A common type of knee pain is patellofemoral pain syndrome or PFPS
What is it:
– PFPS is pain experienced at the front of knee, normally around the knee cap.
– It is very common especially in runners
How is it caused?
– PFPS is normally caused by muscle imbalance and poor alignment at the knee
Symptoms:
– Pain at the front of the knee
– Normally worse going downstairs and squatting
– Can be painful with prolonged sitting
– Can be associated with crunching or grinding when bending
What can be done to alleviate pain:
– improve lower limb strength and control; primarily glutes (gluteus medius) and quads (VMO)
– release lateral structures such as rolling on the ITB
– improve sequencing of the inside vs outside quad (VMO vs VL)
– taping the knee cap for pain relief
– retraining mechanics to improve alignment
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