Following from our recent post "Review of athletic injuries at the Olympics & how athletes of all levels can learn to avoid foot injury" we thought it a good idea to cover the high incident rate of thigh (13.3%) and knee (12.1%) injuries as well as the high diagnosis of ankle sprains (7.3%) noted in the study "Injuries During the Summer Olympic Games 2008".
With the Helsinki City Marathon happening this Friday and marathon season upon us we want to focus in on knee pain. While we cannot surmise that the knee injuries noted in the Olympic study are all related to runner's knee, it is generally the biggest cause of knee injury for runners and in particular marathon runners.
What is Runner's Knee?
Runner's knee, or IT Band Syndrome, is a sharp pain on the outside of the knee or hip caused by the friction between your iliotibial band and knee or hip. This friction can be due to different factors, including overpronation, excessive supination, leg length discrepancies, tight hamstrings or IT bands, foot structure and/or muscle imbalances.
Running and stair climbing aggravate the pain, while sitting for long periods of time may lead to stiffness and soreness in the knee.
Whether Running in the Olympics, Running a Marathon or Running for fun, Footbalance's tips to Prevent Runner's Knee
