Just wanted to thank everyone for the great responses!

This was the first issue I sought PT for. My therapist was fantastic and provided all the information I needed in a single session to solve the problem. For me, the lateral aspect of my quadriceps and IT band were extraordinarily tight such that the patella was being pulled laterally, out of the normal groove that it slides in. A couple simple stretches to do routinely and I was pain-free.

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https://connect.garmin.com/modern/profile/domingjm

Can you share the stretches you did?

Thought I would update my post for posterity. Physiotherapist says he has seen this lots. My IT band/hamstrings/hip flexors are so tight that when I run it is pulling the kneecap/patella out of position. Essentially he is prescribing a few stretching routines for now until the swelling goes down and then going back to see him in a couple weeks. He is fairly certain it isn't anything serious at all. And as he said, "boy do you ever have flat feet!"

What does your stretching routine/ Strengthening routine look like? I suffer this same tightness and knee pain. So far I've just been rolling daily along with some recommended strengthening exercises I found online (Single leg squats, leg lifts, bridges, clamshell etc). I desperately need to improve my flexibility according to the doc!

What are we actually talking about here? Patellofemoral pain syndrome? Patellar tendinopathy? Iliotibial band syndrome? something else? "My knee feels tight and hurts" and "doc said I must stretch" is incredably vague and so is the leymans terms of "runners knee" etc.

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Endurance coach | Physiotherapist (primary care) | Bikefitter | Swede