I came across your video while being utterly depressed. In December 2022 I felt pain in my knees and went from a slow jog to a walk. Fast forward a few months of rest I tried again and was shocked I hadn’t healed at all. Same problem. I went for an ultrasound and I had a torn outer meniscus a bakers syst and an mcl sprain. I was told I need an MRI and that would lead to surgery. I have read that the outcomes of physio and surgery for my problem were almost identical. I found your video and began doing your exercises that helped you. Obviously I had very limited motion while doing them at first. However after few weeks I tried a 5 minute jog to test it out. To my surprise no pain. I know you said your not a doctor. Nor am I. But I feel like your a guy like me who just wanted to run and get better at it as you kept it up. I stated in my early twenties. I’m fifty now and feel like this video has given me a new lease on my running. I have commented only a handful of times on videos over 20 odd years. This is a godsend and very helpful. Thank you for sharing it. Best wishes. Joseph.
Thanks for sharing this, I can relate to it. I've been having knee pain without any progression for the last 3+ months now. Not being able to run and go on long bike rides has really started to affect my mental health. I just have no real motivation anymore to go to work, go out, cook healthy, walk my dog etc. Been seeing my doctor and a physio since 3 weeks ago and getting an MRI next week to rule out any damage to my meniscus or cartilage. Praying it is 'just' runners knee and nothing serious.
@@ScrappyCoCo0 keep moving is all I can say. I did not go for the surgery option. My meniscus still has the tear. However functional ability is there. Work towards stonger hamstrings glutes and core. SLOWLY. And bike more than run. The rest is squats lunges dead lifts and core work Russian twits etc. Along with a day doing stretches. Truly though keep moving. Walks are good. It is slow but you can heal and run again. I did an hour yesterday in zone two and my knees are no worse for it. This is still with a tear and arthritis. Fix the supporting muscles.
These are the same exercises given to me by a physio when I had the same issue. Really helpful. The only problem I had was keeping it going when my knee improved!
@@shinkurt yes it did. Years later I realise the importance of knee strength in general and doing regular work do keep things on the straight and narrow
Runners have a tendency to only run, instead of having a balanced training regimen. I know, because I used to be one of those runners. Today, I still run, but I do weight/resistance training as well. I also don't do half marathon training anymore. I focus on 5-10K. If I want to ever do a half marathon I can train up easily enough with my base. I love running, but I've learned to have an open relationship with it. Lol
@@exemplarinstructor So true. I'd say those are the primary reasons why runners tend to only run. Once I started to cross train my 5K and 10K times blew up. Your muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons are stronger and more stable. When you only run only those muscles you use running are strong, while the surrounding tendons, muscles, ligaments suffer or atrophy. I also switched to 5K and 10K because, personally, I don't want that marathon man look. Totally skinny and gaunt. Haha.
Definitely solid information. You hit all the points a professional would have instructed you do. Regarding glute activation, it is exactly what you it sounds like. Scrunch those butt cheeks. Get them moving. Simple but complicated. You should also think about drawing from your core. You can overwork your glutes as well. You need to work the whole core and posterior chain. It all connects. Keep the posture and work the core and glutes so you aren’t pressuring your hip flexors. Anyway, great stuff!! Also, nice to see your dog and daughter. Makes us weekend warrior types realize all this is possible within the framework of a family and other commitments.
Right on time! Runner's knee knocked me out for several months and I have just started running again a few weeks ago. I have been very fearful of it flaring back up. I will definitely be adding this to my routine. As always, thank you!
Glad you are feeling better! Usually if I get a case of runner’s knee, I just hammer the strength and it goes away pretty quickly. Especially strengthening that inner quad muscle and glutes. Also, trick with monster walks, put the band over the tops of your feet. You’ll get more glute med activation 👌🏻
Love this video. I had runners knee about 2 years ago and did the same excercices, but not as thorough as you I think. Less squats, more resistance band. It did take about 2 months of up & downs...nice to see you recover so fast!
Thank you for the video. Just to clarify - Patellar tendonitis (tendon inflammation) = Jumper's knee Patello-femoral syndrome (joint inflammation) = Runner's knee Fortunately the exercises described would be helpful for both conditions (except patellar tendon massage would be for Jumper's knee).
Thank you, Kofuzi! I've been battling runners knee off and on for almost 3 years! I got a slant board and when I do squats on it it does tend to help somewhat. But the way you broke this down was amazing! I'm implementing this today!
@@ShaolinShieldsTheGuru they feel great when I keep it up! Kofuzi got me going on a journey that lead me to KneesOverToesGuy on YT which has helped out so much!
Dude I’ve been running for years and always had the same problems. At the end of the video you discuss activating your glutes and it’s honestly it’s an excellent technique. I appreciate you for sharing it as it’s always been very difficult for me to get mine involved with any run and just this simple trick has changed that. Thanks dude.
Absolutely love running, its been 3 years since I’ve been able to run more than 2 miles. I am going to try all of the tips from this video and recommend if it works and how I went about this. Thanks for the video.
@@paularrigan4441 actually great, just yesterday I was able to complete my first 5k. I do the warm up every single time I run without a miss, I do legs around twice a week, and I don’t run more than 3 times a week to fully rest. My knee feels great, I haven’t felt pain since I started keeping it strong, I don’t see myself stopping any time soon. I hope others try this out because is really did help me.
