Knee Bursitis Running – Everything you Need to Know

If you are keen runner, chances are you have come across the common runners’ injury called knee bursitis.

Knee bursitis running is a condition characterized by aggravation of the bursa. It is this friction that causes the bursa to become inflamed and filled with fluid, resulting in pain and tenderness.

It is most commonly found around the knee, where it may develop due to the excessive use and pressure on the knees while you run.

In this article we are going to arm you with the information to treat the pain (inflammation) of knee bursitis running and how to minimize the chances of reemerging in the future. This can all be done in a few easy steps.

What is Knee Bursitis?

We have actually published an in depth read on knee bursitis in our article “Beating Bursitis“, so we won’t double up on the definition in this article. However, if you are curious in finding out more we encourage you to jump over to our other article for an interesting read.

In this article we are going to specifically focus on knee bursitis running, and the actions you can take to rid yourself of this common running ailment.

How to Treat the Running Pain (inflammation) from Knee Bursitis

Knee bursitis is a painful inflammation that can develop due to repeated trauma or from a single serious injury. This condition can affect the inside or the outside of the knee cap.

While many people experience knee bursitis at some time in their life, it is much more common in athletes, particularly those who play contact sports. One of the most common treatments for knee bursitis is RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.

Here is a quick run down for the process of RICE:

REST – sounds like common sense, right? However, it serves as a good reminder, that pain is your body’s way of communicating with you that you have taken it a bit too far. Rest immediately after you feel any sharp pains.
ICE – helps to reduce the swelling and inflammation of an injury to the body. When inflammation occurs, pain usually follows. Therefore, reducing the inflammation should help to reduce any pain associated with the injury.
COMPRESSION – also helps to reduce the inflammation resulting from knee bursitis running. Compressing also helps to support any injured area in the body.
ELEVATION – is a key tool in preventing any blood from pooling around the injury. If too much blood stays around the injury, you can often see bruising, which will result in you experiencing more pain for longer.

Preventing Knee Bursitis in the Future

Any regular reader will know the team at The Best Knee Braces are big advocates of prevention as a key strategy for optimum knee health. Here are a few ways to prevent knee bursitis running from hampering your fitness goals in the future:

incorporate rest days into your running schedule. We get it, sometimes it feels like if you don’t run, you are not maintaining your fitness levels. However, you could be doing more harm than good to your body if you fail to realize the importance of rest. Rest allows your body to repair and regenerate your muscles. Rest is also vitally important to build new muscles and to reach new levels of fitness.
use a knee brace for running or knee wraps for running to support your knee while you exercise. Knee supports are a great tool to ensure you maintain optimum knee health and prevent knee bursitis from interrupting your exercise regime. We have produced some quality product rounds up of these wonderful running aids – so make sure you check them out via the links.
check your running style – if you are beginning your running journey and experiencing knee pain, it could very likely be your running style that is causing unnecessary stress on your knee. Check out some Youtube videos (like the one below) to analyze your running technique and see if it needs a bit of adjustment to save your knees.

Final Thoughts on Knee Bursitis Running

Knee bursitis can be a debilitating knee injury that can be very inconvenient and uncomfortable when you are running.

Fortunately there are remedies and preventative actions that you can take immediately to counter this knee injury.

By following our simple steps to treating and preventing the injury, knee bursitis running will be a thing of the past and you will be back on the running track in no time.

Let us know how you conquered knee bursitis in the comments below.