Can I keep running with runner's knee?

Usually, yes — with two conditions. Runner's knee is an irritated joint, not a structural injury, so sensible loading isn't damaging it. The evidence-based rule of thumb: discomfort during or right after a run should stay manageable (mild, not sharp), and it should settle back to your usual baseline by the next morning. Meet both conditions and you can keep running while you rehab.

Don't stop everything — cut the specific aggravators. That usually means the sudden volume jump that started this, downhill running, and very long sits between runs. Keep the easy flat mileage that passes the next-morning test.

If even short flat runs fail the morning-after test, drop impact for a couple of weeks while you do the strength work, then re-test with a short run rather than guessing.

Continuing to run is about keeping your life while you recover, not treatment. The actual fix is progressive hip-and-knee strengthening over roughly six to twelve weeks. Do both: run what your knee tolerates, and build the capacity that makes full mileage tolerable again.