Just found your channel. I just turned 48 and have been running since I was 15. Basically started in high school cross country. Despite never being a gifted runner I still got hooked on the runners high. Over the past 10 years or so my knee pain has gotten worse. For the longest time it was just my right knee affected. Over the past 3 months my left knee is now a problem to the point I am reduced from 40 to 50 mile weeks to just mostly walking. I run or jog until the pain starts up. I stop to walk, let the pain subside then jog again. Some days are better than others. I do 50 to 100 squats before I run. I am going to try the other exercises you outline. I believe I have some form of tendonitis in my knees from just thousands of miles over the years of running & the impact on hard pavement. It still blows my mind how there was a time when I practiced Taekwondo as a child and had so much flexibility doing all manners of kicks & getting into the splits even. After years of running I have far less flexibility than I did back then. I regret quitting martial arts. Anyhow thanks for your video. I'll try some of these other moves into my routine. Anything to avoid a doctor.
Just awesome! You covered everything - presently suffering from runners knee. People on fb group/reddit said that I maybe having IT band syndrome but it looks like I am having runners knee. And burning sensation over and below knees. I am a midfoot runner too, and in spite of doing warmups and foam rolling, it seems now that I have done very poor activation of glutes. I am gonna focus on that and include your suggested routines. Also, pushing the hips on each step. Millions of thanks for these tips. :)
Thanks for the advice - bad case of runners knee after an 8hr trail race. Has been 6 weeks, I’ve been to my primary, had X-rays, seen an Orthopedist and been through 5 weeks of PT. Was feeling great until a short run last week, found your video and immediately related, pulled out my therogun on you advice, and wow what a difference. Why didn’t the professionals recommend that. Have been doing a lot of the other exercises to address left side muscle imbalance but was struggling with healing the patella femoral tendon. You ROCK!
Kudos for your dedication on workin on legs , my knees are poppin clickin grindin last few months , my runnings goin well but knees not so much ,i may get more strenght work done . Your split squats are savage well done
feel like a lot of these exercises overlap with it band exercises by fixing imbalances through weak glutes. thanks for this video struggling to build up back my running after my first marathon bc of these injuries
Thanks for sharing your experience 🙏 It gave me a lot of hope finally finding someone who actually went through the process and healed their IT band syndrome! I'll be following your path!
No seriously, thank God you posted this!! The doctors told me to rest and ice and I saw my knee was getting worse. I was down for two weeks. Your video pushed me to get back up and I was walking without pain in 9 days 🙌🏾 not all the way gone but at least I can walk and workout now. Thank you!!
@@synxyvfx6069I’m great now. I make sure I stretch before and after lifting. I believe that is the reason how I injured myself. I lifted pretty heavy and never stretched. If you’re experiencing runners knee, my advice is to try to stay active but to take it easy. To heal, I only did body weight workouts for a couple of months then worked my way up. It’s hard but you don’t wanna put to much pressure on your knee too quickly but you also want to stay active. This video along with a ton others really helped me heal at home during Covid
Thank you for this video! I'm also struggling with right knee pain. I'll definitely implement your exercises into my strength routine. I'm also doing some patellar mobilizations which seems to be helping. I took a week off running but didn't work so I figured I need to start strengthening leg muscles. Thanks again!
This is a great video wish I’d discovered it sooner, I have pretty much what you describe in terms of runners knee, which I attribute largely due to lack of glute activation, I had come to that conclusion before this video, however what you have here is a consolidation of many useful tips, even with the leg lifts I wasn’t getting a huge amount of glute activation I came across someone else suggesting putting the leg back rather than straight up, this was a game changer amongst other things. You have put together many of these Subtle nuances together you either have to watch dozens of videos and sort out what works or what doesn’t with each exercise or base things off this which is what I am going to start feels like you have all bases covered here and explain in a simple manner progression as clearly very few (if any) are capable of just doing something like a pistol squat having never done one before.
Hi K, another non elite athlete here, Thank you for this video, I recently started increasing my mileage also but I had a 15k on the 10th (SF Chocolate Run), on the Boston 9's and my knees really barked at me the next day (ouch), as a reference I ran 10 miles on Jan 1st on the Atreyu's and my strain was surprisingly minimal. All this makes me think that my strength and technique are not ready for a faster shoe like the Boston 9 so I'm going to stick to more cushion on my shoes for now and as I train for a half in march I'm worried that I won't be able to continue training for it. Today I'm starting rehab similar to what you post here and will report back... cheers!
I had this issue too and I found through another video a similar solution (the massages) and it really works!! I couldn't run 5 minutes before I had knee pain and after a few weeks I'm running now 20 minutes with no pain. Also doing strengthening now and I'm finding my muscles to be looser and less massage required.
I've searched a few videos on this and even had some physio sessions (with small success), and you've compiled everything so well into this one video. I'm very excited to try all of your suggestions out. I've been putting up with what I think is Runner's Knee for over 2 years. My runs are painful, my walks are painful, but I just thought it was something I just had to 'push through'. Thanks so much kofuzi :)
Woah, bro! No let your body be your guide. If there's some pain, back off for a bit. But of course it's understanding the difference between pain of something wrong and just fatigue or soreness.
Good to hear you say you dont really understand what glute activation when running means...nor do I really and it isnt somethong that is explained very clearly in general
It looks clear from your weakness in performing the PLYOMETRICS that you have an imbalance in the leg muscles, it shows how important it is to do power yoga & PLYOMETRICS 3+ times a week I usually wake up & do karate kicks that flow into a single leg squat touching my knee on my chest, so full crouch & up again this has been amazing at keeping leg muscle balanced if time is short. ;-).
watching this gives flashbacks, because as a young(er) buck i didnt listen to coaches as much about doing any of these. Definitely good repair amd recovery workouts!
