Diagnosed With Runner's Knee. Suggested Exercises. How Long Will It Take To Resume Running?

Posted on Thu, 7 Nov 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 7 Nov 2013 Answered on

Fri, 29 Nov 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : I am long distance runner. one month back I started having knee pain under the knee cap and it was diagnosed as runners knee. doctor advised me to stop running and take rest and also advised me to do couple of exercises like single leg lifting. it been more than a month I still have slight knee pain while climbing stairs. I want to start running but at the same I don't want the injury to get worse. please let me if I can start running

Answered by Dr. Saurabh Gupta (4 hours later)

Brief Answer: You can start running soon Detailed Answer: Hi XXXXXXX Thanks for your query. Do not worry, you can start running soon. Continue doing quadriceps strengthening exercises. It will improve patellar tracking. You can take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen and place an ice pack on your knee for 10 minutes at a time, three times a day. It will accelerate the resolution of this inflammation. Avoid knee-bending activities and downward stairs and slopes until the pain subsides. You can start running on softer surfaces, keep mileage increases less than 10 percent per week, and gradually increase hill work in your program. I do hope that you have found something helpful and I will be glad to answer any further query. Wishing you speedy recovery.. Take care

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar