Running: Knee Pain

shedding60

Hi All,

I have a question about running and knee pain. I'm just getting into running now and am clearly no expert, but I've been working on it and have been having some trouble with only my right knee. I've been to the running store and gotten the correct shoes and all that, but the instant I start running, my right knee starts to ache. When I stop running and start walking (regardless of speed) the pain stops.The pain is not severe, and i could probably push through it, but it is constant regardless of stride length and running speed. I really enjoy running other than this and want to figure out how to fix it!!!! I'm not sure if it's a stride/form problem, if i still have the wrong shoes or have an actual knee problem that I should get checked out. Has anyone else experienced this? And how do I fix it? Any ideas would be much appreciated!

Thanks:)

Zylahe

Munsch2. My advice is to never run through the pain. You could make things alot worse.
Last year i tore the meniscus in my knee and could barely walk for 6 months, and only started running again after a whole year off.
The pain could be due to an imbalance of the muscles.
I would say try to get it looked at if you can, either gait analysis. A physio may be able to help .
Does your knee tun in during your stride?
Also what is you balance like. (how long can you stand on one leg with your arms by your side and eyes closed?)
And how strong are you glutes?
To fix my knee i had to do a lot of stretching, of the glutes, hamstrings, calves. And then stengthening for those areas.
I

leightonsmommy

Hi
I wish i could offer some advice, but I cant, as I am in exactly the same situation and have spent the morning googling knee pain myself :-S Whilst on a long hilly run this morning my knee popped as I went up the steepest part, and is now stiff. I had a similar problem on a long run a few weeks back and took a week off and thought it was resolved. My plan is to RICE it (rest, ice, compression, elevate), and take a week or so off and see how i get on.
C x

beccalucy

I'm currently struggling with a knee issue due to running, best advice I can give is don't run through pain. Learn to distinguish it from discomfort and stop if it's painful. Look at potentially getting insoles, I found that I need them only in one shoe and they relieved the discomfort as they prevented knee rolling.

What surface are you running on?

RICE is the best short-term plan, initially ice every couple of hours, particularly if there's swelling. If in doubt get it looked at.

deepfuture

3 things to look at the helped me , Make sure you have the correct running shoes for your foot.. you can research that online , try build some muscle in your legs to strengthen muscles and maybe try running form like Chi Running .. hope it helps , good luck

nuttyfamily

I had knee pain my left knee while running.

I went back to the running store and they got me into another pair of shoes.

I also went to the doc and had things checked out to make sure there was nothing truly wrong going on. For me, there was not so it was a matter of my knees of getting used to running which I had never done in my life until the age of 42.

I also use a knee strap suggested by my doctor to stabilize the knee more and that helps big time. I wear it right below the knee cap.

icculus19

i have the same issue with pain in the right knee. the best advice i can give is alieve pre and post run and ice post run. also try condrointant/glucosamine. also if you have a soft track (rubberized track) nearby give it a shot and see how the pain is. you may also want to stay away fron the treadmill (nototious for causing injuries) and hilly courses.

from experience dont run through the pain. the pain is your body's way of telling you to stop. i had pain in my achillies last year and ran the philly marathon. i was out for 2 months and now the "achillies-tendonitious" is a recurring issue.

NoxDineen

Lots of good advice here. Do not run through the pain, do ice and elevate it post-run.

Try to work on leg strength in other ways, stronger muscles around the kneecap can help a lot.

ittybittypixie

Hi! You could try speed walking if that makes your knee happy. Several people in my boot camp walk just as fast as I am jogging, and their heart rate is still up so it seems like we are all getting the same benefit. If you keep hurting it will just make it harder to want to do anything else... good luck!

rblakeman

I have had the opposite problem...no knee problems when I run, but terrible knee problems when I walk. The culprit, for me, is my walking form causes problems with the muscles on the outside of my thigh...I address this by not walking for exercise and making sure to stretch that outside muscle. If it gets jacked up, lying on my side and rolling on a rolling pin wrapped in a towel helps to work out the kink (very painful, but very effective...physical therapists have equipment for this, but the homemade version seems to work for me).

lmc8774

If you have health insurance, I'd go to a doctor and get it checked out. I had knee pain that stopped me from running, went to the doctor and did PT and have been fine since, including running a marathon. My PT was based on strengthening the quad and stabilizer muscles in my legs. If you don't have health insurance maybe try working on doing exercises on your own to see if that helps. Also, in addition to shoe changes, also try changing running styles, i.e. heel strike vs. mid-foot strike. Good luck.

shedding60

Thank you all for your input! I really concentrated on my form yesterday and I had no pain....maybe it was the way I was landing previously. Who knows lol? But i really appreciate all of your assistance:)

Zylahe

Form is definatly important.
Ii saw a new physio on monday and got told i wasn't walking. Properly.
Apparently i don,t plant my heel, so i've been working on that this week and its already heaps better.

GiddyupTim

I think pain in the knee is nothing to be trifled with. Pain in the muscles is part of the territory. Pain in the joint is something else. Better to get it checked out by a professional than to be sorry later -- after you have suffered irreparable damage.