Really useful info, Kofuzi. Like you, I appear to have started getting runners knee from higher millage training. Really quite painful and only three weeks out from a half marathon PB attempt. I shall rest from running for a few days and incorporate a load of strength of stretch exercises in the meantime. Thank you, Mark
@markjohnson4237 I am two weeks out from running a half marathon. I think I have runner’s knee also. How is your knee? Has the strength workouts helped?
@@kristybearden1058 I didn't run for four clear days. I did these exercises, gently and then got back to it. I ran a PB at the weekend and have had no ill effects following . Good luck with your race. Mark
Thanks for the valuable information. ❤ I have a question about the popping and creaking in my knees as you mentioned at 13:00. The case is that even with simple leg bending sounds of cracking and popping appear. Without holding heavy weights, only bending and opening would make sounds. Is that a problem or not? Does anyone experience such a thing? Thanks again
Great video, buddy. The big one for me was glute activation and actually switching mine on. As a triathlete of the glutes don’t work on swim, bike or run... you’re screwed 😂 and warms ups... must get better at warm ups...
Michael, when you talked about your quads being ‘fried’ in marathons, I thought your form looked quad dominant. Whenever I feel my quads at the end of a run I focus on landing as far over my foot as I can to limit foot contact time and bring the glutes in more. It seems to work. I activate glutes by fixing pelvic tilt and getting my thigh/knee behind me. Watched Nate also.
hey kofuzi - thank you for the insight, knowing the vid is 3 years old - how long did it take you to recover from runners knee "being able to run pain free or be pain free" after a tough session... sorry for being 3 years late here!! did 4k km last year and obviously my weaknesses are showing up now - doing most of the stuff you showed just wondering what time line was like BTW - love your content! keep it coming!
Brilliant Video and informative . I just through 2 Hours of RUclips videos that waffle on and after 10 minutes try and sell you a Book . you have loads of Positive Comments . I will try your Exercises . From a 68 year old Runner who does not want knee Surgery . Thanks .
Thank you so much for this video, I had just started my running Journey early December and I felt energized and good until I developed sharp pain in my knee and I spent a lot of time googling it , after sometime, I’ve been able to identify the problem which is runner knee, I was really worried how I’m gonna go about it , your video really made this clear , I’ll continue to do my own research as well ,thanks for sharing your experience
Thanks man, great help. I hadn’t heard the term “sleeping glutes” before. My tendinitis was making me downright sad, tough to remedy, really bothering me. This was quite helpful.
Super helpful video. Hoping the lessons learn here help my running form and allow me to move free throughout all the running in the police academy. Good stuff, and right in time too!
Glad you found a means to fix the issue. I also do the same but I also value a chiropractor and those who are highly skilled for these matters. They definitely have the means to get to the root cause and help provide further guidance. Hope for continued wellness and running!
Just in time, I believe I have ankle instability and currently having some issues with tendon soreness in the ankle area. I will incorporate your knee and glut activation for prevention, again great stuff...
I'm gonna try these. It's been a while since I've had runners knee and my knee has gotten better over time yet I can still feel some pain here and there. I hope these work cause I really miss running.
Great video Kofuzi. I can relate to the hip abductor tightness and my lower back also being tight. This video just reinforced why I need to be more consistent in glute activation and strength exercises. (My knees chat to me too.)
Thank you for posting this. I’m going through this right now. Trying foot/ankle strengthening as well as balance and hip/glute stuff. Keeping my fingers crossed. I was thinking about having someone do a gait analysis cause I don’t know what’s causing it.
Brilliant. Lots of awesome stuff here. When I first started road running about 2 years ago I had so many issues similar to this. I do a lot of the stuff you have mentioned to help. So I would have to agree. Yes very important to do stretch and balance work couple of times a week. Definitely do strength work for running too couple of times a week. It all helps with enjoying the run injury free and recover quicker from longer runs.
Activation of glute is like standing stationary and sort of thrust pelvis forward ever so slightly like air shagging. The pelvis opens up and rotates outwards. Try not to use quads. If you place your hands on your glutes you should feel it. That's the best way I can describe it. I was told it was my calf issues when I tore one and I was running with my calfs and not my glutes. Been doing a lot of what you talked about for 6 months now also before each run. I've added weights now to the routine.
Thank you for sharing your insights regarding your injury recovery. These are very useful and will come in very handy. 👍 Btw, I really like your Mizuno shirt that you are wearing!
1:12 this pose is what flares up my knee the most (and it clicks when i do it) QUESTION - how long did your sore knee last for? im on week 5x and only just getting back to normal on flats but still get pain after jogging downhill
Can't make the livestreams this week but wanted to say great video. I am not having any knee issues (touch wood) but have been doing preventative exercises similar to what you demonstrated here to try and keep them strong. I struggle with those pistol squats, I am slowly getting better. Handy tip concerning using stairs I will use that for sure.
I echo a few comments here. After increasing my mileage by 900 miles in 2020 I suffered similar knee pain. A physio gave me strengthening exercises, not dissimilar to what you have been doing. It was my right knee which my Garmin dynamics pod calculates a greater percentage ground contact time.
