You may be training for your first 5km, or be a more seasoned runner striving toward a half marathon or marathon. Whatever your end goal, the key to completing your race is to remain injury free as your running starts to build-up.
Knees are often the most problematic of injuries sustained through running. Knee injuries such as Patellofemoral Pain (Runner’s Knee) and IT Band Syndrome are two of the most common injuries experienced by distance runners.
Thankfully there are some simple, but often forgotten steps, you can take to help prevent such injuries, and keep you running without knee pain. These preventive exercises are likely the same as exercises your health care professional may give you to treat such running knee injuries.
Simple Runner’s Knee Exercise Routine
It’s always best to perform the following exercises after a gentle warm-up, rather than stretching from cold.
- Side Lying Quads Stretch: 3 x 30 seconds on each leg
- Resistance Band Glute Bridge: 10 x 5 second hold
- Romanian Single Leg Deadlift: 3 x 10 reps on each leg
Aim to complete this routine 3-4 times weekly alongside your running.