REGIO GENUS
Knee
Common complaints — Runner’s knee · After a meniscus injury · After a ligament injury
Common complaints
01
Runner’s knee
A burning, dragging pain on the outer side of the knee or around the kneecap that typically appears a few kilometres into a run and is worst running downhill.
With repeated bending and straightening, either the soft tissue running down the outer side of the knee rubs, or the kneecap tracks off to one side — the two show up in similar situations, but they are not the same thing. Behind it there is usually weak hip musculature, a sudden increase in running volume, or an unfamiliar running surface.
02
After a meniscus injury
Pain along the joint line, sometimes with a catching or locking sensation when squatting or turning. The knee may swell after longer periods of load.
The meniscus distributes load between the thigh bone and the shin bone. Its structure is damaged by a twisting movement or by wear accumulated over years. Both after surgery and alongside conservative care, it is usually the weakening of the thigh and hip muscles that keeps the complaint going.
03
After a ligament injury
A feeling of unreliability in the knee, mainly when changing direction or balancing — as if it might give way under load.
Ligaments do not only hold the joint mechanically, they also sense its position. After injury and healing, that sense and the neuromuscular response built on it are temporarily less precise, so stability is rebuilt by training the surrounding muscles and the balance reflexes specifically.
How to prevent it
- Balanced strengthening of the front and the back of the thigh.
- Glute and hip stability work — the position of the knee is largely decided at the hip.
- Balance and landing-technique drills, especially in sports with sharp changes of direction.
- Increasing running volume and intensity gradually, in footwear suited to the load.
This is exactly what prevention training is built on — if you would rather head off a recurring complaint, take a look at the service. Prevention training
This page is information, not a diagnosis. What is actually causing your complaint can only be established during an in-person assessment. If a complaint persists, is severe, or is getting worse, the first step is a medical examination, not therapy.