Thank you for this video! I’ve been searching high and low trying to find some real results from people who experience runners knees. I injured my knees few years back form a deep squat and haven’t ran since. I’m now dependent on some sort of foam shoes/sandals to be pain free. This video truly my brought my hope up. How long did it take you to become pain free?
@@kofuzi actually yes, using both is a great experience. The smaller device seems to do a great job massaging the foot because of its pointy tips compared to the larger device which is mainly use for bigger muscles, such as the chest and thigh area.
These are really good. A couple of suggestions. On days when you don't feel you're moving so well, you can use a heavy book, bookbag, or water bottle/water gallon for a counter weight. This will make deep single leg squats A LOT easier, and will help you keep your heel on the ground for cossack squats (lateral lunge). Another thing you can do to increase the sense in your hips/glutes on the reverse lunge is to raise your knee thrust kinda like what you showed on the balance pad, but lift your knee much higher. You'll really feel your glutes on this. Less important for your knee I guess, but you'll really feel the progress in your glutes.
Greatest news ever Mike....as two things, you'll be back into Saucony, possibly better than ever. Secondly, you'll be able to take Endorphin Speed to "After 500 miles" Congrats on recovery, exercises and sharing.
I'll be trying this basically verbatum for the next 1-2 months and report back on my progress! I currently can't run more than 2-3 miles without my left knee getting super tight on the outside and it feels like it's going to pop, can't run after that for a few days and have to walk it off. ONLY happens when I run...
I can definitely tell when my glutes are powering my run vs when they are not-it’s like an instant boost of power-but I don’t think it can be sustained the entire run (at least not for me).
Thank you for doing this. Lots of great info. I get some runners knee pain/patella tendonitis in my right knee occasionally. Recently I have been doing squats on a slant board, 3x15 reps twice a day. It seems to help a lot for me.
Thanks Mike, some helpful stuff in there. How long does it take you to get through your exercise routine, and are you doing it everyday? I know you mentioned you had a couple of routines (e.g. Morning, evening, warm-up). Could you give us an idea of what you do for each and about how long it takes, and if they're every day? Thanks!!!
Very good list of exercises. I also watched many videos. You did not have a quad stretch reaching back to grab the foot. This was one of the most common. Any reason you did not use this.
Very interesting. I have had the same issue across both my knees. First starting with my right knee, then moved to my left knee. I am doing very similar exercises to resolve the issue in my left knee. It hasn't stopped me from running (I work with a PT that keeps adjusting exercises as needed). Hopefully, I can get rid of the issue this spring. Glad to hear you are past it.
a lot of great information, I am doing some strengthening myself too , beside the heel walk and banded exercise, I must say i suffered for 7 month now of a different injury. Shin splint. I must say i only understood when i did physiotherapy. Dry needles was what truly change gamer, for me. I must say though. I was a bit surprised about you, not doing any foam rolling exercise....
I came across your video while being utterly depressed. In December 2022 I felt pain in my knees and went from a slow jog to a walk. Fast forward a few months of rest I tried again and was shocked I hadn’t healed at all. Same problem. I went for an ultrasound and I had a torn outer meniscus a bakers syst and an mcl sprain. I was told I need an MRI and that would lead to surgery. I have read that the outcomes of physio and surgery for my problem were almost identical. I found your video and began doing your exercises that helped you. Obviously I had very limited motion while doing them at first. However after few weeks I tried a 5 minute jog to test it out. To my surprise no pain. I know you said your not a doctor. Nor am I. But I feel like your a guy like me who just wanted to run and get better at it as you kept it up. I stated in my early twenties. I’m fifty now and feel like this video has given me a new lease on my running. I have commented only a handful of times on videos over 20 odd years. This is a godsend and very helpful. Thank you for sharing it. Best wishes. Joseph.
Whoa. This is an amazing story
Thanks for sharing this, I can relate to it. I've been having knee pain without any progression for the last 3+ months now. Not being able to run and go on long bike rides has really started to affect my mental health. I just have no real motivation anymore to go to work, go out, cook healthy, walk my dog etc. Been seeing my doctor and a physio since 3 weeks ago and getting an MRI next week to rule out any damage to my meniscus or cartilage. Praying it is 'just' runners knee and nothing serious.
@@ScrappyCoCo0 keep moving is all I can say. I did not go for the surgery option. My meniscus still has the tear. However functional ability is there. Work towards stonger hamstrings glutes and core. SLOWLY. And bike more than run. The rest is squats lunges dead lifts and core work Russian twits etc. Along with a day doing stretches. Truly though keep moving. Walks are good. It is slow but you can heal and run again. I did an hour yesterday in zone two and my knees are no worse for it. This is still with a tear and arthritis. Fix the supporting muscles.
Bob and Brad (the best Physical Therapists on the internet) are absolute legends.
Hey Cam 👋
These are the same exercises given to me by a physio when I had the same issue. Really helpful. The only problem I had was keeping it going when my knee improved!
Same I didn't keep it going and am now feeling the pain again
Did it completely heal after this?
@@shinkurt yes it did. Years later I realise the importance of knee strength in general and doing regular work do keep things on the straight and narrow
Runners have a tendency to only run, instead of having a balanced training regimen. I know, because I used to be one of those runners. Today, I still run, but I do weight/resistance training as well. I also don't do half marathon training anymore. I focus on 5-10K. If I want to ever do a half marathon I can train up easily enough with my base. I love running, but I've learned to have an open relationship with it. Lol
Running has a powerful mental component that is a bit addictive as well as the physical movement piece
Love your comment and experience!
