This plan is designed to stabilize your knee through the use of a knee brace and preventing excessive pronation of the foot that has been shown to contribute to runner’s knee.
You can try the following 8-step home treatment plan for runner’s knee for 3 weeks. If you are not better, see a knee specialist. In addition, if you have suffered an acute injury to your knee, then see an orthopedic surgeon right away. If you are in Seattle, we can refer you to some of Seattle’s best orthopedists.
8-Step Plan for Runner’s Knee Pain:
Use a Knee Brace that stabilizes the knee cap (patella): We like the
Thermoskin Patellar Knee Stabilizer. This anatomically shaped stabilizer is very comfortable to wear and does an excellent job stabilizing the patella.
Use an arch support in your shoes. Several studies have shown that preventing excessive pronation of the foot can help reduce pain from runner’s knee. One of the best over-the-counter supports for this purpose is the
Powerstep Medical Grade Orthotic. The PowerStep works well because of its relatively high arch and stable construction acts to limit pronation. It is the best OTC arch support for knee pain we have found. OTC arch supports will not work as well as a quality custom orthotic, but will help.
Use shoes with excellent support features. You can find a list of Seattle area shoe stores on our Shoe List. If you don’t have a good shoe store nearby, these
Orthofeet Shoes for Women and
Orthofeet Shoes for Men provide great support for flat feet.
If you are going to wear flip-flops or sandals, use a sandal with an arch support built-in. This will act to support your arch and limit pronation that can lead to knee pain. We recommend the
Orthaheel Arch Support Flip-Flops and sandals for their superior arch support. These are by far the best arch support of any sandals on the market.
For Women’s dress shoes and boots, use
Orthaheel slimfit orthotic. These are the best OTC orthotics for high heels, dress boots and other women’s dress shoes. Great for women who wear dress shoes.
For times you cannot wear shoes (for example when doing Yoga, ballet or other barefoot or minimal shoe activities) use
Dr. Roth’s FAB Arch Supports.
The compressive, self-adjusting strap wraps around the foot, supporting the weakened arch. Can be worn while barefoot or in minimal shoes.
Ice the knee 3x per day for 10 minutes each time. We like the
Active Wrap Knee Cold/Hot Therapy Wrap. Unlike typical all–purpose ice packs, this Wrap is specifically designed and patented for the unique curvatures of the knee. While many ice packs freeze solid,
ActiveWrap packs stay soft and flexible when cold so they mold comfortably in place.
For times you cannot ice, use
Biofreeze Roll-on cold application.
Call today for an evaluation in our convenient Seattle office. If you have an acute knee problem see your local orthopedist who specializes in the knee.
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Douglas Hale, DPM & Lawrence Huppin, DPM
Foot and Ankle Center of Washington, Seattle
The material provided on this web site is for informative purposes only.
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