I have been running a lot lately, Training for the 5/3 Riverbank 25 K Run, After my last long run, I noticed that my knee was getting sore/tight, I figured it has something to do with all the running that I have been doing. Since I want to get Certified by NASM, I looked up what they might have for this type of running pain/injury. If you have ever shared in this similar feeling of knee pain check out what I found.
This pain is actually quite common in runners. What you're experiencing sounds like a condition called runner's knee (or IT-band syndrome). Your IT-band is a large tendon sheath that runs the length of the outside of your thigh and attaches to the outside of your knee. If that sheath becomes tight (due to muscle imbalances or poor running mechanics), it can begin to rub on the outside of your thigh bone close to the knee, leading to inflammation and pain on the outside of the knee. To help remedy the issue, foam roll your calves, the outside of your thigh, and the front of your hip. Foam rolling is a self-massage technique used to loosen the muscles that can cause tightness in the IT-band. Foam rolling will also help loosen the IT-band itself. Next, statically stretch your calves and the front of your hip; holding each stretch for 30 seconds. These stretches, along with the foam rolling technique, will help improve the range of motion of your ankles, knee, and hip. Next, perform a strengthening exercise for the side of your hips (or gluteus medius). This muscle is often weak in people with runner's knee and causes the IT-band to become tight. A simple exercise to strengthen this muscle is called lateral tube walking. Perform 1-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions of this exercise. This routine should help increase muscle and joint range of motion, and help strengthen key muscles that will take stress off the IT-band.
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