@@exemplarinstructor So true. I'd say those are the primary reasons why runners tend to only run. Once I started to cross train my 5K and 10K times blew up. Your muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons are stronger and more stable. When you only run only those muscles you use running are strong, while the surrounding tendons, muscles, ligaments suffer or atrophy.
I also switched to 5K and 10K because, personally, I don't want that marathon man look. Totally skinny and gaunt. Haha.
You can fix the marathon look by drinking beer :-)
@@sor609 Very true! lol
Definitely solid information. You hit all the points a professional would have instructed you do. Regarding glute activation, it is exactly what you it sounds like. Scrunch those butt cheeks. Get them moving. Simple but complicated. You should also think about drawing from your core. You can overwork your glutes as well. You need to work the whole core and posterior chain. It all connects. Keep the posture and work the core and glutes so you aren’t pressuring your hip flexors.
Anyway, great stuff!! Also, nice to see your dog and daughter. Makes us weekend warrior types realize all this is possible within the framework of a family and other commitments.
Right on time! Runner's knee knocked me out for several months and I have just started running again a few weeks ago. I have been very fearful of it flaring back up. I will definitely be adding this to my routine. As always, thank you!
What would you do/ recommend from your experience?
Glad you're on the mend! Thank goodness for Bob and Brad !
I came here for knee pain video and fell in love with your dog! Such a cutie patootie!
Glad you are feeling better! Usually if I get a case of runner’s knee, I just hammer the strength and it goes away pretty quickly. Especially strengthening that inner quad muscle and glutes. Also, trick with monster walks, put the band over the tops of your feet. You’ll get more glute med activation 👌🏻
What up Fam !!!!
@@ifonly1532 What up fam!
What is pretty quickly in your case? Struggling with a runner's knee right now.
Love this video. I had runners knee about 2 years ago and did the same excercices, but not as thorough as you I think. Less squats, more resistance band. It did take about 2 months of up & downs...nice to see you recover so fast!
Thank you for the video.
Just to clarify -
Patellar tendonitis (tendon inflammation) = Jumper's knee
Patello-femoral syndrome (joint inflammation) = Runner's knee
Fortunately the exercises described would be helpful for both conditions (except patellar tendon massage would be for Jumper's knee).
Thank you, Kofuzi! I've been battling runners knee off and on for almost 3 years! I got a slant board and when I do squats on it it does tend to help somewhat. But the way you broke this down was amazing! I'm implementing this today!
How is your knee feeling now?
@@ShaolinShieldsTheGuru they feel great when I keep it up! Kofuzi got me going on a journey that lead me to KneesOverToesGuy on YT which has helped out so much!
The dog! Love it. Very inspiring content about strength/mobility/injury prevention. Thank you :)
dogs getting in the shot seems to be a theme across youtube
@@kofuzi thank you, 2020...?
Dude I’ve been running for years and always had the same problems. At the end of the video you discuss activating your glutes and it’s honestly it’s an excellent technique. I appreciate you for sharing it as it’s always been very difficult for me to get mine involved with any run and just this simple trick has changed that. Thanks dude.
Absolutely love running, its been 3 years since I’ve been able to run more than 2 miles. I am going to try all of the tips from this video and recommend if it works and how I went about this. Thanks for the video.
How did it go?
@@paularrigan4441 actually great, just yesterday I was able to complete my first 5k. I do the warm up every single time I run without a miss, I do legs around twice a week, and I don’t run more than 3 times a week to fully rest. My knee feels great, I haven’t felt pain since I started keeping it strong, I don’t see myself stopping any time soon. I hope others try this out because is really did help me.
@@juansisniega3641that's great! Keep it up n happy for you!
pistol squat on the balance disk: STRONG!
Just found your channel. I just turned 48 and have been running since I was 15. Basically started in high school cross country. Despite never being a gifted runner I still got hooked on the runners high. Over the past 10 years or so my knee pain has gotten worse. For the longest time it was just my right knee affected. Over the past 3 months my left knee is now a problem to the point I am reduced from 40 to 50 mile weeks to just mostly walking. I run or jog until the pain starts up. I stop to walk, let the pain subside then jog again. Some days are better than others. I do 50 to 100 squats before I run. I am going to try the other exercises you outline. I believe I have some form of tendonitis in my knees from just thousands of miles over the years of running & the impact on hard pavement. It still blows my mind how there was a time when I practiced Taekwondo as a child and had so much flexibility doing all manners of kicks & getting into the splits even. After years of running I have far less flexibility than I did back then. I regret quitting martial arts. Anyhow thanks for your video. I'll try some of these other moves into my routine. Anything to avoid a doctor.
it might not be a bad idea to check in with a PT
Just awesome! You covered everything - presently suffering from runners knee. People on fb group/reddit said that I maybe having IT band syndrome but it looks like I am having runners knee. And burning sensation over and below knees. I am a midfoot runner too, and in spite of doing warmups and foam rolling, it seems now that I have done very poor activation of glutes. I am gonna focus on that and include your suggested routines. Also, pushing the hips on each step. Millions of thanks for these tips. :)
hope it helps. if not, consider seeing a PT
Out of all I learned, I could not take my eye off your dog! So awesome! And very cute! Very camera friendly.
Not my dog, but he is a good boy
Thanks for the advice - bad case of runners knee after an 8hr trail race. Has been 6 weeks, I’ve been to my primary, had X-rays, seen an Orthopedist and been through 5 weeks of PT. Was feeling great until a short run last week, found your video and immediately related, pulled out my therogun on you advice, and wow what a difference. Why didn’t the professionals recommend that. Have been doing a lot of the other exercises to address left side muscle imbalance but was struggling with healing the patella femoral tendon. You ROCK!
