RUNNER'S KNEE

Running injury know by the name "runner's knee" is an injury with the pain located on the tendon below knee cap. This tendon attached to the knee cap and to the knee extensor muscles - quads. This injury has highest rate in running community and goes up to 35 % of all injuries among runners. Originally this kind of injury was associated with high jumpers and called "high jumpers knee", but because runners over numbered with occurring of it "priority" with the name was given to them.

What is the essence of this injury? Mostly it is the pain in the knee cap tendon during support time not allowing interacting with support efficiently. Beside this of course is the pain itself taking away any pleasure of running. What is the cause of this injury? Conventional running doesn't give an answer on this matter, because then it would be necessary to admit that heel striking running is completely wrong.

The "foundation" of the runner's knee is landing on a ground with the foot ahead of the body (GCM) and active extension of the knee by applying muscular efforts from the quads. These efforts are, first of all, going against gravity, and second, all load to move the body is applying to the knee - more exact to the knee patella tendon.

From this point of view, the question of how to avoid and prevent this kind of injury goes directly to how not to work against gravity and not to do active efforts to extend the knee during support time in running.

Well, at this point we again are coming back to the origin and to the main premises of Pose Method of running. Assumption that gravity is the major forward propulsive force in running, muscles elasticity is the force returning body's height being lost during landing, and the extensors paradox showing "a silence" of quads muscles during "propulsive" phase allows to come to a conclusion of what we supposed to do in order to prevent "runner's knee" injury.

At first, it is important to avoid any efforts related with the knee extension or push off in running. Second, do not land in front of the body either on the heel (worse case) or "midfoot" or forefoot. Third, land on a ball of the foot under the hips with knee bent. Fourth, allow your body fall forward from position with no any additional efforts. Fifth, pull your foot from the ground during support and fall time.

Certainly this list should be extending to a proper and deliberate development of special muscular strength and skills, but it goes to our next step in this direction.

Dr.Romanov