Beginner runner- knee pain

inkdgirl

I have just started running on the treadmill and am experiencing ligament pain in my knees... I do a 20 minute warm up on the elliptical then 5 min on the treadmill to warm up, I run at 4.8 speed 0 incline.... i have been icing my knees after and that seems to help..

is there anything i should be doing prior to the run to prevent this pain, or will it just take time? It hurts when i first start out, but once i get going im ok.. then the pain hits afterwards also...

is it just because i havent ran in a few years.. dont want to damage my knees

any input from you experienced runners is greatly appreciated!

Nikstergirl

How old are your shoes???? Make sure they are the proper fit (see a pro for this) and try the incline at 1. That helps me!

ImperfektAngel

I was very scared of this as well when I first started to run. My pain did go away once I got used to the running though, hope you feel better

pittsblue99

I am certainly not an experienced runner by any means but make sure you have good shoes

ImperfektAngel

How old are your shoes???? Make sure they are the proper fit (see a pro for this) and try the incline at 1. That helps me!

great point! shoes are very important!

findingfit23

Adding some incline helps

chevy88grl

If you haven't run in awhile, I would start off very slow (and low speed) and gradually work your way up. When I'm away from the gym for a week or more, I drop my start off speed down to 4.3 or 4.4 for the first little while that I'm running. I feel like my body needs me to move up slowly.

Also, if the pain is that bad - STOP RUNNING. Don't put your knees at risk for a serious injury. Take it from someone who ignored hip pain for a long time only to end up with a stress fracture.

kungfu84

I have found since I am not much of a runner either that interval training has been helping me build endurance and it does not bother my knees (I have a long history of knee issues). I start with a 5 minute brisk walk warm-up, then start my first interval at 4.6 at a 1.5-2% incline, run for 30 seconds then jump off and rest for 30 seconds, increase speed by 0.1 for each interval. I have worked up to 6.7 as my speed and have now transitioned to 45 on 15 off. Also if you're interested on working on your form check out Pose Running, it takes a lot of the pressure off your knees!! I also concur about the shoes...I find minimalist shoes to be the best to make sure I don't heel strike!! Hope this help and happy running!!!

tolygal

I'm no doctor and I don't know what kind of pain you're experiencing, but I used to have some mild knee pain when I ran and even when I did other things like step aerobics. I started taking glucosomine (sp?) and I don't feel the pain anymore. It could be the weight loss or that my knees are in better condition now or the glucosomine - but I'm convinced that it helped. I've been taking it for probably at least 6 months and I never have knee pain anymore. I think it only took a couple of weeks to really notice a difference.

Oh - and I agree on the shoes too!! In fact, I need some new ones myself...

tigerbluefly

I have knee issues as well. Mine started when I started running. I did too much too soon. Make sure you are not overdoing it. Also, you can try shortening your stride, that helps. Build up your quads, they will protect your knees, the stronger they are. The biggest thing with me is hamstrings and the IT band. If they are tight they pull my knees out of alignment and cause pain. Don't stretch them when you are not warmed up though. Run for 5 minutes and stretch out, then run again. If you still feel some pain, stop and stretch again. If the pain doesn't go away after 20 minutes, stop or you will do some damage. Mine usually goes away after 15 minutes if I stop and stretch it out a bit. I have pain everytime I run.
Stretch out the IT band really good when you get home, hamstrings too, and ice, elevate for 15 minutes and take Advil or Motrin to reduce the swelling.
Try not to increase your distance more than 10% a week. That will keep you away from injury.
Invest in a really good pair of shoes too. Very important! Hope that helps!

InStabilityKills

How old are your shoes???? Make sure they are the proper fit (see a pro for this) and try the incline at 1. That helps me!

great point! shoes are very important!

This helped me also! I bought new shoes - not traditional kind since i have thin narrow feet but just changing my sneakers and keeping the treadmill on an incline helped a lot. Also try some strength training for your legs. Your knee muscles might just be too week to start running at such a fast pace so soon after just restarting. GOOD LUCK!

Dragonwolf

There are a few things to look at when dealing with pain:

1. Do you do strength exercises? Are you including exercise to strengthen the muscles around the knees? If not, check out Yoga poses. There are a ton of great ones for strengthening the joint support muscles (the little ones that help prevent injury that weight lifting often misses).

2. Are you running properly? You shouldn't be slamming your foot down heel-to-toe, but landing softly on the middle of your foot. Running wrong will lead to injury and long-term joint problems.

3. What are your shoes like? Either buy good running shoes, or get barefoot/minimalist shoes (proper stride is of the utmost importance, though!). Worn out running shoes aren't doing you any favors.

4. Are you overexerting yourself? If you haven't run in a long time, it's possible you're just overdoing it. Try going a little slower and see how things go. The elliptical is not the same as running, either, so regardless of what you can do on the elliptical, it doesn't translate to the treadmill.

inkdgirl

Thank you for all the great tips,I have a running room store right near my house so ill check them out and get fitted for some shoes! I also never thought to raise the incline, i figured that would be too hard.. and i will reduce the speed a bit! thanks again

scottb81

Try running in your socks or barefooted once and see if that helps. Getting rid of structured running shoes cured all my knee pains.