Any runners who have a bad/dislocating knee cap?

butterfli7o

I have started power walking with the hopes of being able to run, at least a little. I have a bad left kneecap that dislocates at times, and when it does it's very painful. When I do start to jog, I feel like I'm holding myself back because of the fact that I could potentially hurt myself...it's all mental. I've heard most knee braces are useless. Anyone else run with a bad knee and have any suggestions?

butterfli7o

Bump, anyone?

LaLouve_RK

Wish I could help...
When I was a figure ice skater, I had to see a "Sport Doctor" because my knee was giving me bad sensations, sometimes hurt. He diagnosed a premature wear... He wanted to injected, i dont remember what, in it... I said no way pal!
A year after the diagnosis, I have stopped skating (Financial issues). Now, maybe 17 years after, my knee is good... I need to bend it sometimes though to make it "crunch"... I have not see a doc about it since my skater years, but I think that less "shocks" on them helped a lot to recover....

macdiver

When I was a teenager, my left patella would dislocate. I had to have it put back in its proper place in emergency rooms twice. At nineteen I had surgery to "tighten" up the ligaments to hold the patella in place. The surgery was successful in that I have not had any full dislocations only partial dislocations (subluxation is the technical term) since. If you have not seen an orthopedic doctor I would highly suggest that you do so (required legal disclaimer).

As for running with the knee, I routinely ran 10 miles a day before I had surgery. After surgery I ran until I got out of the Army at age 21. One of the reasons that I quit running is that my knees (both left and right) would swell a few hours afterwords. I was a heel striker at that time.

A few years ago, I started running again. This time I learned to land on the front or mid part of my feet with my feet under my center of gravity. This lessens the impact transmitted to the knee and hip. I recently completed my first marathon the day after I turned 47.

One thing the surgeon told me to avoid was any activity that puts a lateral force on the knee like skiing, quick turns while running (think cutting left to avoid a tackle), sudden stops like tennis or racquetball. Straight running was encouraged by my doctor. He told me the at age 19 that if I ever quit moving the knee would worsen and I would not be able to walk but if I stayed active I would be fine. I truly believe that now.