7 Best Running Shoes For Knee Pain in 2025

How we test Running shoes for knee pain

For a shoe to end up here on the list, it has to be tested and then tested again and then to outshine the majority of other shoes. 

First, we buy all the running shoes with our own money. This keeps us unbiased and it feels great as no one is telling us what to write or publish. We are free to publish the most objective test results. 

Second, we do test runs in all the running shoes that we buy, and we make sure to abuse them properly, from running in different weather conditions and varying terrain to doing different paces and distances. 

Third, we rip the shoes apart in the lab. This allows us to measure every little detail. We cut the shoes in half, freeze them, squeeze them, and do whatever it takes to describe each shoe with 20+ data points. We present these findings in a clear way that allows our visitors to compare the shoes with each other and the average values. 

Based on all these tests, we hand-pick the best picks in different categories. Here, we present running shoes that made their competition disappear when it comes to knee pain.

Knee injury, like any other, needs a proper diagnosis and rehabilitation. Shoes can’t do wonders and won’t heal the injury. Here, we discuss different shoe features that may take the load off of your knees, but, as always, we recommend seeing a specialist. 

Facts about knee pain

The knee injury is the most frequent one among runners. In a study that looked at 1,700 runners, 26.1% of them reported having injured their knee at least once during the year. Another study confirmed this by finding that patellofemoral pain syndrome is the most prevalent running injury, accounting for ~25% of running-related injuries. Women are 2.2x more likely to experience knee pain.

When talking about running shoes for knee pain, we focus on the features that allow the stress from the impact (landing) to be relocated from the knees to the lower leg muscles, foot, and ankle.

Most of the research covers PFPS. When experiencing patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), also known as runner’s knee, the pain is felt at the front of the knee, around the kneecap (patella).

This injury happens when the kneecap doesn’t slide up and down the middle of the knee joint’s groove, but when it deviates to the side. Then, the cartilage behind the kneecap gets inflamed.

Running is good for knee health

Let’s look at what the scientific community has to say about this. 

• Recreational running has no negative consequences on knee joint articular cartilage in runners without symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. Actually, recreational running may be beneficial for long-term joint health! The good thing is that only 3.5% of recreational runners have osteoarthritis (knee or hip) unlike sedentary individuals who experience it at a much higher degree (10.2%).
• Higher weekly mileage does not mean higher knee osteoarthritis prevalence. This systematic overview has found that there is no difference in knee osteoarthritis prevalence between runners who run 8-32.1 km, 32.2-48 km, or more than 48 km per week, and controls who run less than 8 km per week. 
• A meta-analysis of 17 studies has shown that running may be protective against generalized knee pain and is not associated with radiological signs of knee osteoarthritis. 

Why diagnosis matters 

It’s easy to say, “My knee hurts.” What’s not always easy is understanding why it hurts. It’s important to nail the exact cause so that you can nail the rehab. Otherwise, you can spend weeks and months struggling with pain and maybe not running at all during that time. 

If you ignore knee pain for a longer period of time, you may damage the knee cartilage and even develop knee arthritis. 

3 features to look for in running shoes for knee pain 

Based on the research and our experience, if you’re struggling with painful knees, we recommend finding running shoes that have:

1. A design that allows landing on the forefoot,
2. A heel drop lower than 5 mm to prevent putting too much stress on the knees, and
3. At least 20 mm of stack height at the forefoot because forefoot strike is recommended, so there should be enough foam to cushion the impact. 

It’s worth noting that most of the shoes made for forefoot strike already have a low heel-to-toe drop. 

Forefoot strike is recommended when your knees hurt 

Many studies have confirmed this. Let’s look at a few: 

1. Landing on the forefoot together with a cadence increase results in lower patellofemoral joint stress than when runners land on the heel. [1]
2. Minimalist running shoes can be good for painful knees! When 15 healthy heel strikers were given different running shoes - those with a minimalist index of 26% and of 86%, researchers noticed these differences: a significant reduction in the maximum flexion angle of the knee, the contact area of the patellofemoral joint, and the peak knee extension moment. They concluded that wearing minimalist running shoes significantly decreases patellofemoral joint stress and which potentially lowers the risk of patellofemoral pain syndrome. [2] If you’re familiar with the minimalist index, we recommend looking at this calculator.
3. Running with a rearfoot strike imposed higher biomechanical loads on the knee and patellofemoral joints, while a forefoot strike imposed higher loads on the ankle joint and Achilles tendon. [3]
4. A forefoot strike may reduce the risk of running-related knee injuries because it exhibits lower patellofemoral stress and knee frontal plane moment than a rearfoot strike. [4]

What basically happens is that, when landing on the forefoot, Achilles' tendons and calves take most of the impact and absorb it, instead of it going to the knees. While we've said before that there's no best foot strike, because one foot strike does not work for everyone, the research has shown that transitioning to the forefoot strike may help with painful knees.

Curious about the foot strike? Head over here: Foot Strike: The Ultimate Guide. 

Why low heel-to-toe drop is important for painful knees 

In one study, 18 runners ran in shoes with 4 different heel drops: 0, 5, 10, and 15 mm. Researchers observed that compared to running in zero-drop running shoes, running in shoes with heel drops higher than 5 mm increased the peak patellofemoral joint stress significantly (more than 15% when running in shoes with a 10 mm and 15 mm drop), which was mainly due to the increased knee extension moment. 