Kudos for your dedication on workin on legs , my knees are poppin clickin grindin last few months , my runnings goin well but knees not so much ,i may get more strenght work done . Your split squats are savage well done
feel like a lot of these exercises overlap with it band exercises by fixing imbalances through weak glutes. thanks for this video struggling to build up back my running after my first marathon bc of these injuries
Another good warm up and leg strengthener is hopping on one leg, as simple as it may sound it’s pretty helpful
People spend hundreds of dollars and countless hours on this information . It’s all right here to be not only watched, but studied.🙏🏻
Thanks for sharing your experience 🙏
It gave me a lot of hope finally finding someone who actually went through the process and healed their IT band syndrome! I'll be following your path!
Hoping for a speedy recovery
@@kofuzi Thanks!
Super informative. Always a great reminder to be intuitive and listen to the body (e.g. post run stretches). Not everyday/run is the same. Thank you!🙏
No seriously, thank God you posted this!! The doctors told me to rest and ice and I saw my knee was getting worse. I was down for two weeks. Your video pushed me to get back up and I was walking without pain in 9 days 🙌🏾 not all the way gone but at least I can walk and workout now. Thank you!!
How is it now
@@synxyvfx6069I’m great now. I make sure I stretch before and after lifting. I believe that is the reason how I injured myself. I lifted pretty heavy and never stretched. If you’re experiencing runners knee, my advice is to try to stay active but to take it easy. To heal, I only did body weight workouts for a couple of months then worked my way up. It’s hard but you don’t wanna put to much pressure on your knee too quickly but you also want to stay active. This video along with a ton others really helped me heal at home during Covid
I would say this video was just beneficial imo. I did exactly what he said to do and it helped make the recovery fast
@@ashleyf7366 Thanks alot
Thank you for this video! I'm also struggling with right knee pain. I'll definitely implement your exercises into my strength routine. I'm also doing some patellar mobilizations which seems to be helping. I took a week off running but didn't work so I figured I need to start strengthening leg muscles. Thanks again!
This is a great video wish I’d discovered it sooner, I have pretty much what you describe in terms of runners knee, which I attribute largely due to lack of glute activation, I had come to that conclusion before this video, however what you have here is a consolidation of many useful tips, even with the leg lifts I wasn’t getting a huge amount of glute activation I came across someone else suggesting putting the leg back rather than straight up, this was a game changer amongst other things. You have put together many of these Subtle nuances together you either have to watch dozens of videos and sort out what works or what doesn’t with each exercise or base things off this which is what I am going to start feels like you have all bases covered here and explain in a simple manner progression as clearly very few (if any) are capable of just doing something like a pistol squat having never done one before.
Hi K, another non elite athlete here,
Thank you for this video, I recently started increasing my mileage also but I had a 15k on the 10th (SF Chocolate Run), on the Boston 9's and my knees really barked at me the next day (ouch), as a reference I ran 10 miles on Jan 1st on the Atreyu's and my strain was surprisingly minimal. All this makes me think that my strength and technique are not ready for a faster shoe like the Boston 9 so I'm going to stick to more cushion on my shoes for now and as I train for a half in march I'm worried that I won't be able to continue training for it.
Today I'm starting rehab similar to what you post here and will report back... cheers!
I had this issue too and I found through another video a similar solution (the massages) and it really works!! I couldn't run 5 minutes before I had knee pain and after a few weeks I'm running now 20 minutes with no pain. Also doing strengthening now and I'm finding my muscles to be looser and less massage required.
I've searched a few videos on this and even had some physio sessions (with small success), and you've compiled everything so well into this one video.
I'm very excited to try all of your suggestions out.
I've been putting up with what I think is Runner's Knee for over 2 years. My runs are painful, my walks are painful, but I just thought it was something I just had to 'push through'.
Thanks so much kofuzi :)
Woah, bro! No let your body be your guide. If there's some pain, back off for a bit. But of course it's understanding the difference between pain of something wrong and just fatigue or soreness.
What worked for you? Did it go away?
Your advice is much appreciated. I'm giving these routines a shot starting today, thank you!
Yes!!! Arguably my favorite YT runner giving me some confidence 🙏
Arguably?
Good to hear you say you dont really understand what glute activation when running means...nor do I really and it isnt somethong that is explained very clearly in general
It’s ambiguous
Thank you, this has really helped me and so many others looking at the reviews… thank you for sharing this. 👍🏻
Suffering with this currently too, going to try some of your routines and see if I can get it under control! Great content
Hope you feel better and stronger soon
Any better yet?
Update?
It looks clear from your weakness in performing the PLYOMETRICS that you have an imbalance in the leg muscles, it shows how important it is to do power yoga & PLYOMETRICS 3+ times a week I usually wake up & do karate kicks that flow into a single leg squat touching my knee on my chest, so full crouch & up again this has been amazing at keeping leg muscle balanced if time is short. ;-).
watching this gives flashbacks, because as a young(er) buck i didnt listen to coaches as much about doing any of these. Definitely good repair amd recovery workouts!
That pistol squat on the balance pad has been my goal for 6 months now, still not there but seeing this is motivating!
