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How many times have your non-running friends warned you against the dangers of knee injuries and running? Or asked if you get knee pain from running? It’s one of the most common and dreaded problems for runners. Women in particular are more at risk than men of knee injuries.
Here we talk about the issues for women and some possible remedies.
But first we'll start with some knee facts.
Knee Facts
Body Structure
Q Angle
Hormones
Strength
Walk this Way
Knee Facts
- Largest joint in the human body.
- Is designed to support 400 pounds.
- In normal usage the knee joint should not slide out of alignment.
- Is designed so that it will never wear out under normal use.
- The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a band that runs at an angle through the knee joint and connects the shin (tibia) and the thigh bones (femur). The ACL provides stability to the knee.
Specific Problems for Women
Body Structure
In the knee joint, a compartment (intercondylar notch) lies between the two rounded ends of the thigh bone (femoral condyles). The ACL moves within this compartment stabilizing the knee.
Women have a narrower compartment than men. The space for the ACL to move is therefore restricted and the thigh bones can more easily pinch the ACL, which can cause tears. This happens more often during twisting and hyperextension movements.
Quadriceps (Q) Angle
 In the knee, the femur meets the tibia at an angle, called the quadriceps, or Q angle. With our wider pelvis (hips), women have a greater Q angle than men. Our leg hangs at a greater angle rather than straight off the pelvis and this puts a strain on our knee during activity.
Diagram courtesy of In the Groove
This increased force is magnified when the knee twists. A twisting injury in a man's knee may only stretch his ACL; however, because of our greater Q angle, the same type of twisting injury may cause a woman to rupture her ACL.
Top of Page Hormones
The good news for women is that our hormones give us greater flexibility and looseness of our muscles, tendons, and ligaments. This can help prevent injuries because it enables certain joints and muscles to absorb more impact before being damaged.
On the down side this looseness can make the knee unstable. It’s believed that surges in estrogen levels during our menstrual cycle can loosen the knee’s ACL, making it easier to tear.
Therefore it’s important that the other ligaments and muscles around the knee are strong so they can absorb the stresses and not transfer them to the ACL. Try these straight leg lifts to build strength.
Strength
Women's leg muscles are usually less balanced than men's. Our quadriceps muscles tend to be stronger than our hamstrings. Both the quadriceps and hamstrings stabilize the ACL. When the powerful quadriceps pulls at the ACL, the weak hamstrings cannot resist and stabilize the knee joint.
It’s important for women runners to include strength training to their workouts. Strong hips, quads, hamstrings and the core muscles of the abdominals and lower back can prevent knee injuries. Once there is a weakness, another muscle or joint must take over and that’s when injuries can occur.
Walk this Way
Another issue is the way women walk. We are often taught to walk with one foot in front of the other. This model or runway walk puts more strain on our hips, which in turn puts pressure on the knees. Wearing high heels only compounds the problem.
Some men may like the runway walk but for the sake of our knees women need to walk like men e.g. stepping your feet hip wide apart, in front of your shoulders.
Top of Page Return from Knee Injuries to Running Injuries
Return from Knee Injuries to WomenRunningTogether
Other useful links
Runners Knee
Knee Pain
Running Stretches
References:
In the Groove.
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