Knee Pain When Running or Squatting: Common Causes and What Helps

Knee pain is one of the most common complaints among runners and gym-goers — that ache at the front of the knee on the stairs, the niggle at the bottom of a squat, the soreness that shows up a few kilometres into a run. It’s frustrating because the knee is central to almost everything you do in training, and pain there can quickly derail your progress.

The good news: knee pain is often very treatable, and the knee itself frequently isn’t where the real problem lies.

Why the Knee Takes So Much Load

The knee is essentially a hinge caught between two very mobile areas — the hip above and the foot/ankle below. It relies heavily on those neighbours moving and controlling load well. When the hip or ankle isn’t doing its job, the knee often ends up absorbing forces it wasn’t designed to handle, and that’s when pain tends to show up.

This is why treating only the knee often doesn’t work long-term. If the real driver is up at the hip or down at the ankle, the knee will keep complaining until that’s addressed.

Common Causes of Training-Related Knee Pain

Load and volume changes. Ramping up running distance or squat volume faster than the body has adapted to is one of the most common triggers. The tissues around the knee simply haven’t caught up to the demand.

Hip and glute control. If the muscles around the hip aren’t controlling the leg well, the knee can drift inward under load — a common contributor to front-of-knee pain in both runners and lifters.

Ankle mobility. Limited ankle movement changes how you squat and land, shifting load onto the knee. It’s an often-overlooked driver.

Technique factors. Squat depth and mechanics, running form, and footwear can all play a role for some people.

Front-of-Knee Pain: The Usual Suspect

Pain at the front of the knee, around or under the kneecap, is especially common. It often shows up going up or down stairs, squatting, or after sitting for a while. It’s usually related to how load is being distributed through the kneecap and the surrounding structures — and it frequently traces back to hip control, ankle mobility, or training load rather than damage in the knee itself.

When to Get It Checked

It’s worth getting a knee properly assessed if you notice:

• Pain that persists beyond your session or lingers day to day
• Swelling in or around the knee
• The knee giving way, locking, or catching
• Pain that keeps returning every time you run or squat, despite backing off
• Sharp pain, or pain that’s steadily getting worse

Any significant swelling, instability or locking is worth getting looked at sooner rather than later, as these can point to something that needs specific management.

What Actually Helps

Finding the real driver. Because knee pain so often comes from the hip or ankle, a proper assessment of how the whole leg is moving — not just the knee — is what makes the difference between a lasting fix and temporary relief.

Hands-on treatment. Depending on what’s found, this might include soft tissue work, joint mobilisation, dry needling and muscle energy techniques to settle the irritated area and improve movement where it’s restricted.

Addressing load and control. Adjusting training load sensibly, and improving hip control or ankle mobility where they’re contributing, is usually central to keeping the improvement — and getting you back to running and lifting without it flaring up again.

The Bottom Line

Knee pain when running or squatting is common, and often very manageable once you understand what’s actually driving it. Since the knee frequently takes the blame for problems originating at the hip or ankle, assessing the whole leg is key. If you’ve got knee pain that keeps interrupting your training, it’s worth getting it properly assessed rather than just pushing through or hoping it settles.

This article is general information and not a substitute for individual medical advice.