Knee pain from running — most often patellofemoral pain, or "runner's knee" — responds to reducing the impact spike that travels up the leg each stride. In shoe terms that means maximum-stack, soft-foam platforms that spread the landing over more time, and a stable base so the knee isn't also fighting side-to-side wobble. The shoes below are ranked by SoleHunt's engine with a knee-pain-aware, max-cushion profile. Cadence work (shorter, quicker steps) and quad/hip strength do more than any shoe — but the right shoe stacks the odds in your favour.