Runner's Knee OUCH!

emsyann21

Hey all! I unfortunately have runners knee...pretty sure in both knees I do the ice/ibuprofen dance already and have been told that strengthening my quads and core will help. Any other tips??? Anything from running to zumba seems to aggravate them.

HikerRR50

Cross training. Squats. Hike. Bike.

zillah73

I slowed down from running– walking at an incline on the treadmill – but continued to do strength training/weight lifting with my legs. It seemed counter intuitive that working out would help a knee that got hurt working out, but it really did help. I was back to 100% after a few weeks..

BrianSharpe

It's more likely that you want to strengthen hips & glutes than quads (as well as core)

Cycling is particularly good for runners and I find rowing makes my legs feel great the day after a hard run.

Knee pain can also be a manifestation of IT Band Syndrome - I missed about 6 weeks of running due to that a few years ago - seek out the services of a physiotherapist or registered massage therapist.

ThickMcRunFast

It's more likely that you want to strengthen hips & glutes than quads (as well as core)

Cycling is particularly good for runners and I find rowing makes my legs feel great the day after a hard run.

Knee pain can also be a manifestation of IT Band Syndrome - I missed about 6 weeks of running due to that a few years ago - seek out the services of a physiotherapist or registered massage therapist.

This (especially the bolded).

Could also be your shoes

Could also be 'too much too fast too soon' - what is your running schedule like, and how long have you been doing it?

fleetzz

I had the same thing happen to me, all I did was run (jog slowly for short distances).

Squats, lunges, cycling, swimming. Do all of these and curtail your running until the knee pain improves. When you start increasing miles, do so slowly. I spent weeks of physical therapy doing no running, just cycling. Could have skipped that. I then ran again, a single run of 1.3 miles and pain was back. Went to personal trainer explaining my issue and she got me stretching and strengthening my muscles (especially glutes). I still occasionally get sore knees, but that just tells me I have been slacking on my stretching and strengthening.

ATT949

Hey all! I unfortunately have runners knee...pretty sure in both knees I do the ice/ibuprofen dance already and have been told that strengthening my quads and core will help. Any other tips??? Anything from running to zumba seems to aggravate them.

I had runners knee/chrondromalacia patellae/patellofemoral pain syndrome starting in 1977 and ending in October 2011. As I was told when I did physio in 1977, my kneecaps weren't tracking correctly due to an imbalance in how my leg muscles developed playing sports in college. Four months of running and I've been pain free ever since.

Perhaps a visit to a sport med doc or physio therapist would be a very good move?

And I would strongly recommend against using IBU unless it's for a specific injury (I realize that you state as such). By design, IBU reduces the inflammation response and it's quite possible that it may to reduce the body's natural inflammation response on a long term basis. Good for short term use in response to an injury but I avoid it for the normal aches and pains that we feel as a result of training.

SarahAnna87

Oh Runner's Knee..... Also known as patellofemoral pain syndrome. I have been going to physio off and on over the years for this. Strengthening your quads is really helpful. I would also invest in a foam roller and look up some techniques on how to use it. I have also read that using ibuprofen is not exceptionally beneficial as that is meant for muscle pain and runners knee is typically an issue of ligaments and tendon strength.
I have suffered from this for years now, but it only flares up if I am not diligent about rolling every day.

Good luck!

QuietBloom

Have you had a gait analysis and shoe fitting done at a running store? Essential for minimizing injuries.