Brisbane Sports Physio Blog

Knee pain is one of the more common problems we see in runners, particularly when training volume, intensity or frequency changes. But there isn’t one single reason why a runner develops knee pain.

Sometimes it is a training-load issue. Sometimes it is related to strength, movement or running mechanics. Sometimes hills, terrain or footwear play a role. And sometimes several factors come together at once.

One of the biggest mistakes we see in rehabilitation is confusing feeling better with being ready. Pain is an important part of the picture, but it is only one piece of the return-to-sport puzzle.

Successful return to sport requires more than symptom resolution. It requires the athlete to have rebuilt enough strength, capacity, movement quality and sport-specific tolerance to handle the demands being placed on them. At Brisbane Sports Physiotherapy, return-to-sport decisions can incorporate strength testing, functional performance measures, movement assessment and sport-specific testing to help guide this process.

One of the most frustrating things for an athlete is feeling like they are constantly moving between training, injury, rest and rehabilitation without ever really getting back to where they want to be.

Pain is one of the body’s most important warning systems, but it isn’t a perfect measure of tissue damage. Some pain during rehabilitation can be acceptable, while other types of pain are a clear sign that the current training load needs to change.

In Part II, we will explore the concept of load and load progression in more detail. We will demonstrate training load errors in novice athletes leading to injury as well as give you some practical advice to help track your training loads and keep them progressing safely.

You don’t need to be a Physiotherapist to bear witness to how incredible the human body is. If you haven’t seen some remarkable physical feat or transformation on Instagram then you’ve probably read a David Goggins book or the like.

Pain is not only a common part of training and physical activity but it’s a common part of life. The high likelihood is that if you are quite active, you train hard or regularly, or even if you are of a certain age, pain is likely a frequent occurrence.

Running is one of the most accessible forms of exercise in the world. All you need is a pair of shoes and a road or trail. Yet despite its simplicity, running has a surprisingly high injury rate, particularly among newer runners.