If you’ve got knee pain and you’re a runner, or maybe you’ve had knee pain and it’s gone away so you’re returning to running, a real key tip is to look at your cadence. This is your number of steps per minute.
We see a lot of people in the treatment room who are taking really big strides – perhaps they used to be a sprinter or are just super flexible – having a cadence of about 150-160.
The reason have a low cadence (150-160) can affect the knee is because the load is spread over less steps so your joints bear much more of the impact.
Whereas if we were able to increase someone’s cadence towards 170-180, the muscles – particularly the calves – begin to work harder which takes away some of the load through the knee joint, the hip joint and the ankle as well.
So next time you’re running, think about your cadence by counting the amount of steps you take in a minute.
If you’re suffering from knee pain you should try and increase this number – although you will feel your calves working much harder! But long term, the stress reduction through the knee will benefit you by reducing the likelihood of injury and long-term pain.
If you’re suffering from pain whilst trying to remain active, don’t forget you can book a FREE discovery visit where you can meet the Instant Physio team, learn more about us and how we can help you live pain free. Simply click here to book!