Really useful info, Kofuzi. Like you, I appear to have started getting runners knee from higher millage training. Really quite painful and only three weeks out from a half marathon PB attempt. I shall rest from running for a few days and incorporate a load of strength of stretch exercises in the meantime. Thank you, Mark
@markjohnson4237
I am two weeks out from running a half marathon. I think I have runner’s knee also. How is your knee? Has the strength workouts helped?
@@kristybearden1058 I didn't run for four clear days. I did these exercises, gently and then got back to it. I ran a PB at the weekend and have had no ill effects following . Good luck with your race. Mark
Thank you for the reply! Congratulations on your PB!
@@kristybearden1058 no problem at all and thank you.
Great video thanks. Am doing some of the same and similar same exersizes to fix my knees seems to be working . Key is keeping it up!
Thanks for the valuable information. ❤
I have a question about the popping and creaking in my knees as you mentioned at 13:00. The case is that even with simple leg bending sounds of cracking and popping appear. Without holding heavy weights, only bending and opening would make sounds. Is that a problem or not? Does anyone experience such a thing?
Thanks again
good video thank you. My runners' knee has stopped me from running. I'll implement these mobility and strength exercises
How did it go? Did you recover? And if so what worked for you
I've had knee pain for 8 months now with no improvement. I'll try this and update if I stick to it
Great video, buddy. The big one for me was glute activation and actually switching mine on. As a triathlete of the glutes don’t work on swim, bike or run... you’re screwed 😂 and warms ups... must get better at warm ups...
Michael, when you talked about your quads being ‘fried’ in marathons, I thought your form looked quad dominant. Whenever I feel my quads at the end of a run I focus on landing as far over my foot as I can to limit foot contact time and bring the glutes in more. It seems to work. I activate glutes by fixing pelvic tilt and getting my thigh/knee behind me. Watched Nate also.
Same journey, but you tell the story wonderfully!
I also watched these guys video for my calf strain problems. Rest, Stretch and massaging was key to getting back to running.
hey kofuzi - thank you for the insight, knowing the vid is 3 years old - how long did it take you to recover from runners knee "being able to run pain free or be pain free" after a tough session... sorry for being 3 years late here!! did 4k km last year and obviously my weaknesses are showing up now - doing most of the stuff you showed just wondering what time line was like
BTW - love your content! keep it coming!
Brilliant Video and informative . I just through 2 Hours of RUclips videos that waffle on and after 10 minutes try and sell you a Book . you have loads of Positive Comments . I will try your Exercises . From a 68 year old Runner who does not want knee Surgery . Thanks .
Thank you so much for this video, I had just started my running Journey early December and I felt energized and good until I developed sharp pain in my knee and I spent a lot of time googling it , after sometime, I’ve been able to identify the problem which is runner knee, I was really worried how I’m gonna go about it , your video really made this clear , I’ll continue to do my own research as well ,thanks for sharing your experience
Thanks man, great help.
I hadn’t heard the term “sleeping glutes” before. My tendinitis was making me downright sad, tough to remedy, really bothering me.
This was quite helpful.
The way you described trying to activate your glutes while running spoke directly to me . I'm going to try doing exactly that on my next run!
Buddy!!! Love it when he makes an appearance.
Mobility is good! I do at least 10 minutes of mobility before every run plus a strength for runners workout after. Thanks for the tips!
Great video!! I have the same problems!! Working in some of the same exercises now!
I hope they help
Super helpful video. Hoping the lessons learn here help my running form and allow me to move free throughout all the running in the police academy. Good stuff, and right in time too!
Happy running!
Glad you found a means to fix the issue. I also do the same but I also value a chiropractor and those who are highly skilled for these matters. They definitely have the means to get to the root cause and help provide further guidance. Hope for continued wellness and running!
Just in time, I believe I have ankle instability and currently having some issues with tendon soreness in the ankle area. I will incorporate your knee and glut activation for prevention, again great stuff...
This is helpful. Been experiencing knee pain, and hoping this fixes it. Thanks for the info in all your videos. The mermaid is awesome!
I'm gonna try these. It's been a while since I've had runners knee and my knee has gotten better over time yet I can still feel some pain here and there. I hope these work cause I really miss running.
How many days/weeks did you rest your knee before doing these exercises to strengthen?
Great video Kofuzi.
I can relate to the hip abductor tightness and my lower back also being tight.
This video just reinforced why I need to be more consistent in glute activation and strength exercises.
(My knees chat to me too.)
Thank you for posting this. I’m going through this right now. Trying foot/ankle strengthening as well as balance and hip/glute stuff. Keeping my fingers crossed. I was thinking about having someone do a gait analysis cause I don’t know what’s causing it.
Thank you sir.
It was not only helpful but encouraging too.
You are more than an Iron man for me.
Regards
Great video. Love the dog cameo. I also learned a couple of new exercises that I can incorporate into my warm-up. Thanks!
Brilliant. Lots of awesome stuff here. When I first started road running about 2 years ago I had so many issues similar to this. I do a lot of the stuff you have mentioned to help. So I would have to agree. Yes very important to do stretch and balance work couple of times a week. Definitely do strength work for running too couple of times a week. It all helps with enjoying the run injury free and recover quicker from longer runs.
Great video. Love the detail and length. You've convinced me to get a balance disc.
Activation of glute is like standing stationary and sort of thrust pelvis forward ever so slightly like air shagging. The pelvis opens up and rotates outwards. Try not to use quads. If you place your hands on your glutes you should feel it. That's the best way I can describe it. I was told it was my calf issues when I tore one and I was running with my calfs and not my glutes. Been doing a lot of what you talked about for 6 months now also before each run. I've added weights now to the routine.
