Knee Pain Rehab Framework

Knee pain is one of the most common struggles for triathletes and runners

But it doesn't need to be a bottleneck to your run progress (forget the people who say "running is bad for your knees" - they are wrong)

My recommendations for managing knee pain:

If you're training smart by watching your ramp rate, balancing your recovery, and supplementing with strength you shouldn't feel limited by knee pain.

Let's dive into each aspect.

Watch your ramp rate

The number one thing that will get you into trouble is your ramp rate.

Progressing too quickly is often where your knees (or other areas) may start to hurt.

It’s important to remember that mechanical systems (joints and tendons) progress slower than cardiovascular systems (heart and lungs).

This means that ramping your run volume might feel good for your lungs but not for your joints and tendons.

Give a little extra time for the mechanical systems to catch up

Start with a round number increase 30 min ➔ 35 min ➔ 40 min.

Next you need to,

Balance your recovery

Matching the level of recovery is key as you build up your run volume and crush knee pain.

There are no gadgets needed, just your key recovery habits:

• fuelling your training

• sleeping well

• hydrating

• managing allostatic load

If you're not allowing time for your body to recover and rest than you’re digging yourself into a hole. You need time for things to balance out and recover.

The final aspect is to,

Support your running with strength training

Strength training is the best way to increase the capacity of the tendons, muscles and joints.

You don’t want to jump right to heavy squats if your knee is hurting.

You can start with some easier variations - isometrics might be a good starting point.

The goal is to find something that loads the area with minimal pain so that you can start building back.

Here’s a simple exercise progression that might be helpful for you in dealing with knee pain:

• lunge holds

• wall sits

• split squats

• step ups

• single leg RDL

• side plank with glute bridge

• step downs

Try them and see how your knee responds.

Finally,

Get help for personalized guidance

When pain becomes a bottleneck to your running progress it can be worth working with a rehab pro.

Find one who knows their stuff when it comes to endurance athletes.

The right pro should deep dive into:

• your current training patterns

• any breakpoints

• movement patterns

• motivations and goals

• strength, mobility and more

Try the stuff above but a personalized plan will help you get there faster.