What is Runner’s Knee?
During the summer months, marathon training season takes place in preparation for the New York City marathon in the fall. One of the main injuries that hinders training is Runner’s Knee.
Runner’s Knee encompasses a variety of diagnoses ranging from chondromalacia patella indicating inflammation of the cartilage under the knee, patellofemoral pain syndrome occurring when the knee cap moves out of alignment, and iliotibial band syndrome when the tendon that connects the outer knee to the outer hip becomes irritated and inflamed.
How Can Acupuncture Help Runner’s Knee?
Acupuncture can be very effective in treating these conditions by releasing the trigger points in the quadricep. Trigger points are taut bands in the muscles that cause dysfunction and create referral pain patterns.
The quadricep is made up of 4 muscles the vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, rectus femoris, and vastus intermedius. Three of the four muscles are directly involved with runner’s knee.
Vastus Medialis pain occurs on the inner frontal aspect of the knee. Often times the patient will complain that the leg feels weak, unsteady and may buckle. Pain from these trigger points can cause pain deep in the knee.
Vastus Lateralis trigger points can cause pain anywhere along the lateral thigh, lateral knee, and area below the knee. This muscle is the biggest of the quadricep group. Pain may occur while side sleeping at night or when a patient goes from prolonged sitting to standing position.
Rectus Femoris trigger points are located along the front aspect of the thigh from the knee to the attachment at the anterior superior iliac spine. Referral pain patterns involve the kneecap or deep within the joint. Pain can occur at night in side lying positions when this muscle shortens.
Trigger Points & Runner’s Knee
Trigger points can cause dysfunction in patellar tracking as the tension between the vastus medialis and vastus lateralis becomes imbalanced pulling the knee cap medially or laterally. Treating the trigger points enables the shortened tense muscles to relax the restoring the dynamic balance of these two muscles. Muscular dysfunction of the quadricep group may have been overlooked, if the patient has gotten medical care for this condition, but the pain persists. Treating these regions appropriately will help runners overcome this barrier to training.
