What to do about knee pain after running?

I used to run religiously years ago but once I had worked up to about 8 miles a day, my knees would be so sore and achy after that I cut way back on how far I was running. Well, its been a few years and I'm getting back into running. I ran my first ever 5k yesterday which I figured would be safe since its only about 3 miles but for the rest of the day and this morning my knees have been really bothering me. Is there a way to prevent this from happening or something to soothe the ache after a run?

Replies

  • pet1127
    pet1127 Posts: 572 Member
    Ice them
  • ukgirly01
    ukgirly01 Posts: 523 Member
    I get knee pain ( runners knee) if I've hurt my it band, rest, get a foam roller and use it before and after every run, strength training however is the main thing that helps me. I rarely if ever get knee pain now
  • Ashsmith07
    Ashsmith07 Posts: 30 Member
    What's a foam roller and where do I find one? And what strength training exercises do you do that help with your knees? I appreciate all the advice!
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    You can also use a magnesium oil rub (it isn't really oil--it is concentrated sea water--very high in magnesium chloride) on sore knees. I always use it after a workout. You can get it at the health food store. An 8 oz. bottle will cost you around $20 and will last about a year or so. Make sure you dilute it (with distilled water) it as it can be irritating to the skin when used full-strength. It is amazing stuff.

    p.s. You also may need to have your gait analyzed to see if you need different shoes or orthotics for your running shoes. Gait problems can put a lot of stress on a woman''s knees (women athletes have up to 10 times more ACL tears--a common knee injury--than men). Has to do with the angle of the femur entering the pelvis (a woman's pelvis is wider for the length of her femur--increasing the angle). Some athletic shoe stores are doing gait analyses now for free and then they make footwear recommendations based on those analyses. Strengthening the ligaments holding the knee can also be useful.
  • AuntieMC
    AuntieMC Posts: 346 Member
    bump
  • pinky_pinkster
    pinky_pinkster Posts: 56 Member
    This happened to me when I was training for a marathon, I started wearing knee supports, got new + more padded trainers, wore thicker socks, used a foam roller on my legs (videos on youtube show you the exercises) and also lifted weights to strengthen the muscles in my legs, all of this helped me, although the pain never went completely, it did subside quite alot.

    Good luck!
  • OneDimSim
    OneDimSim Posts: 188 Member
    whoa - that is a serious roller there!
  • OneDimSim
    OneDimSim Posts: 188 Member
    Stretch those IT bands and Ice, Ice, Ice