Runner’s Knee: Why the Modern World is Killing Our Knees (and How We Reset It at JANMI)

By Paulius Jurasius, Founder of JANMI Soft Tissue Therapy, Marylebone

Dear reader,

Let me guess.

Your knee feels a bit dodgy.

 Not sharp pain, but that annoying, nagging kind.

 A kind that shows up when you run, go up stairs, or try to squat.

 You rub it, stretch your quads, maybe Google a few exercises.

But still… that dull pain under the kneecap just won’t go away.

Welcome to Runner’s Knee — or as I often say at JANMI:

“Nature's rebellion against our modern nonsense.”

And today, I want to explain why it’s not just runners who get it… why our ancient bodies are struggling in our artificial lives… and what we’re doing at my JANMI clinic in Marylebone to bring knees (and people) back to balance.

First—What Exactly Is Runner’s Knee?

Technically, it’s called Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS).

 It means irritation around the kneecap (patella) due to poor alignment, tracking issues, or muscular imbalances in the hips, thighs, and even the feet.

But I like to simplify it:

“Your knee is the messenger. The real problem is somewhere else.”

Most of the time, it’s a chain reaction:

• Weak glutes

• Tight hips

• Over-dominant quads

• Lazy feet

• And a whole lot of disconnection between body parts that were designed to move in perfect harmony… barefoot, outdoors, across natural terrain.

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Now?

 We sit. We slump. We run on concrete in £180 trainers.

 And then we wonder: why does my knee hurt?

Let’s Take a Step Back — Literally 200,000 Years

Imagine this:

You're a Homo sapiens, walking 20km a day across forests and plains. You climb, squat, jump, rest in deep hip-flexed positions. Your feet touch soil, your hips are strong, and your spine naturally upright.

Your knees are happy because the entire chain is doing its job.

Now?

• We sit 10 hours a day.

• We walk on flat pavements.

• We wear thick shoes that turn off our proprioception.

• Our glutes go on holiday.

• Our knees become overloaded shock absorbers.

We’ve created a biomechanical mismatch — a disconnect between how we evolved and how we live now.

That’s why Runner’s Knee isn’t a running problem.

It’s a modern human problem.

The Shocking Reality of Modern Knees

At JANMI, I’ve seen clients in their 20s who can’t squat without knee pain.

 Others who’ve had 3 MRI scans, physio, injections — but still can’t run 5 minutes pain-free.

Here are a few stats that should stop you in your tracks:

• Up to 30% of recreational runners will experience PFPS.

• Women are 2x more likely to develop it.

• 80% of knee pain cases I treat at JANMI are caused by muscular imbalances, not injury.

And here’s the big one:

Almost all of them are preventable.

If we just understood our bodies better.

 If we moved how we were designed to.

 If we reconnected to our biological roots.

What’s Causing Runner’s Knee in Modern People?

Let me break it down with a little JANMI insight:

1. Tight Hip Flexors

Thanks, chairs. You’ve shortened our psoas, shut down our glutes, and altered the pelvic position—placing extra strain on the knees.

2. Lazy Glutes

Without strong glute medius and max, the femur rotates inward. That means the patella doesn’t track properly. Result? Kneecap friction. Ouch.

3. Dominant Quads

Especially the lateral side (vastus lateralis). It pulls the kneecap sideways while the inner thigh (VMO) sleeps.

4. Poor Foot Mechanics

Flat arches, stiff ankles, collapsed toe box — all reduce shock absorption and send excess load upstream to the knees.

5. Stress & Disconnection

We forget that tension isn’t just physical. Emotional stress changes how we walk, stand, breathe — and yes, even how our knees feel.

So What’s the JANMI Way?

At JANMI Soft Tissue Therapy in Marylebone, we don’t just poke the sore spot. We track the whole kinetic chain. From foot to hip. From posture to emotion. From fascia to function.

I call it Integrated Reset Therapy — a blend of:

✅ Sports Massage

To warm and condition tissue.

 But not just rub-rub-rub. I use it to prepare the body for change.

✅ Trigger Point Therapy

To release hidden tension in deep muscles — like glute medius, TFL, hamstrings, and calf — that silently sabotage the knee.

✅ Myofascial Release

Ah, this one’s special. I follow the fascial lines from foot to hip. Release stuck tissue. Create freedom and glide again.

✅ Re-education

You walk out with personalised digital material:

• Stretch routines

• Strengthening exercises

• Self-release guides

•  All tailored to YOUR dysfunction, not someone else’s Instagram routine.

And if needed, you can upgrade to a JANMI Premium Pack for Runner's Knee — my most advanced block of sessions for chronic cases.

Client Stories That Inspire Me

One client, a triathlete, hadn’t run pain-free in 8 months. Three sessions later, and after learning to strengthen her feet + glutes — she was sprinting again.

Another, a 63-year-old who hadn’t kneeled in years due to “old age knee.” After MFR on the quads and glute release? She knelt to play Lego with her grandson.

Moments like this are why I do this.

A Glimpse Into the Future (If We Don’t Act)

Let me be brutally honest. If we continue living disconnected, flat-shod, sedentary lives, the future isn’t bright:

• More surgeries by age 50.

• More young people with mobility issues.

• More reliance on painkillers instead of body wisdom.

And worst of all — a generation that doesn’t trust their knees to carry them into life’s adventures.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

A Return to Natural Healing

You don’t need a jungle to reconnect to your body.

You need awareness. You need guidance. You need touch that speaks your body’s ancient language.

That’s what I do at JANMI.

And trust me — the body remembers.

 It wants to be aligned.

 It wants to move freely.

 It just needs the right help.

See Me in Marylebone

If this post resonates — if your knee has been begging for a reset — come visit.

We’re in central Marylebone, London.

  We don’t offer “standard massage.”

  We offer nature-infused soft tissue therapy that treats the body like a kinetic, emotional, beautiful whole.

Final Word

Don’t let your knee pain define your life.

 Let it be a signal — a call back to movement, strength, and connection.

I’m here when you’re ready.

With warmth (and a foam roller nearby),

Paulius Jurasius

 Founder of JANMI Soft Tissue Therapy

 Marylebone, London