This study even took it to extreme levels by tracking biomechanical parameters when runners with patellofemoral pain ran in shoes with a negative heel drop (-11 mm) and a positive heel drop (5 mm). Running in shoes with a negative heel drop has shown decreased peak patellofemoral joint stress, which may decrease the patellofemoral joint loading and, therefore, reduce the possibility of further development of patellofemoral pain. We don’t recommend running in such shoes and, thankfully, they are not available on the market, except for some zero-drop shoes that we measured to be negative-drop ones, but such heel drops never got lower than -0.8 mm. 

To calculate the heel drop, we have to measure the stack heights first. 

Calculating the heel-to-toe drop is now easy: We just subtract the forefoot stack height from the heel stack height. 

If you’ve been running in high-drop running shoes until now, we recommend that you take time to slowly transition to a low-drop shoe. Better to start with a low drop than a zero drop, as switching to a zero-drop shoe may be too extreme. 

Sudden changes in heel drop may end up with an injury, especially when the change is big (4mm or more) and when you’re aiming for a zero drop. Different heel drops hit different leg muscles. Zero-drop shoes use the foot muscles the most, and as the heel drop raises, so do the muscles utilized, ending with the gluteus and hip muscles in high-drop shoes. 

Running in low-drop shoes utilizes lower-leg muscles: foot muscles, Achilles, calves and puts less pressure on the knee 

Given that the majority of runners here grew up in conventional shoes and sneakers that have a higher drop, they are most likely used to that one, but not to the zero drop. 

It’s also worth noting that, in high-drop running shoes, it would be difficult to land on the forefoot. The chunky heel comes in between! This can be great if you want to stop overstriding but not great as you won’t land on the forefoot. We’ve covered this topic in greater detail here: Heel to Toe Drop: The Ultimate Guide.

If you’re already used to a low drop and want to give zero-drop running shoes a try, here are the best-rated ones for bad knees. These running shoes can be used for strengthening the foot muscles with gradual adaptation period! 

Cushioned forefoot is a must 

Given that the landing on the forefoot is what can help the knees as it takes the pressure off of them, it’s best when there’s enough cushioning to protect you from the impact at the landing. 

Some low-drop running shoes may lack cushioning here because they are very minimalist or even barefoot, and that’s ok for runners who are very experienced with such shoes. If you’re not, and if you’re struggling with painful knees, we recommend a cushioned forefoot. 

If this value worries you and you want something as cushioned as possible, look for the highest stack. 

Softness of running shoes for knee pain

Many runners look for softer shoes thinking they will provide the best comfort but running shoes can be too soft, meaning our feet sink in at the landing and then don’t bounce back enough. 

Also, softer shoes can be significantly less stable, so it’s about personal preference and needs, which depend on different foot conditions. 

In case you want to go the softer route, here are the softest running shoes we’ve tested so far that fulfill the criteria for knee pain: 

And, if you want something firmer, here’s a selection of shoes that won’t disappoint in that regard: 

Toebox width in shoes for runner’s knee: lab data

Given that the forefoot will do so much work in these running shoes, let’s pay more attention to it! Runners have different shapes of toes which is why they have different needs when it comes to the toebox width. 

In our lab, we measure the width of the toebox in 2 places: at the big toe and where it is the widest (around the ball of the foot). We do so for runners to be able to get the toebox that offers more room exactly where their toes need it! 

We pour a special gel into the toebox and freeze them together. Once all set, we take the gel mold out of the shoe and start measuring

This gel mold perfectly resembles the interior of the toebox so we measure its width. 

If this is where you need the most room, here are running shoes for painful knees that are the widest at the big toe: 

If your toes are the widest in this area, here are running shoes to consider: 

However, if you have narrow toes and want something where you won’t slide left to right, we recommend finding narrow toeboxes: 

You may have already noticed that we always add the height of the toebox to these tables. That’s because many runners get black or bleeding toenails and we’d love to prevent that. Finding running shoes with high toeboxes has never been easier given that the toebox height is also something we measure and always publish in our shoe reviews. 

Most durable running shoes for knee pain

If you’re buying new running shoes because your knees are hurting, you may want to know how durable they are so that the investment pays off. Given that we don’t test for the durability of the midsole (YET!), we will explain here other durability tests that we do in our lab. 

Measuring the durability of the outsole. We use a dremel to damage the outsole and then measure the depth of the dent with a tire tread gauge

The deeper the dent, the less durable the outsole. 

The good thing about the outsole is its hardness. When we test the durability of the toebox and heel padding, the material is soft and loose so we can’t measure the damage. We assess it on a 1-5 scale, where 5 is the most durable and 1 is the least durable. 

We use standardized tests: always apply the same pressure, RPMs, and time duration when testing the durability of the shoes

Different knee injuries

Next to the patellofemoral pain syndrome, runners often experience patellar tendonitis or jumper’s knee. The patellar tendon connects the kneecap to the shin bone and it gets inflamed due to overuse. The pain is felt at the front of the knee, below the kneecap.

When the knee hurts on the outer side, we're often experiencing iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS). This is a classic overuse injury and rehab, which involves a lot of hips and glute strengthening, is a must. 

Pain coming from knee bursitis can be felt in different places in the knee, depending on which bursa (small fluid-filled sac) got inflamed. These small sacs reduce friction and cushion the pressure points and when they get irritated, they swell with excess liquid. This is why we often see swelling and tenderness. Ice packs and NSAIDs are often a part of the rehab plan, but a visit to the specialist is highly recommended as sometimes the swelling is so bad that they have to drain the fluid. There could also be an infection, so antibiotics are needed.