Why Do My Knees Hurt When I Run?
Why Do My Knees Hurt When I Run?
“Why do my knees hurt when I run?” is a question I regularly hear when talking to runners having problems with their training. Another variation is, “Why do my shins hurt when I run?” Sometimes it’s, “Why do my ankles hurt when I run?” If the individual I’m talking to, is a healthy, normally proportioned person with no underlying medical or physical conditions, then usually the answer is that they are overstriding.
What Is Overstriding?
One question I usually don’t get but wish I did is, “What do you mean by overstriding?” Overstriding is a term that runners have been throwing around since the barefoot and minimalist running boom about a decade ago. In my opinion, many people use it without ever finding out exactly what it means. So what is overstriding? When I use the word “overstriding,” I mean that a runner is landing with his full body weight in front of his center-of-gravity. I’m sure for many people, that definition may not be particularly helpful, so I’ll attempt to explain it without getting too technical.
Everyone has a “balance point” in their body called the center-of-gravity. At that point, gravity is pulling equally in each direction when the body is not in motion. If you ever balanced a stick by putting your finger in the middle, your finger was on the stick’s center-of-gravity. If a runner’s foot lands in front of his or her center-of-gravity, he or she is overstriding. Essentially the leg becomes a braking mechanism, and the dissipated energy is absorbed by the leg, often resulting in painful knees, shins, or ankles. In other words, with every step, the runner crashes into his leg with a lot of unnecessary force.
Overstriding puts the foot strike far in front of the centre of mass transferring excessive force through a straight leg and tense ankle. It means on landing you’re breaking momentum and, with the body acting as a rigid lever, having to overcome gravity acting against you until the hips have pivoted over the landed foot.
- Iain Denby. Certified Pose Method Running Technique Coach
Improve Your Running Technique to Fix Overstriding
The next question, after I tell them they are overstriding, is usually something like, “If my knees are hurting when I run because I’m overstriding, what do I do about it?” In my experience, most runners want to hear something like, get new running shoes, add some stretches, or do some leg strengthening exercises. Ultimately, the best long term solution is to fix one’s running technique. While getting new shoes, doing more stretches, and leg strengthening may help, they are usually short term solutions without including technique improvement.
About a decade ago, barefoot running, minimalist running, and running technique were big topics of discussion in the running community. There was a lot of well-meaning but very superficial advice on improving running technique. The advice given was something like, “Shorten your stride and land on your forefoot.” While this advice wasn’t entirely incorrect, it focused on the wrong elements of running technique, and for many people, doing this made running more painful. You can shorten your stride and land on your forefoot and still have terrible running technique.
The Take-Away So Far
At this point, I’m sure a lot of people are thinking, “So how do I fix my running technique?” The take-away from this post so far is that if you are wondering, “Why do my knees hurt from running?” Probably, the answer is that you are overstriding, and the long term solution is to improve your running technique.
Teaching and Learning the Skill of Running
I teach the skill of running using The Pose Method® developed by Dr. Nicholas Romanov. The terminology used will be the Pose Method® terminology for teaching running technique. Anything requiring a specific technique is a skill. Swinging a baseball bat is a skill, playing a musical instrument is a skill, and running is a skill. For every skill, each individual has different strengths, weaknesses, abilities, and mindsets. Learning a skill is a process of iteratively evaluating the individual and training him according to his particular needs. It is not possible for me, or anyone else, to list a specific set of steps from start to finish that will end in success. In this post, I will show you what you need to do to stop overstriding, and I will give you some resources to get you started. However, it’s essential to understand that for most people, this is not something they learn in an hour, a day, or a week. You must be willing to put in the work to understand what you are doing wrong, and then apply the drills necessary to make corrections. That journey is different for everyone.
More Terms
Here are some terms needed for understanding the elements of running technique I will be discussing.
Toe off - This describes the moment a runner’s supporting foot loses contact with the ground. In other words, this is the moment the runner becomes airborne.
Pose - This is a Pose Method running term used to describe the “figure 4” position each runner passes through in midstride. This will be shown below in the illustrations.
Fall - This is another Pose Method running term used to describe the runner moving over his supporting leg in an arc. This will also be shown in the illustrations below.
