The dreaded clicking knees ....

blackcloud13

I've transformed from a classic couch potato to a runner of sorts - its been great: starting from struggling to get through 2.2 miles in October to running the London Marathon (pretty slowly) six months later!

However, my knees have started complaining! First the right one (knee clicking, and dull pain on the inside knee when I sit for any period of time) - and now the left one has started clicking too. I must confess, I'm pretty poor at pre and post race stretching - could that be he cause?

Any advice on the best exercises/stretches to deal with this? Also, am I making it worse by continuing to run?

schmenge55

If the problem is with the knee itself then continuing to run could make it worse. But in most cases (warning: not a doctor, just a guy who has had problems over the years lol) the knee is the symptom. Usually from a combination of weak glutes and not stretching. Here is a little video I put together for somebody on the glute medius http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMf8n21X4IM If you look on YouTube you will find dozens of others

For stretching I am a hug fan of the foam roll. In particular you want to work your IT bands. Look here for tips on using this http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/roll?page=single

Oh, and one more thing, did you just go out and buy shoes or did you get fitted at a running store. The right shoes make a big difference so if you have not been fitted (where they watch you and make a recommendation) it would be well worth your while

good luck!

blackcloud13

If the problem is with the knee itself then continuing to run could make it worse. But in most cases (warning: not a doctor, just a guy who has had problems over the years lol) the knee is the symptom. Usually from a combination of weak glutes and not stretching. Here is a little video I put together for somebody on the glute medius http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMf8n21X4IM If you look on YouTube you will find dozens of others

For stretching I am a hug fan of the foam roll. In particular you want to work your IT bands. Look here for tips on using this http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/roll?page=single

Oh, and one more thing, did you just go out and buy shoes or did you get fitted at a running store. The right shoes make a big difference so if you have not been fitted (where they watch you and make a recommendation) it would be well worth your while

good luck!
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Thanks for the advice! I had a look at the links, so will be investing in a foam roller shortly. I did get new shoes (in March) from a running shop after a high tech video assessment - so I'm assuming the shoes are good. I can definitely do a better job stretching, and I will cut back on the long runs for a little while too, till this gets better.