Jumper Knee Straps to Reduce Knee Pain

I love to stretch out my legs when I am running.  It gets me into my zone and improves my time.  However, I have learned that an extended stride makes my knees hurt.  Both of them.  They twinge while running and then ache for several days afterwords.  I can run really slow with a short stride and my knees will not hurt.   But if you are like me you are constantly trying to improve your pace - painfree.  

I have tried several techniques to fix my knees:  strength training, spinning, advil, days of rest in between running, softer ground, barefoot running and new shoes.  Nothing really helped. 

I did not go to a doctor to diagnose my problem.  I just wanted my knee pain to go away.  After researching potential causes of knee pain I decided to try using KT Tape.  I

I found that knee pain can be caused by any number of issues. The kneecap, or patella, could be moving incorrectly. One or more meniscus may be torn, ruptured, or inflamed. There may be arthritis, plica, chrondomalacia, or any number of issues with the bones that constitute the knee. KT tape works to balance the muscles on the knee and relieve pressure on the kneecap and its tendon which can help many different conditions.  The can provide support and compression for the tendon below the kneecap. And will help  improve patella tracking and elevation.

I may have Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome.  It started out as an annoyance and has gotten worse and worse as I have started running more often and longer.  Originally my knees hurt a little while running, then they starting aching occasionally right after running, and then finally they ached all the time.  It is a pain in front of my knees directly under my kneecap and around the edges.  Kneeling down hurts.

I started using kinesiology tape (KT Tape) a couple of years ago.  I taped up my knees every time I went running.  The tape worked well.  My knee pain started to go away after 2 weeks of taping my knees.  It was kind of expensive though.  I had to throw away the tape after every use.  It was $20/per box at Walgreens.  Each box had 20 precut pieces of tape.  This means that taping each knee for each run costs $2.  The cost isn’t that bad, but there was a lot of waste. 

So I decided to purchase two Mueller Jumper's Knee Straps from Target.  The straps work the same way as the KT Tape.  I position them on the front of my knee just below my knee caps.  I make sure they are tight enough to stay on but don’t restrict circulation.  

They work great!  My knees don’t hurt anymore  I have had the same pair for three years. I never run without them because I don’t want my knees to start hurting again.