Thank you for sharing your insights regarding your injury recovery. These are very useful and will come in very handy. 👍 Btw, I really like your Mizuno shirt that you are wearing!
Hey Mike! Throw the balance disk under single leg deadlifts every now and then too! Works your ankles differently then your balance pistol squats
1:12 this pose is what flares up my knee the most (and it clicks when i do it)
QUESTION - how long did your sore knee last for? im on week 5x and only just getting back to normal on flats but still get pain after jogging downhill
Thank you for this, very helpful as I have recently run into this issue as well
hope you feel better soon
👍 Thanks. Really helpful. I did suffer from runner's knee before, not right now, but this will be very useful.
Thank you so much for this one! Very informative, very helpful, and overall an easy way of deconstructing and fixing a complex issue. Thanks kofuzi!!
The incorporation of weighted squats and deadlifts helped fix my knee tracking issue too, but it was a slow process taking a couple months
it took me much longer than many of the other youtube videos I watched on the subject seemed to either imply or explicitly state
Can't make the livestreams this week but wanted to say great video. I am not having any knee issues (touch wood) but have been doing preventative exercises similar to what you demonstrated here to try and keep them strong. I struggle with those pistol squats, I am slowly getting better. Handy tip concerning using stairs I will use that for sure.
I echo a few comments here. After increasing my mileage by 900 miles in 2020 I suffered similar knee pain. A physio gave me strengthening exercises, not dissimilar to what you have been doing. It was my right knee which my Garmin dynamics pod calculates a greater percentage ground contact time.
I’m working on mine too! Glad you’re doing better. Awesome video and excited to see your running in 2021
Thank you for this video! I’ve been searching high and low trying to find some real results from people who experience runners knees. I injured my knees few years back form a deep squat and haven’t ran since. I’m now dependent on some sort of foam shoes/sandals to be pain free. This video truly my brought my hope up. How long did it take you to become pain free?
I was thinking that @kofuzi how long did it take before you could start running again?
Yoga try Veerabhadra aasan 1 2 and 3. Can also spell that as Virbhadra.
I own two massage guns. I use them each time I finished a run. I highly recommend it. Happy Friday guys.
like, simultaneously? like one on each leg?
@@kofuzi actually yes, using both is a great experience. The smaller device seems to do a great job massaging the foot because of its pointy tips compared to the larger device which is mainly use for bigger muscles, such as the chest and thigh area.
Thank you for this great info and help - and your daughter and doggo are adorable
These are really good. A couple of suggestions. On days when you don't feel you're moving so well, you can use a heavy book, bookbag, or water bottle/water gallon for a counter weight. This will make deep single leg squats A LOT easier, and will help you keep your heel on the ground for cossack squats (lateral lunge). Another thing you can do to increase the sense in your hips/glutes on the reverse lunge is to raise your knee thrust kinda like what you showed on the balance pad, but lift your knee much higher. You'll really feel your glutes on this. Less important for your knee I guess, but you'll really feel the progress in your glutes.
Glute Activation o'clock!
Love your coach 🐶👍Helpful to share your experience fixing your runners knee.
Very good content and all around advice on glute activation for runners.
thanks!
super helpful, thanks! curiously, did you apply an ointments during the massage? i am looking into solomons seal.
Greatest news ever Mike....as two things, you'll be back into Saucony, possibly better than ever. Secondly, you'll be able to take Endorphin Speed to "After 500 miles"
Congrats on recovery, exercises and sharing.
Great info! Thanks man. I need to do some of these... runner's knee has come back with a vengeance I'm afraid.
I'll be trying this basically verbatum for the next 1-2 months and report back on my progress! I currently can't run more than 2-3 miles without my left knee getting super tight on the outside and it feels like it's going to pop, can't run after that for a few days and have to walk it off. ONLY happens when I run...
Thanks for the video man! I'm struggling with the same injury, so this is great help
I can definitely tell when my glutes are powering my run vs when they are not-it’s like an instant boost of power-but I don’t think it can be sustained the entire run (at least not for me).
Thank you for doing this. Lots of great info. I get some runners knee pain/patella tendonitis in my right knee occasionally. Recently I have been doing squats on a slant board, 3x15 reps twice a day. It seems to help a lot for me.
Thanks Mike, some helpful stuff in there. How long does it take you to get through your exercise routine, and are you doing it everyday? I know you mentioned you had a couple of routines (e.g. Morning, evening, warm-up). Could you give us an idea of what you do for each and about how long it takes, and if they're every day? Thanks!!!
Very good list of exercises. I also watched many videos. You did not have a quad stretch reaching back to grab the foot. This was one of the most common. Any reason you did not use this.
Very interesting. I have had the same issue across both my knees. First starting with my right knee, then moved to my left knee. I am doing very similar exercises to resolve the issue in my left knee. It hasn't stopped me from running (I work with a PT that keeps adjusting exercises as needed). Hopefully, I can get rid of the issue this spring. Glad to hear you are past it.
How are you
a lot of great information, I am doing some strengthening myself too , beside the heel walk and banded exercise, I must say i suffered for 7 month now of a different injury. Shin splint. I must say i only understood when i did physiotherapy. Dry needles was what truly change gamer, for me. I must say though. I was a bit surprised about you, not doing any foam rolling exercise....
Mike thanks for sharing. This is great info & exercises to try.