Dr. Cunningham of Austin Ortho Bio discusses Runner's Knee

As your mileage picks up throughout the year, you might start to experience a dull pain in your knees. This pain is often diagnosed as Runner’s Knee, known medically as Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS). Knee injuries are one of the most common orthopedic problems, especially for people performing in high impact sports like running. The symptoms of Runner’s Knee are easy to spot: When you take your first strides, you will probably notice pain around the kneecap that may subside during the run but return once you are finished. If you catch Runner’s Knee early, the easiest cure is to cut your mileage down significantly or stop running altogether for at least several weeks. Stretching, rolling out your legs, icing, and checking to make sure you are wearing the proper footwear are other solutions.

However, if you have already tried these methods and the pain continues, you may have an acute or chronic injury that cannot be solved without proper medical diagnosis and treatment. Medical treatment may be necessary because once the knee pain becomes recurrent, you may have permanently damaged the cartilage in your knee. Pain, swelling, and stiffness are signs of damaged cartilage especially after rest, activity modification, and the use of anti-inflammatories. As a runner, there is nothing worse than putting your training on hold, especially when you are gearing up for a race. At this point, we recommend that you schedule an appointment with Dr. Kelly Cunningham at Austin Ortho Biologics.

If you are diagnosed with chronic Runner’s Knee, Dr. Kelly Cunningham can provide several innovative treatment pathways that may help restore the cartilage health and function, decrease pain, promote healing, and get you back to running in time for your next race. He will help you come back stronger so that you can keep logging those miles without knee pain or further injury to your knees.

Please call 512-410-0767 today to make an appointment!

About Dr. Cunningham

As a sports medicine specialist, Dr. Cunningham also treats many seasoned weekend warriors such as runners, skiers (downhill, snowboard, and water), and tennis and golf enthusiasts. He is an expert at ACL and meniscus cartilage surgery of the knee and dislocation, labrum and rotator cuff surgery of the shoulder. He also utilizes both surgical and in-office PRP and stem cell therapy.

After medical school and residency training in Dallas, he completed a sports medicine/knee fellowship with renowned orthopedic specialist Dr. Richard Steadman in Vail, Colorado, and underwent further shoulder training in England and Canada.

In recent years, he has closely monitored cutting-edge techniques as they’re developed for use in these acute and chronic problems.

Author

Dr. Kelly Cunningham Physician