Runner’s knee, or patellofemoral pain, affects one in four physically active people who engage in sports like basketball, dance, skiing, cycling, soccer and more.

Pain symptoms commonly reoccur and are often ignored because athletes tend to have a high pain threshold.

If left untreated, the knee cartilage can break down leading to osteoarthritis and other serious conditions.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill set out to find specific causes of runner’s knee.

They tracked athletes starting before they developed runner’s knee. The goal was to identify risk factors. Researchers found that people with weaker hamstring muscles were nearly three times more likely to develop runner’s knee than those with the strongest hamstrings.

Weak quadricep muscles increased the risk nearly five times. People with flat feet were also at higher risk.

The study suggested that people with weaker thigh muscles tend to compensate by not bending their knees as much when running or jumping. This creates a pressure focal point beneath the kneecap.

The good news is that by changing the way you move and improving leg strength, you can prevent or correct the problem.

A qualified trainer can develop an exercise routine to strengthen the leg muscles and improve the biomechanics to help prevent runner’s knee and other injuries.