Midstance - The point in stride where the runner’s foot, head, and center-of-gravity are aligned ideally in the “pose” defined above.
Anatomy of Proper Technique
Following the pictures from right to left, the runner is at midstance or the “pose”. in the next picture, the runner falls forward in the “pose”. Note that the foot of the raised leg remains next to the supporting leg until toe-off. In the third picture, the runner lands under his center-of-gravity.
Anatomy of Overstriding
Following the drawings right to left, the runner is at mid-stance. In the second picture, space opens between the foot of his raised leg and the supporting leg, prior to toe-off, indicating that he is overstriding. In the third picture, the runner is landing in front of his body and in front of his center-of-gravity.
Example Pictures of Technique
Here is a photo of some sprinters. Let’s look at three front runners. The sprinter in the foreground, in second place, is a good example of maintaining the pose until toe-off. The sprinter in the front has broken the pose before toe-off and will likely land in front of his center-of-gravity. The third place runner, who is slightly obscured, is in the process of landing under or very near his center-of gravity.
This picture is a classic example of overstriding. The woman in the picture is landing in front of her center-of-gravity. If she were to train with this technique for very long, I have no doubt she would be asking, “Why do my knees hurt when I run?
This picture is a good example of the pose as looks when running slowly or jogging.
This picture is a good example of a runner landing under her center-of-gravity.
How Do I Fix My Technique?
There is a lot you can do, but there are no quick fixes. For the majority of people correcting your running technique will take time and practice. Expect to experience some frustration.
Hire a Coach
For most people, the easiest way to work on your technique is to hire a coach like me. If you don’t want to hire me, I’ll put a link below to finding other Pose Running Technique Coaches. The most significant advantage of a coach is that they are generally going to be more objective when evaluating your running technique.
Books and Online Tutorials
If you are, do it yourself type. There are books and online Tutorials. I’ll provide the links below. While there are people who have successfully trained themselves, for many people, it’s too overwhelming. It’s easy to underestimate how difficult relearning how to run can be. If you start trying to self-train and you are having problems, I recommend looking for a coach.
Do Both
If you use the services of a coach, and also put in a lot of effort to understand the theory and practice of running technique, you will probably get better results faster.
What Can I Expect?
You can expect to regularly evaluate your running technique, and based on the evaluation of your technique, you will be assigned specific drills to help you develop your technique. Most of the drills will be designed to help build the skill of running, and some drills will be used to improve your strength, flexibility, joint mobility. Your training will all depend on your specific strengths and weakness and will likely change over time.
What Do the Drills Accomplish?
Drills are used to help you learn the elements of good running technique by exaggerating the movements. After doing a drill, you will then attempt to apply the movement to your running. Over time you will learn to better perceive how your body is moving and what you need to do to correct your technique.
What Does the Strength Training Accomplish?
To run correctly you may need to strengthen your body. This is particularly true if your goal is to run competitively. Some runners will need specific muscles strengthened, while others may need a more generalized program. The specifics will depend on your strengths and weakness as well as your goals.
What Does the Mobility and Flexibility Training Accomplish?
Flexibility and joint mobility are important for proper movement. Running doesn’t usually require a great deal of flexibility or joint mobility, but many runners will become less flexible over time if they don’t take care to maintain their flexibility and mobility, and that can result in problems that can have wide-ranging effects on more than just running ability. Again, the specifics will depend on your strengths and weakness as well as your goals.
How Long Does It Take?
It will take as long as it takes. Everyone’s journey and experience will be different. How long it takes will also depend on your specific goals. Getting to the point of running pain-free is easier than acquiring “perfect” running technique. Generally, MOST BUT NOT ALL people will see significant progress in a few weeks, but there is no way to know in advance how long it will take for any individual
Summary
If you don't have any underlying physical problems, and you are wondering, “Why do my knees hurt when I run?” The most likely answer is that you are overstriding. The long term solution is to fix your running technique. There are online resources and books to help you to fix your technique on your own, but for most people, the best results will be achieved by working with a coach. You can contact me for coaching, or you can look for another coach via the link I included above.
