The Ultimate Guide to Knee Protection for Runners

Knee pain is every keen runner’s worst nightmare, and there’s a long-held belief that it is somewhat inevitable if you run regularly. But the good news is that it isn’t true. In fact, running can actually be a brilliant way to strengthen your knees and the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in your lower body.

In this guide, we’ll look at some common causes of knee pain, how to prevent it, and how to strengthen your knees to make sure you don’t face a frustrating spell on the sidelines.

The running myth: Running is bad for your knees 

How many times have you been told that running is bad for your knees?

It’s a myth that many people seem to believe – in fact, many would-be runners avoid the sport for fear of causing long-term damage to their knee joints.

But numerous scientific studies have shown that the running community actually has lower rates of knee osteoarthritis than the sedentary population. 

And that’s not all. Running also strengthens the muscles, ligaments and tendons around your knees, can improve bone density in your legs, and build strength in your cartilage – all of which can contribute to healthier, stronger knees both now and as you age.

Knee pain diagnosis

There are several factors which can cause knee pain during and after running: overtraining, not warming up or cooling down properly, regularly running on uneven surfaces, wearing the wrong shoes, having weak or tight muscles in your lower legs, and inefficient running technique can all cause knee pain of varying degrees.

If you are unlucky enough to suffer from knee pain, there are some common causes which many runners experience.

While at-home techniques can help to reduce the knee pain associated with these conditions, it’s very important to visit your GP or physiotherapist for a professional diagnosis and treatment.

Runner’s knee

‘Runner’s knee’ – patellofemoral knee syndrome – is a bit of a catch-all phrase which can refer to several different uncomfortable symptoms. 

But most commonly, the discomfort is characterised by pain across your whole knee, rather than in one specific spot. The pain usually occurs around the front of your knee, though it can also feel like it's under your kneecap. 

It is a relatively common condition, but thankfully, there are steps you can take to prevent runner's knee, and you can manage it with rest, ice, stretching, and strengthening. 

Iliotibial band (ITB) syndrome

This condition occurs when the ITB, a thick band of tissue along the outer thigh, repeatedly rubs against the lower thigh bone and the upper knee, causing inflammation. 

You’ll likely experience a sharp outer-knee pain that gets worse when you’re exercising, and you may also experience swelling in the area. The standard treatment protocol involves rest, ice, strengthening, and a gradual return to activity, but the condition often requires physiotherapy treatment. 

Patellar tendinitis

Commonly known as ‘jumper’s knee’, patellar tendinitis is an overuse injury causing pain at the front of the knee just below the kneecap.

It develops when repeated stress, often from jumping or running, causes inflammation, weakness, and thickening of the tendon at the front of your knee. Treatment focuses on icing, reducing load, and following a structured physiotherapy programme with stretching and strengthening. 

Knee osteoarthritis

Knee osteoarthritis develops when repeated stress, ageing, injury, or excess body weight leads to gradual damage and wear of the joint structures. This causes a generalised knee pain that worsens with activity. You might also experience stiffness in the knee if you’ve been sitting or lying down. 

Treatment focuses on managing symptoms through exercise, weight management, pain relief, physiotherapy, joint supports, and lifestyle changes.

The knee protection mindset: The five pillars of knee protection 

There’s no need to fear running: if you manage your training load, then it’s a brilliant way to keep your knees working as they should.

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider how to protect your knee while racking up the miles. And the best way to do that isn’t to wear a knee brace or support: instead, the best knee protection comes from balanced muscle strength,  efficient running technique, and a sensible approach to training.

Use our five pillars of knee protection to create a holistic, comprehensive, and actionable strategy to protect your knees and keep you running long into the future.

Pillar 1: Strength is the best defence

Your glutes are the main drivers of running power and stability, helping you push off the ground and keep your hips and knees aligned. When they’re strong, you run more efficiently and with better form. But when they’re weak (or just not activated properly), other muscles compensate, often causing knee pain.

So, step one of your knee protection strategy should be to add regular glute and hip-strengthening and activation exercises to your training programme. Add a mix of these strengthening exercises to your gym schedule and running warmup routine:

• Clamshells: These target the muscles on the side of your hip (the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus) that stabilise your hips and pelvis. Lie on your side with your knees bent and feet together. Keeping your hips stacked, lift your top knee like a clamshell opening. Lower slowly, and repeat on both sides. 

• Glute bridges: Glute bridges focus on your gluteus maximus. This is the largest gluteal muscle and is responsible for hip extension and power. To do these, lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat. Push through your heels to lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees. Squeeze your glutes at the top, then lower back down. 

