Are you one of the many runners that experience pain on the inside of the knee after runs? The pain is there, but there is no swelling which can be confusing and often lead to the symptoms being ignored. This leads to symptoms eventually starting to linger and limits mileage or performance improvements.

While we shouldn’t ignore these symptoms, it doesn’t mean you need to stop running.

What Inner Knee Pain Without Swelling Usually Means

While there may not be any visible swelling, this typically indicates that there is some irritation of soft tissue structures in the knee like:

o Pes anserine tendons

o Medial joint line stress

This is often due to a load management or mechanics issue such as too big of a jump in volume or a breakdown of running form after a certain distance or time. These types of symptoms are an early warning sign—not a severe injury yet. It’s our body’s way of letting us know that something in our training is awry and requires a check-in.

Common Causes of Inner Knee Pain in Runners

Some of the most common causes for these early warning signs include:

• Poor hip control and/or ankle control → knee collapse inward

• Sudden increase or spike in mileage or intensity

• Weaknesses in hip muscles

• Running mechanics inefficiencies

Mistakes That Keep It Hanging Around or Worsening of Symptoms

• Running through worsening pain

• Only stretching or foam rolling

• Ignoring strength training

• Taking full rest without addressing cause

How to Fix Inner Knee Pain From Running

Here at Infinite Capacity Physical Therapy, we offer physical therapy for runners to address issues just like this. We use our proven 3 step process to:

• Step 1: Find the root cause

o Assess strength, mobility, and movement patterns

o Evaluate running mechanics

• Step 2: Fix the issue

o Improve necessary strength and mobility limitations

o Address movement patterns and running mechanics

• Step 3: Perform & prevent

o Gradual return to full mileage

o Build resilience for long-term running

Exercises We Love

While the exercises we utilize are case-by-case dependent, there are a few that we REALLY love to include in our running physical therapy programs:

• Single-leg squats

• Banded psoas march

· Single leg Pallof press

• Controlled tempo running drills

Where to find a Running Physical Therapist who can help you with inner knee pain from running

If you’re looking for running physical therapy in the Greater Portland Maine area, we have helped hundreds of athletes just like you get control of symptoms and return to the activities they love.

Take the first step to pain-free running by scheduling a FREE discovery call and see if we’re the right fit for you.

Click Here to Book a Free Discovery Call