Weak at the knees? Tips to solving your knee pain!

They show up at my office every week: young women suffering from nagging knee pain. The most common cause is patellofemoral pain syndrome, which you feel under the kneecap and is often due to overuse and misalignment. Before you resign yourself to having "bad knees," though, take a look at two of the most typical scenarios. A few changes could ease your aches for good!

By Lisa Callahan, M.D.

Case #1: The jogger

Does this sound familiar? A woman, seeing bathing suit season coming around the corner, suddenly decides to begin running again after a long hiatus over the holidays. She digs out her old, beat-up tennis shoes from the closet, starts jogging around her neighborhood for 30 to 45 minutes every morning-and within a few weeks shows up with achy pain in both knees that worsens every time she runs. Her complaint: "I guess I'm not meant to be a jogger."

Dr. Callahan's prescription

I call this "the trap of toos": too much, too soon, too often, which results in overuse. There's probably no reason you can't be a runner as long as you...

• Invest in new sneakers. Running shoes are made to cushion each foot strike, absorbing shock and protecting your knees. Find the ideal pair now.
• Build up slowly. Try a 20-minute interval program: Run for a minute, walk for a minute, then repeat. Your speed shouldn't leave you gasping, but it should be tough to talk. Next time, jog a little more (increasing by 10 percent each week) and walk less.
• Skip the sidewalk. Concrete is dense and unforgiving on your joints. Treadmills offer a bit more give, but your best bet is a grassy field or a path with a softer surface.
• Stretch-especially post-run, when muscles are warm-to prevent tendons from becoming tight and sore.

Another woman came into my practice lamenting about knee pain at the end of her hectic school days. She was experiencing soreness in the front of both of her knees that became sharp as she got up and down from her students' small chairs. She was even uncomfortable taking the stairs during her daily commute. Her complaint: "I am only 29 years old, but my knees make me feel as if I'm my grandmother's age!"

Dr. Callahan's prescription

If this sounds like you, you may have been born with vulnerable knees. The width of the female pelvis frequently creates a sharp angle between the upper- and lower-leg bones and can pull tissue around the kneecap off track, which causes soreness. To keep things in line and prevent pain...

• Wear supported flats or low heels. Heels higher than 2 inches change your center of gravity, putting stress on the front of your knees.
• Squat, keeping knees over ankles, when getting up and down. Kneeling puts pressure squarely on kneecaps, irritating them further.
• Go for a ride. Cycling is the best exercise to counter this condition. It stabilizes kneecaps by strengthening your quadriceps muscles.
• Ice your knees-pain or no-for 10 to 20 minutes to reduce inflammation. Try it while watching TV. Even once or twice a week can bring relief.

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