How Long Does Runner's Knee Last: 5 Ways to Shorten Runner's Knee Recovery Time
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Runner’s Knee, or Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS), is a common overuse injury that affects the knee joint. It’s characterized by pain inside the knee or behind the kneecap, particularly when running, squatting, going down stairs, or after sitting for extended periods. The pain arises from irritation of the cartilage under the kneecap, due to improper alignment or excessive stress on the knee joint.
For a more detailed look at what Runner's Knee is, and how the mechanisms of the condition inform our treatment approach, take a look at our Runner's Knee 101!
In a majority of cases, Runner’s Knee doesn’t go away on its own.
Many doctors recommend stopping activities that trigger pain as the first - and often the only - remedy for Runner’s Knee. However, resting alone is not the right approach.
While rest can temporarily alleviate pain, it doesn’t address the underlying issues, so once you resume activities, the pain comes back.
Worse, resting will eventually decrease your capacity to handle physical load, making you more susceptible to knee issues from even lighter, everyday activities. Active treatment where you progressively increase the load your knee can tolerate is necessary to resolve the underlying cause, so you can stay pain-free for the long term.
Without active treatment, Runner’s Knee pain can persist or recur off and on for a long time, significantly impacting your quality of life. However, with the right treatment, you should feel a clear difference within 10-14 days.
In fact, Rick, our co-founder, dealt with persistent Runner's Knee pain for over a decade. Everything changed when he met Luke, our co-founder and seasoned physical therapist. In 6 weeks, Rick's knee pain was under control, and over time, he was able to take control of his condition, using Luke's mental model and practical recipes. (This is the story of Alleviate's founding!)
In our Guided Recovery Program, included in the Runner's Knee Essentials, you'll use a “test, intervention, retest” model to ensure that your recovery work noticeably reduces pain and improves function from the very first day.
A typical course of physical therapy treatment takes about 6-8 weeks to reduce pain significantly, although this is sometimes not a permanent or full resolution and you need to keep working on the condition.
A competent physical therapist will guide you through a well-structured program that gradually increases the load and your capacity to handle it. This approach helps you get back to a point where you can resume your favorite activities, like running, without pain.
This comprehensive recovery process typically takes 8-10 weeks. You can expect the same from our Guided Recovery Program, combined with the Alleviate Massage Blade.
Yes, physical therapy exercises are crucial in shortening the recovery time for Runner’s Knee. Progressive strengthening exercises rebuild strength and stability throughout your kinetic chain, unloading the painful knee and providing essential support. They are a key part of both recovery and prevention, ensuring that you not only recover faster but also reduce the risk of re-injury.
Your Runner's Knee recovery period will inevitably include some days where you feel like you aren't progressing at all, or as though you were going backwards. Your knee pain may feel worse, and you may need to take a break from your Runner's Knee exercise routine, or reduce the intensity or complexity of the moves.
It's discouraging, but know that a day or two of setbacks here and there are completely normal. Good physical therapists would tell you to expect these bad days, and to know that they will be temporary. It doesn't mean you won't make any more progress, and it doesn't mean you should push through pain to continue your progress.
Pushing through pain will not reduce how long it takes for Runner's Knee to heal. In fact, it'll do the opposite: with Runner's Knee, it's key to reduce pain before strengthening exercises, because it's the pain signal that switches off the VMO muscle, which makes the kneecap alignment and pain worse.
So, do these four things when you face a setback:
To shorten your Runner’s Knee recovery time as much as you can, follow these five strategies from the gold standard of physical therapy:
What do they all mean? Let's get into the details:
Consistency is key. Stick to your prescribed Runner's Knee exercises, even when you start feeling better or you hit a plateau in your recovery. Consistently and progressively building strength is the only way to ensure long-term recovery.
Use a journal and the Small Knee Bend test to keep track of your objective progress, or make it simple with the Runner's Knee Essentials, which comes with the app that tracks and visualizes your progress.
Eccentric exercises are crucial for strengthening your entire chain of movement, from your foot through your ankle, knee, and up to your hip. These exercises load your muscles, tendons and joints together, while the muscles are elongated.
Don’t overdo it. Pay attention to your body’s signals and avoid pushing through pain. Overworking can exacerbate the injury.
When physical therapists say "progressive strengthening," the emphasis is on "progressive." By gradually and deliberately increasing the amount and complexity of the load, you can be sure you are rebuilding your strength step by step, rather than pushing too hard, too fast, risking more pain.
Before starting your Runner’s Knee exercises, make sure to activate your thigh muscles with quick, light strokes with the Massage Blade (or you can use your hand). This wakes them up, prepares them to take on the load, and reduces the stress on your knee.
With proper engagement of your thigh muscles, the kneecap tracks correctly, and that reduces pain and prevents the muscles to switch off again in response to pain signals. That's the virtuous cycle of Runner's Knee recovery we design our Runner's Knee solutions for.
Carry your Alleviate Massage Blade with you and use it throughout the day to relieve pain, release tension, or prepare for activities. This tool helps prevent aggravating your knee pain and ensures your VMO (Vastus Medialis Oblique) muscle stays engaged, which takes the excess load off the irritated kneecap.
Understand the Mechanisms: Shorten your Runner's Knee recovery time by designing your treatment around the mechanisms of this condition. Make sure to treat the pain and activate your thigh muscles first, before your physical therapy exercise routine (or your daily activities).
Follow a Structured Physical Therapy Program: Engage in a guided recovery program that uses a test-intervention-retest model to track and maintain your progress.
Stay Active, But Smart: Engage in low-impact activities that don’t exacerbate your pain. High-intensity interval cycling is a good option for people with Runner's Knee.
Rebuild Strength, Step by Step: Focus on strengthening exercises for your quads, hips, core, and the whole kinetic chain. Listen to your body as you work on your recovery, and don't overdo it.
Alleviate was founded by a patient-and-clinician duo to bring the effective chronic pain treatment from physical therapy offices to everyone's home.
Runner's Knee treatment that you can do yourself is at the center of our history: Rick, one of the co-founders, met Luke, the other co-founder, when he went to Luke's physical therapy clinic after years of dealing with Runner's Knee pain without much success. Luke fixed his knee in 6 weeks.
With Runner's Knee Essentials, you can use the Alleviate Method to recover from Runner's Knee at home, using the methodology Luke used on Rick's knee. No physical therapy training required!
Luke Ferdinands, Physical Therapist & Co-Founder
A New Zealand-trained physical therapist with over 20 years of experience, Luke developed the Alleviate Method to bring the gold standard of physical therapy care to everyone's home. Luke leads the development of physical tools and digital physical therapy content, focusing on driving clinical outcomes for people with chronic musculoskeletal pain conditions like Tennis Elbow, Plantar Fasciitis, Runner's Knee, and more.
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Runner's Knee Essentials
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