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Conditions Patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner’s knee)

Conditions we treat

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner’s knee)

Aching pain at the front of the knee that flares with stairs, squatting, or sitting with bent knees for a long time.

Knee

What it feels like

You will usually feel this around the knee — at the front, the inside, or deep in the joint. Stairs, squatting, kneeling, and getting up after sitting for a while tend to be the worst. Some people describe a grinding or catching sensation, and the joint may feel stiff first thing in the morning before easing up.

How we approach it at our clinic

Wherever possible, we start with the least invasive option that has good evidence — and we use live image guidance (ultrasound or fluoroscopy) for any injection so the medication goes exactly where it needs to. Many of the procedures we offer for this condition are OHIP-covered when ordered for an appropriate clinical reason; we will be straight with you about what is and what is not before you book.

Procedures

Procedures we use for Patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner’s knee)

These are the procedures we most commonly use for the knee area. The right one depends on your imaging, history, and what has helped before.

Cortisone Joint Injection

✓ OHIP

A steroid injection placed directly into a joint to settle arthritis pain or inflammation. Works for shoulders, knees, hips, elbows, wrists, ankles, and the smaller joints of the fingers and toes.

Hyaluronic Acid Injection

Not OHIP

A gel-like injection that supplements the natural lubricant in your joint. Often used for knee or hip arthritis when steroid injections have stopped giving you the relief they used to.

Platelet Lysate Injection

Not OHIP

A regenerative injection using a processed form of your own platelets in which the healing growth factors are released up front. We typically consider this for nerve-related and tendon pain where a gentler regenerative option is preferred.

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) — Knee

Not OHIP

A regenerative injection that uses the healing factors from your own blood to settle knee pain. We typically offer this for knee osteoarthritis or stubborn kneecap-tendon pain when other injections have lost their effect.

Browse all procedures for the knee area →

When to call us

If Patellofemoral pain syndrome (runner’s knee) has been getting in the way for more than a few weeks, ask your family doctor for a referral. We will take it from there.

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