Runner’s knee (patellofemoral pain syndrome, PFPS) is the most common running-related injury we see at our Noida clinic. It is rarely a knee problem — it is a hip strength, running form, and training load problem that shows up at the knee. Fixing it requires all three.
Common runner’s knee triggers
- Sudden spike in weekly mileage (the classic 10%-per-week rule exists for a reason).
- Weak hip abductors / external rotators leading to knee valgus on landing.
- Over-striding or low cadence (fewer than ~170 steps/min for adult recreational runners).
- Worn-out shoes, hard surfaces, sudden change to hilly routes.
How we treat runner’s knee
- Assessment: running gait analysis, hip strength testing (side-lying abduction, single-leg squat quality), patellar mobility, training load review.
- Acute phase: reduce aggravating volume; relative rest, not complete rest. Pain-free cross-training (cycling, swimming).
- Strength block: hip abductor / external rotator strengthening (clamshells, side-lying lifts, monster walks → loaded variations), quadriceps strength, calf strength.
- Gait retraining: small cadence increases (5–10%), avoid heel-striking too far ahead of body, reduce vertical oscillation.
- Return to mileage: graded re-introduction with weekly load caps — usually 6–10 weeks back to full training.
For Noida marathoners and half-marathoners
Whether you are training for the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon, the Tata Mumbai Marathon, or a local 10K, we will build the plan around your race calendar, not against it.