• Single-leg deadlifts: Unilateral exercises, where you work one leg at a time, are crucial for building balanced muscles and helping with stability. To do a single-leg deadlift, stand on one leg. Hinge forward at the hips with a straight back, and let your other leg lift behind you. Then drive through your standing heel to return to standing, squeezing your glutes at the top. Repeat on both sides.

• Lateral step-downs: Lateral step-downs are a great all-around exercise, helping strengthen the glutes and quads and building your knees’ resilience. To perform them, stand on a workout step (or your stairs) with one foot over the side. Slowly bend the supporting leg in a squatting motion until the foot at the side of the step touches the floor. Use your supporting leg to stand up straight again. Repeat on both sides.

Pillar 2: Optimise form and cadence

There’s a common misconception that, when it comes to ramping up your running tempo, a lower cadence – longer, slower strides – is better as you cover more ground with each step. 

However, overstriding causes your feet to land too far in front of your body, and your front leg to be too straight. This puts extra pressure on your hips and lower back, overstretches your hamstrings, and puts excess strain on your knee joint as it “locks out” in front of you.

Instead, it’s better to have a higher running cadence and take slightly shorter steps to ensure your front foot lands closer to your centre of gravity, reducing stress on the knees.

Most recreational runners have an ideal cadence of 140-160 steps per minute. But, rather than aiming for a set number and making rapid changes to your running form, run at a rhythm that feels natural to you. 

Then gradually increase your cadence by:

• Adding running cadence drills, like high-knees and butt-flicks, to your warmup.

• Taking slightly shorter strides (focus on landing with your foot closer to under your hips, not out in front of you).

• Running with a tall posture, with a slight forward lean to help your legs turn over more easily.

• Using a metronome app or music with a slightly faster beat to gently encourage quicker steps.

• Adding short, faster efforts (20–30 seconds of quick sprinting) after easy runs.

Pillar 3: Wearing the correct footwear

If you’re picking up the pace and notching up the miles, you need to be strong and stable from the ground up – which means wearing the right shoes for your pronation type (and replacing them regularly).

Wearing the incorrect footwear or tired, worn-out running shoes is a surefire way to undo all of your hard work,  so make sure you know which shoes you need to match your running gait:

• Supination (underpronation): If you’re an underpronater, you need cushioned, neutral shoes with extra heel and forefoot cushioning to absorb impact and provide a stable base for your feet and ankles.

• Overpronation: If you overpronate, choose stability shoes with structured support, a wider base, and a firm midsole to control the inward roll of your ankles.

• Neutral pronation: If you have a neutral gait, opt for running shoes with balanced, neutral cushioning.

Once you’ve sussed out what kind of shoes are best for your biomechanics, you can’t just stick with the same pair forever – replacing your running shoes is vital for providing your knees with that all-important support and shock absorption.

The general rule is to replace your shoes every 400-500 miles. However, this can vary greatly; so, while this is a handy reference guide for those who track their mileage, make sure you’re regularly checking your shoes and listening to your body.

If your shoes have an uneven sole (they lean to one side when you place them on the floor),  visible cracks or creases in the structure, or you’re getting new blisters and aches and pains, then it’s time to hunt for a new pair, regardless of how many miles your old pair have carried you.

Pillar 4: Running load management and recovery

When you’re in the running groove and every session feels better than the last, you inevitably want to keep building the momentum.

But increasing your load gradually is crucial for avoiding overuse injuries. 

So, how should you increase your mileage to strike the balance between improving your performance and protecting your knees? There are two main ways to go about it:

• The 10% rule: This is where you increase your running mileage by up to 10% each week until you meet your target distance.

• The equilibrium method: This allows for a bigger increase in one jump – you up your mileage by up to 25% and then stay at that volume for around a month to allow your body to adapt.

These careful load-management strategies need to be paired with the appropriate recovery measures to ensure the increased workload doesn’t lead to injuries.

And one of the easiest at-home recovery methods is to use a foam roller after a run to reduce muscle tightness. 

Spend 5-10 minutes gently rolling over the major muscle groups used in running – your calves, quads, hamstrings and glutes – to relieve muscle tension and keep everything loose. 

Pillar 5: Choose your running surfaces wisely

While running on roads or pavements is the most accessible option for many of us, it’s an unforgiving surface if you run on it day in, day out.

So, another tip for protecting your knees and minimising impact on your joints is to vary your running surface. 

Mix up sessions across treadmills (make sure you set the belt incline to 1% better mimic running outside); roads/pavements; softer, shock-absorbing surfaces like grass, trail, and cross-country courses (check out our guide to the best cross-country shoes to make sure you’re kitted out for the terrain); and, if you have access to one, an athletics track.