Victory Rehab Chiropractic Clinic

“However, if you have over-or under-trained certain muscle groups above the knee—something we runners are notorious for—then your patella will start to pull to one side or the other.”

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (PRWEB)
April 24, 2022

As local runners gear up for an exciting spring season of events, Doctors Chris Kessler and Tom Campbell of Victory Rehab Chiropractic are inspired to share advice on preventing pain and injury. The sports-specific chiropractors are athletes themselves. They advise that the most frequent musculoskeletal complaint among runners is called patellar tracking disorder, or patello-femoral syndrome.

More commonly known as runner’s knee, this repetitive stress injury is often caused by inflammation under and around the patellar tendon and soft tissue of the knee. It generally occurs when there’s an imbalance, weakness, or tightness in the quadriceps muscles above the knee.

Symptoms of runner’s knee include:

• 
  Pain under or around the kneecap, especially while running or walking downhill
• Clicking, rubbing, or grinding sounds when bending or straightening the knee
• A feeling of weakness or instability in the knee
• A kneecap that’s tender to the touch

“In a perfect world, your knee cap should track nice and neatly between two bony groves when you flex your legs,” explains Dr. Chris. “However, if you have over-or under-trained certain muscle groups above the knee—something we runners are notorious for—then your patella will start to pull to one side or the other.”

While runner’s knee rarely leads to more serious problems, the condition may become persistent and increasingly painful over time, even affecting normal daily activities. Runners diagnosed with the condition are often advised to stop running until they can run again without pain. “Runners are a different breed, and shutting down running to allow for healing is just not an option for most,” says Dr. Tom. “One of the best ways we deal with runner’s knee at our Naperville chiropractic clinic is prevention. If you can bring balance to your quadriceps muscles and other knee stabilizers before tracking even becomes a problem, then runner’s knee is something that shouldn’t arise in the first place.” Given the very linear and repetitive stress nature of running, the treating chiropractors at Victory Rehab recommend cross-training muscle groups with more lateral movements such as lateral slides, side lunges, and sumo deadlifts. When dealing with tightness around the knee, stretching alone may not be enough. They advise rolling out muscles with a foam roller for a more effective impact.

The doctors’ most common-sense tip for preventing runner’s knee is to do less sitting. “As humans, we’re not designed to sit for long periods of time, even though most of us do,” says Dr. Chris. “Sitting tightens certain muscle groups that can lead to patellar tracking issues. Finding ways to stand and move around more during the day is a great way to go.”

About Victory Rehab Chiropractic

Co-owners Dr. Chris Kessler and Dr. Tom Campbell have helped local runners prevent and treat repetitive injuries for over 15 years. Their Chiropractic practice is conveniently located in Naperville, right in the heart of the suburban Chicago running scene. For more information, upcoming race runners are encouraged to read: Don’t Let Patellar Tracking Disorder Keep You From Your Victory.

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