How I Healed my Outside Knee Pain while Hiking Downhill
I’ll never forget the first time I couldn’t make it down the mountain without keeping my right leg completely straight: we were trying for a summit in the North Cascades, but a serious weather system blew in and we had to turn around. Our packs were loaded with ropes, helmets, and ice axes. I wanted so badly to make it to the top, but our team made the right decision to turn around.
Almost immediately after starting back, I felt an awful pain in a small spot on the outside of my knee. Going down the scree was painful, and then the hard-packed switchback trail felt never-ending. I’m normally slow going downhill, but this time I was SLOWWWW.
Throughout that summer, I tried little hikes here and there. I felt fantastic going uphill, but every time I started back down, that very specific and very painful movement came back. I had no idea what started it and didn’t know what to do about it.
Since dirt biking was more my thing at the time and the knee pain only came when hiking downhill, I didn’t think much of seeing a PT and just went on with life.
NOW, I do wish I had seen a physical therapist…BUT at the time, I also wish I had a post like this to reference. I needed encouragement and a nudge in the right direction. Please know that this is not medical advice, as I’m only here to share my experience of what helped my outside knee pain while hiking downhill.
The Root Cause of MY Outside Knee Pain While Hiking Downhill
I know that this will look different for most folks, but after reflection and consulting with medical professionals, I figured out what caused this pain.
Basically, my glutes had “shut off” and they were done. This caused pain in my IT Band.
For literally decades, my glutes were keeping my tailbone “protected” after a skiing accident. After time, they just stopped working properly. I learned that they are connected to the IT band that runs right along where I was feeling my pain.
So just know: if you have outside knee pain while hiking downhill, the disfunction may not be in your leg muscles like I initially thought. It’s possible the problem could be rooted in your glutes like mine was.
Here are the only 3 things I did to help my outside knee pain:
1. Lacrosse or Cork Ball
Foam rolling did absolutely nothing for me. The magic was hiding in these small tools that were already sitting in a drawer. I attribute 95% of the healing to this one simple thing. Because I needed it so bad, I started with a tennis ball, then eventually graduated to lacrosse and cork balls.
Rolling the ball in as many places on my bum was the key to healing my outside knee pain while hiking downhill. Here is a video that gives a good overview and examples of ways to do this:
As a bonus, I always took a few extra seconds to roll the bottom of my feet for some hamstring love I so desperately needed.
These cork balls are my personal favorite and I even take them on the trail for mid-hike pick-me-ups!
2. Stretches & Strength Training
To follow up the magic rolling, I was sure to add in a few stretches each time. Instead of focusing just on my knee pain, I was sure to stretch and strengthen the muscles surrounding my IT Band.
Here’s a few stretches I rotated through:
- Standing calf stretch
- Hamstring stretch on a wall
- Standing quad stretches
- Hip abduction (with option to add exercise band for strength)
Speaking of strength training…
3. KT Tape
Although it’s not a permanent fix aimed at the root issue, I highly recommend using KT tape to help outside knee pain while hiking downhill. This was essential to get back on trail and keep my body in hiking shape.
Below is a video on how I specifically taped my knee. You can find other YouTube videos for different ways to utilize KT tape if this particular method doesn’t work for you.
A bonus tip for helping knee pain while hiking downhill:
Utilize hiking poles! These definitely won’t fix the problem, but they will help you feel more stable and confident on your hikes.
Like many, I swore I’d never use them, but ended up really coming to like them for various reasons. From setting up a tarp tent to even first aid help in emergencies, hiking poles are a great tool to have while out in the wild.
You don’t even need a fancy, expensive pair. I literally purchased mine from Walmart on the way to a hike when the ones at home were forgotten!
If you have outside knee pain while hiking downhill, here’s my encouragement to you…
Don’t lose heart, you’re not stuck here forever.
The pain was so bad I actually thought I was a lost cause unless I got major surgery.
If you want to hike again, I’m sure you will.
Find a great physical therapist that can help with the root-dysfunction and in the meantime, give my tricks here a try!
