"bad" knees and running

Samfish9

I did w7 day1 of C25k last night. I overran, should have been 25 minutes but I did more like 28, a lot more than the runs in week 6. I'm hoping I just overdid it a little but my one knee is very sore this morning. It's okay while I'm walking, but if I get up from squatting or standing it hurts like a son of a gun inside the knee.

I know I have to rest it, but is there anything else I can do to help it?

martyqueen52

Before I got into power-lifting I ran also.

My knees were giving out on me fast from running multiple 5ks in the summer, and running 5 mi. daily.

I gave it up entirely and my knees feel great now. I still run on weekends only for 3 miles with a 80lb. weighted vest and they never hurt even with the added weight.

BigT555

RICE.

Rest
Ice
Compression
Elevation

these are meant for full on soft tissue injuries, but i have found that they help for general joint and muscle soreness as well

do all 4 of these for recovery. as for during running, try landing on your toes as opposed to heels. this will greatly reduce the impact on your knees, i found this helped significantly for me when i was trying to get into running a couple months back. takes a bit of getting used to but i found i could also run faster and for longer doing this

MagnumBurrito

If you don't stretch a lot, it's probably your hammy's shortening. Both them and the quads wrap around the knee.

Samfish9

I till try landing on the toe area, that could be the trouble.

It's definitely not the hamstrings shortening, I can feel it deep inside the knee. Like bone on bone,

sixisCHANGEDjk

Land mid-foot. Check you shoes as well. Get some advice on which are right for you at the local running store. That could be the problem.

sc003ro

I did w7 day1 of C25k last night. I overran, should have been 25 minutes but I did more like 28, a lot more than the runs in week 6. I'm hoping I just overdid it a little but my one knee is very sore this morning. It's okay while I'm walking, but if I get up from squatting or standing it hurts like a son of a gun inside the knee.

I know I have to rest it, but is there anything else I can do to help it?

ice ice and more ice...it is magical ....i have had surgery 3 times same knee...I wrap all sides 20 on 20 off....it really helps

djprice_69

If it is an option, try running barefoot, particularly in a grassy area if you can. Heel-to-toe running causes a lot of hard impact which can cause undue stress to the knees. A previous poster hit the nail on the head already when he mentioned how your foot lands with each step.

eep223

What all these folks are saying (RICE, specifically), but I will also add that after you've rested it a bit, you should add more strength training into your routine. It could be a sign of weak hips/glutes. At least, that's what the deal was in my case..

Capt_Apollo

it happens. like others said, rest and ice it. take some ibeuprofen for the swelling. warm up better before a run, and really cool down and stretch afterwards.

a friend of mine described starting to exercise like a pool that hasn't been used in a while. sure, the surface might look cool and clean, but when you cannonball in, all the stuff on the bottom gets stirred up.

Apple31415

Funny thing about the hamstrings - they can cause all kinds of referred pain. (knees, back, hips) I go through the same thing (had most of cartilege in knees removed during an athletic career) and it never fails - hamstring stretches alleviate my knee pain. It may feel like bone on bone, but give it a try - just go really slow on the stretches - don't yank on them.

WarriorCupcakeBlydnsr

Ice and rest and look into exercises for strengthening the muscles around the knee. I have chondromalacia patella (when I bend my knee to go up and down stairs, squats, lunges, ect it feels like something is pulling in my knee or bone on bone rubbing... it's really not, it's just that the cartilage in the knee is worn down) I was a runner and avid gym goer and this is what they're having me do in physical therapy, it may help you too. I had to quit running for a while and right now my workouts are modified and don't include squats/lunges until either the physical therapy helps or the doc tries something else.

usmcj80

There are a ton of reasons why your knee might be hurting.

1) If you are only running and not doing any other leg type strength training than you are only working a limited amount of the muscles available in the legs. This can cause an imbalance in the way your muscles are pulling on the joints and cause pain. I have had an ACL replacement (not running related injury) and if I do not balance out my leg muscles with strength training it begins to become unbearable. So I strength train and never have an issue.

2) Sometimes a knee pain can be a sign of over training. The programs are designed to take an average person through the progression of increasing mileage every week. Most people can safely increase mileage by 10% each week with a week of pull back on the third or fourth week for active recovery. Sometimes though that is to much increase and you can start developing pains. Basically your bodies way of telling you that you went to fast.

3) If your shoes are old and do not fit properly it can start adding up on you as mileage increases. I always suggest going to a specialty running store and allowing them to fit you and spend the extra money on a good pair of shoes. Can save you tons of pain and cash down the road.

Those are just what I think are the top three reasons but there may be other medical stuff involved. I wouldn't get discouraged or anything though, just take it as a sign from your body to pull back a bit and rest up and then continue on. Ice can help make it feels better as it is probably just inflamed and rest. Nothing against walking for a week instead of running or do some low impact stuff like an elliptical and then after about a week redo your week 7 again. You will be fine.

thatjosiegirl

I have had issues with knee pain as well, and came to the conclusion that it was a product of muscle weakness (tight hip flexors/hamstrings and weak glutes) from having a desk job and sitting all day.

Also I realized that I was running with bad form and that was part of my issue as well. I would suggest looking for videos on proper running form.

Will_Thrust_For_Candy

There are a ton of reasons why your knee might be hurting.

1) If you are only running and not doing any other leg type strength training than you are only working a limited amount of the muscles available in the legs. This can cause an imbalance in the way your muscles are pulling on the joints and cause pain. I have had an ACL replacement (not running related injury) and if I do not balance out my leg muscles with strength training it begins to become unbearable. So I strength train and never have an issue.

2) Sometimes a knee pain can be a sign of over training. The programs are designed to take an average person through the progression of increasing mileage every week. Most people can safely increase mileage by 10% each week with a week of pull back on the third or fourth week for active recovery. Sometimes though that is to much increase and you can start developing pains. Basically your bodies way of telling you that you went to fast.

3) If your shoes are old and do not fit properly it can start adding up on you as mileage increases. I always suggest going to a specialty running store and allowing them to fit you and spend the extra money on a good pair of shoes. Can save you tons of pain and cash down the road.

Those are just what I think are the top three reasons but there may be other medical stuff involved. I wouldn't get discouraged or anything though, just take it as a sign from your body to pull back a bit and rest up and then continue on. Ice can help make it feels better as it is probably just inflamed and rest. Nothing against walking for a week instead of running or do some low impact stuff like an elliptical and then after about a week redo your week 7 again. You will be fine.

Agreed. Also, if it doesn't get better within a couple of days it would be worthwhile to go to your doctor just to ensure there isn't more going on.

Eric_DeCastro

I have "bad" knees. when i go for a long run (over 6.2 miles) I'll tape up my knees with KT Tape and it takes care of that issue but I feel tenderness when I run without tape and I feel it the next day. i went to the DR but it seems I have to see a specialist because the dr said just take motrin.oh well, i deal with it. just try and be comfortable running.

mamahannick

Make sure you have good shoes. I used to get knee pain frequently after running, and now with my proper running shoes I feel so much better. If my knee hurts now it's because I really REALLY overdid it.