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Sore knees? Here’s what you need to do

Get back to the basics and banish knee pain forever

woman runner hold her sports injured knee

If you’ve been sidelined by knee pain, you’re not alone—about 25 per cent of adults deal with it at some point, and for runners, knee pain can be a discouraging setback. But while rest and ice were once the go-to solutions, evidence shows that strength training is one of the best ways to keep knee pain from stopping you in your tracks, The New York Times recently reported. Here’s how to get on the road back to running, today.

Female runner suffering with pain on sports running knee injury

The power of strength training

Some runners avoid weightlifting, fearing it will make them bulky or cause injury, but that’s a myth. “People think that strength training will hurt their knees or cause further damage,” said Leada Malek, a physical therapist based in San Francisco and the author of Science of Stretch. But, in reality, strengthening the muscles surrounding the knee—like the quads, hamstrings and glutes—can actually reduce pain and improve movement.

“Stronger muscles help distribute the load more evenly across the knee,” said Los Angeles-based Nima Mehran, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in knee health. When your muscles are weak, more stress is placed on the joint, leading to pain and injury.

runner doing squats

Build strength, reduce pain

A progressive strength training program is key to keeping knee pain at bay. That means gradually increasing difficulty over time. Here’s where to start:

Squats: One of the best knee-strengthening exercises, squats target multiple muscle groups. If deep squats cause discomfort, start with a shallow range and build from there.

Glute and hamstring work: Strengthening the posterior chain helps balance the muscles around the knee. Malek recommends exercises like leg bridges and clamshells.

Adding weights: Once you build a solid base, incorporate movements like Romanian deadlifts, weighted hip thrusts and step-ups to increase difficulty and build long-term knee resilience.

4 best squats for runners to maximize lower body strength

 

Can you still run?

If your knee pain is sharp, new or the result of an injury, it’s best to pause high-impact activities until you get an assessment from a medical professional. But that doesn’t mean running is off-limits forever, or even for long.

“It varies by person and their history of injuries,” Malek says. And as most runners now know, running can actually strengthen protective cartilage in the knee, reducing pain over time.

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