevent Knee Pain

In a previous article, we looked at three reasons why a person may suffer from joint pain at the knee. These included a poor alignment of the joints when performing exercise and physical activities, a lack of functional movement at the knee, and a lack of range of motion. In this article, we will look at three more causes of pain and discomfort.

In order to have proper functioning of the joints, the surrounding muscles must be strong enough to support the demands placed on the body. Thus, simple muscle weakness can be a major contributing factor to knee pain. As the knee is always looking for stability, it must get that stability from somewhere, either the muscles or the connective tissues (tendons and ligaments). If the muscles are strong, then they can stabilize the knee joint. However, if they are weak, the body will place additional stress on the ligaments and tendons in order to get that stability. When this happens, the result is discomfort.

Second, it is important to keep in mind that not only must we have strong muscles in order to function properly, but we need to keep those tissues in good condition. Every time we work out or go for a run, muscles and tendons are broken down and must be recovered. But the recovery process does not always go smoothly, and scar tissue and tightness in the muscles can develop. Excessively tight soft tissues can lead to a host of chronic pain problems, including knee pain. In fact, while the problem may be in the muscles of the hip or quadriceps, for example, the pain may be felt somewhere around the knee. Massage, foam rolling, and stretching can all help to increase the quality or length of sot tissues.

A final cause of knee pain can be simple overuse injuries. Increasing from 20 miles of running per week to 40 is usually a recipe for overuse injuries, for instance. Demanding too much from the body without proper conditioning is almost never a good idea and the joints are some of the first areas to begin breaking down. As our bodies get stronger from physical activity, we can usually handle more of it, but starting with too much too soon can lead to problems in the back, hip, knees, or ankles. It is important to watch for signs of overuse and focus on active recovery or reduce training volume when appropriate.

Unfortunately, many runners especially will experience knee pain at some point in their lives. Too often, though, they run through the pain or focus on reducing the pain. Instead, they should be working on identifying the causes of their pain and fixing the weak points of their training regimen. Instead of just icing the area, taking a few days off, and letting the muscles atrophy even further, strengthening and improving the quality of the tissues surrounding the knee is almost always a better idea when knee discomfort that does not go away becomes an issue.