Is It Normal for Your Knees to Hurt When You Run or Work Out?
- Miranda Arrington
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
If you’ve ever been on a run or worked out and felt some achiness or stiffness in your knees, you're not alone.
This is a super common question we hear at The Impact Initiative Physical Therapy & Performance from runners, hybrid athletes, and active adults.
The short answer? No, knee pain isn’t something you should just accept.
BUT not every ache or “off” feeling means something is wrong.
Why Your Knees Hurt & Can Feel Different Day to Day
One of the biggest things athletes don’t realize is this: Your body is not the same every day.
Your runs and workouts are influenced by:
Sleep quality
Nutrition and hydration
Stress levels (work, life, mental load)
Recovery from previous training
Hormonal fluctuations
Training volume and intensity
Because of that, it’s completely normal to have days where:
Your knees hurt and feel a little stiff
Your body feels heavier or slower
Things feel slightly “off” or different
That does NOT automatically mean injury.
Normal Soreness vs. Pain: How to Tell the Difference
This is where most people get confused.
Normal Training Sensations
Dull soreness or stiffness
Improves as you warm up
Symmetrical (both sides)
Doesn’t change how you move
Goes away within 24-48 hours
This is your body adapting to load.
Pain or Potential Injury
Sharp, pinching, or localized pain
Gets worse as you continue training
Causes you to compensate or change movement
Lingers or worsens over multiple days
Limits performance or confidence
If you have any of these signs or symptoms, it could be a way your body is trying to tell you that it is not handling the load/volume well.
What’s Actually Causing Knee Pain?
When you have knee pain, a lot of the time it is not just a knee issue. Your whole body plays a huge role, and knee pain can be caused by a load management and movement pattern issue, meaning:
The knee is taking on more stress than it can handle
Other areas (hips, ankles, core) aren’t contributing enough
Common contributors:
Poor hip strength or control
Limited ankle mobility
Sudden increases in training volume
Poor movement mechanics (valgus collapse, poor landing control)
Lack of strength through full range of motion
Why This Matters (And Why You Shouldn’t Ignore It)
A lot of people push through knee pain thinking:
“It’ll go away”
“I just need to stretch more”
“This is normal with running”
How It Impacts Runners and Active Adults
If you:
Run regularly
Lift weights
Do HIIT or group classes
Stay active with your kids
Knee pain doesn’t just affect your workouts, it affects:
Your consistency
Your confidence
Your ability to push intensity
Your long-term joint health
You can’t perform at a high level if your body doesn’t trust the movement.
Should You Stop Working Out?
The right approach:
Modify volume and intensity
Clean up movement mechanics
Build strength where you’re lacking
Improve control and stability
Gradually increase load tolerance
Most people either:
Rest completely (and lose progress), or
Push through pain (and make it worse)
How Performance Physical Therapy Helps
At The Impact Initiative Physical Therapy & Performance, we go beyond treating symptoms, we figure out why your knee is getting overloaded in the first place.
What we look at:
Full-body movement (not just your knee)
Strength and mobility deficits
Running or lifting mechanics
Training history and load management
What we do:
Build strength through full ranges
Improve movement quality
Progressively reload the knee
Keep you active while fixing the issue
Our goal is simple: Get you back to training, stronger and more resilient than before.
Why Choose Us for Physical Therapy in Woodstock & Canton, GA?
If you’re searching for:
physical therapy in Woodstock, GA
physical therapy in Canton, GA
or Woodstock Physical Therapy that understands athletes
You need more than rest and basic exercises.
At The Impact Initiative:
We work with runners, lifters, and active adults daily
We focus on performance, not just pain relief
We keep you training while solving the problem
We build long-term resilience
What Should You Do Next?
If your knees feel different, don’t panic, but pay attention.
Ask yourself:
Does it improve as I warm up?
Is it soreness or actual pain?
Is it changing how I move?
If it’s true pain or not improving, address it early.
Final Thoughts
Not every ache is an injury. But real pain is something you shouldn’t ignore. Learning the difference is what keeps you training consistently and performing at a high level.
If you're dealing with knee pain or want expert guidance, The Impact Initiative Physical Therapy & Performance in Woodstock and Canton, GA is here to help hybrid athletes, runners, and active adults perform better and stay pain-free.
Fitness-Forward. Evidence-Based. Impact-Driven.
Performance Physical Therapy
Woodstock, GA
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