Every year over 5,000 people hit the Blvd. running with goals that range from of either losing weight or running the New York or Boston Marathons.
Unfortunately, one of the most common knee injuries that plagues many of these runners is something called runners knee, aka patellofemoral pain syndrome.
Runners knee aka patello femoral pain syndrome (PFPS), first got its nickname for an obvious and very unfortunate reason—it’s common among runners and it can cause excruciating and debilitating pain in the knee region. PFPS, strikes mostly younger, recreational runners and twice as many women as men.
Pinpointing the cause can be difficult at times. However, it’s usually a result of poor running biomechanics and or overuse. For women they tend to have wider hips, resulting in a greater angling of the thighbone to the knee, which puts the kneecap under more stress resulting in pain.
There are also muscular causes. Tight hamstring and calf muscles put pressure on the knee, and weak quadriceps muscles can cause the patella to track out of alignment. Just the repetitive force of a normal running stride alone can be enough to provoke an attack.
Fortunately many of the symptoms can be treated at home if taken care of early on with rest, ice, elevation, compression. But when pain gets out of control, proper chiropractic care can really help relieve a lot of the pain.
During your visit to our office we make sure you’re wearing the proper sneakers for the amount of mileage you run as well as your foot type and gait. Also, we design a care program that strengthens your quadriceps which will improve patellar tracking, and we also take the special effort of stretching your hamstrings and calves which all will help prevent overpronation of your foot which commonly results in PFPS. A regimen of laser therapy, manipulation, massage, and ultrasound have all proven to help get our patients back on the road running comfortably as quickly as possible.
If you suffer with PFPS give us a call.
Dr. Jason Tirado D.C.
Neck & Back Pain Relief Center
6035 Blvd. East
WNY, NJ
201-453-1555
www.westnewyorkchiropractor.com
www.usachiropracticblog.com
www.jasontiradodc.com
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