Your knee has started to ache during squats, or it grumbles on the stairs the morning after a run. When training is part of how you feel good, the thought of stopping can be almost as frustrating as the pain itself. The good news is that most recent knee pain does not mean stopping, just adjusting for a while.

Why knees get sore when you train

Knee pain in active people usually comes from load going up faster than the knee can adapt. A new programme, a jump in running distance, more hills, deeper squats or a few extra sessions in a busy week can all tip the balance. The knee is not damaged. It is telling you it has had a little more than it can comfortably handle right now.

The front of the knee is a common spot, especially with squats, lunges, stairs and running downhill. These movements ask the most of the muscles and tendon at the front of your thigh, which act like the knee’s shock absorbers.

Why stopping completely is not the answer

Resting a sore knee completely can feel like the safe choice, but it tends to leave the knee less ready for training when you return. Keeping active does not have to hold your recovery back either. In one trial of people with tendon pain, those who carried on running and jumping, while keeping their pain within agreed limits, recovered just as well as those who stopped, and they stayed active throughout.

So there is no need to stop altogether. The aim is to find the amount and type of training your knee is comfortable with today, and build from there.

Reading how your knee responds

A simple traffic-light check can guide you, both during training and the next morning:

• Green. No pain, or a mild ache that settles within an hour. Carry on.
• Amber. An ache that lingers into the evening but has settled by the next morning. Keep training at the same level rather than adding more.
• Red. Your knee is sorer or stiffer the next morning, or you are limping. Ease back next session.

The next-morning check matters most. Knees often feel fine during exercise and only tell you about it later.

Adapting squats and lunges

You do not need to drop these exercises. Small changes can make them knee-friendly for a while:

• Squat to a box or bench, so you control the depth and stop where it is comfortable.
• Lower the weight and slow the movement down, taking about three seconds to lower.
• Swap forward lunges for reverse lunges, which usually put less load on the front of the knee.
• Shorten the range of split squats and lunges, going only as deep as feels comfortable.

If you would like to follow along, VIDA has short videos of sit-to-stands and reverse lunges you can use at your own pace.

Adapting running

Running is often fine to continue at a lower level. Options include:

• Running shorter distances, or splitting a run into running and walking intervals.
• Choosing flatter routes, as downhill running loads the front of the knee most.
• Taking slightly shorter, quicker steps, which can ease the load on the knee with each stride.
• Leaving speed work and long runs out for a week or two.

Cycling and swimming are good ways to keep your fitness up while your knee settles.

Keeping strength going

Strength is what helps your knee cope when you build back up. Exercises that load the knee without stirring it up include:

• Wall sits. Lean your back against a wall with your knees bent to a comfortable angle and hold for 30 to 45 seconds.
• Bridges. Lie on your back with your knees bent, lift your hips, then lower slowly.
• Heel raises. Rise onto your toes, pause, then lower slowly.

Holds like a wall sit often feel more comfortable than moving exercises when your knee is sore, so they are a useful way to keep the muscles working. VIDA has short videos of bridges and heel raises you can work through.

Building back up

When your knee has been in the green for a week or so, you could start adding back what you took out, one thing at a time. Add depth to your squats, or distance to your runs, but not both in the same week. Your VIDA pain check-in is a good way to track how your knee responds as you build.

What to take away

• Adjust your training rather than stopping completely.
• Use the next-morning check to decide whether to hold, ease back or build.
• Squat to a box and swap forward lunges for reverse lunges for a while.
• Run shorter and flatter, with slightly quicker steps.
• Add back one thing at a time once your knee is settled.

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