How We Helped a Passionate Runner Overcome Knee Pain: Postural Restoration

A new client recently came to us with a frustrating issue: nagging pain on the inside of her left knee that had been building up over the past three months. As someone who runs 60 plus kilometers a week, the discomfort wasn’t just affecting her performance, it was starting to interfere with her everyday life.

 

She hadn’t had any traumatic injury, which made the pain even more confusing for her.

 

She’d tried stretching, foam rolling, and some online strengthening routines, but nothing seemed to make a lasting difference.

 

During her initial assessment, we took a broader look at how her body was moving, not just her knee. We noticed a few key things: she shifted more weight to one side when walking, her pelvis was slightly tilted and rotated, and her upper body wasn’t rotating much during movement. We also ran her through a series of assessments, which showed she was stuck in a  pattern essentially a habitual asymmetry in how her pelvis and thorax were positioned and moving.

 

This pattern can cause certain muscles, like her Vatus Lateralis to work overtime on one side-leading to imbalances and strain in places like the knee. In her case, her knee pain was being driven by poor pelvic position and inefficient breathing mechanics, not just a local issue at the joint.

 

We started with the basics: teaching her how to breathe more efficiently using her diaphragm and how to reposition her pelvis using simple but powerful movements like the hip lift with a balloon. This helped her body move out of the old pattern and into a more balanced state.

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She became more aware of how her posture and breathing were influencing her movement even when sitting at her desk or walking around during the day.

 

After just six weeks, she was pain-free. She could run without discomfort, take the stairs with ease, and sit through her workday without that lingering knee ache. She told us she felt stronger, lighter, and more connected to how her body moved. Even better, at her 12-week follow-up, she remained symptom-free and had returned to her regular running volume with a smoother, more efficient stride.

 

Her story is a great reminder that pain isn’t always where the problem starts. Sometimes, it’s about looking at the body as a closed system, and understanding the deeper postural patterns at play. By applying biomechanical principles, we helped her not only eliminate her pain but also gain a more resilient foundation for the long runs ahead.

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Book online or contact us to arrange your appointment. See you soon!

 

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