Knee Pain Holding You Back? Here's What's Really Going On (And What to Do About It)

Do you feel a dull ache around or behind your kneecap when you squat, run, walk downstairs or even when you just sit for a while?

Maybe your knee feels unstable, like it’s not quite tracking properly. Some days it catches, others it just aches for hours after training. If any of this sounds familiar, you're likely dealing with something called Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome, also known as Runner’s Knee.

And no, it’s not something you have to just live with.

🎥 Prefer to watch instead? Click here to see the video version of this blog ➡️ CLICK HERE What Is Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome? Let me keep it simple.

Your kneecap (patella) is supposed to glide up and down a groove on your thigh bone (femur) every time you bend and straighten your knee. But when the tracking goes off either because of weakness, tightness, or overload, the patella starts rubbing unevenly.

Over time, that friction causes irritation and pain behind the kneecap.

Think of it like a dodgy shopping trolley wheel, instead of rolling straight, it keeps pulling to one side. That’s your kneecap when the mechanics are off. It’s not broken… it’s just not moving the way it should.

Why Does This Happen? There’s usually more than one reason but here are the most common ones I see:

✅ Weak glutes or hips – When the glutes don’t fire properly, the knee collapses inward during movement.

✅ Tight quads or IT band – These can physically pull your kneecap out of line, creating more pressure behind it.

✅ Overtraining – Especially if you’ve suddenly increased running mileage, training volume, or hill work without adequate recovery.

✅ Poor movement patterns – If your foot collapses or your hip doesn’t rotate properly, your knee often pays the price.

✅ Too much sitting – Sounds simple, but being stuck in a bent-knee position for hours can irritate the joint over time. The Good News: You Can Fix This NO, you don’t need to stop training completely, and you definitely don’t need to just stretch and hope it goes away.

This is a movement problem, and movement is part of the solution.

Here’s the approach I take with clients in clinic:

Reduce pain and irritation – Hands-on treatment and simple movement tweaks to calm everything down.

Fix the mechanics – We look at how your hip, knee, and foot work together and correct any dysfunction.

Build strength and control – Especially through your glutes, quads, and core so your knee is supported through every step, squat, and stride. You Don’t Have to Keep Living with This

If your knee pain hasn’t gone away or it keeps flaring up after every run, squat session, or even a long day sitting it’s time to get it looked at properly.

🎥 Click here to watch the full video if you prefer which includes some exercises to do right now

Or…

💬 Let’s chat. Book a free 15-minute consultation with us and we’ll help you figure out what’s going on and what the next step should be.

👉 Click here to book your free consult ➡️ CLICK HERE

You don’t need to stop training. You just need a smarter plan.