Knee pain when running....

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justjenny
justjenny Posts: 529 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I started training with TNT for a half marathon 3 weeks ago. First week was 3 miles and sore the same day afterwards....couldn't walk down stairs....was sore for about 3 days. Week 2 was four miles...got to mile three and locked up. Iced...stretched and took Excedrin...couldn't do stairs....but was good the next day. This past weekend was 5 milkes...got to 2.5 miles and it started again. Pain on the sides, and a sort of locked feeling. Couldn't even finish the run. My shoes are two years old, but I have only run 30 miles max in them before this training started. I bought the roller thing from the running store to stretch my IT band? Nothing seems to work. Does anyone know how to prevent this? My legs want to run, but my knees say no. Not sure how I will do 13 if I can't get past 3....

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  • jsiricos
    jsiricos Posts: 338 Member
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    How much are you trying to lose? It might be a good idea to ease off and let your knees recover, the last thing you want OR need is any kind of knee surgery

    Go with NSAIDS, Ice, elevation, wrap it, and rest some.

    If it doesn't get better, see a Doctor
  • lblert
    lblert Posts: 55
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    I had to change my form to stop knee pain. Heel striking is tough on the knees. I started using a mid/forefoot strike and it made a huge difference.
  • resistance_freak
    resistance_freak Posts: 899
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    get fitted for new shoes. go to a running store and have them analyze your gait and fit you for a pair of proper running shoes.

    This can make a world of difference in your comfort when running.
  • justjenny
    justjenny Posts: 529 Member
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    How much are you trying to lose? It might be a good idea to ease off and let your knees recover, the last thing you want OR need is any kind of knee surgery

    Go with NSAIDS, Ice, elevation, wrap it, and rest some.

    If it doesn't get better, see a Doctor

    I am trying to lose about 15 pounds...not much....I have a doctor appt set for next week...thanks!
  • justjenny
    justjenny Posts: 529 Member
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    I had to change my form to stop knee pain. Heel striking is tough on the knees. I started using a mid/forefoot strike and it made a huge difference.

    I noticed one of my trainers seems to run on her toes....is that what you mean? How can you change your form?
  • justjenny
    justjenny Posts: 529 Member
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    get fitted for new shoes. go to a running store and have them analyze your gait and fit you for a pair of proper running shoes.

    This can make a world of difference in your comfort when running.

    Will definitely do this....thanks!
  • dperich1968
    dperich1968 Posts: 235 Member
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    How long have you been running? I had knee pain when I first starting running because I was doing too many miles too soon. My endurance was there but my muscle strength in my knees and legs needed time to catch up.

    Listen to your body and take it is a little slower. I iced my knees after every run and that helped a lot. I also took ibuprofen for the soreness.

    Getting fit for the correct shoes allowed me to see huge improvement quickly.

    Good Luck and keep running.
  • thehka
    thehka Posts: 74 Member
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    I used to always have pains on the sides of my knee. Never really locked up or anything. I did get a nice brace and it never hurts now...maybe try one out?
  • learnerdriver
    learnerdriver Posts: 298 Member
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    Is the knee pain only when you run?

    The initial diagnosis for me was an overdeveloped ITB- but rolling and strapping knee did not relieve the weakness in my knee, even when walking.

    The 2nd opinion was gluteus damage, aggravated by incorrect walking gait- I walk like a duck, and if I try to do a one legged squat, you can see that one hip is higher than the other. I've changed my stretches, focus on walking straight and am trying to strengthen my inner thigh muscles.
  • moondawg14
    moondawg14 Posts: 249 Member
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    I had to change my form to stop knee pain. Heel striking is tough on the knees. I started using a mid/forefoot strike and it made a huge difference.

    I noticed one of my trainers seems to run on her toes....is that what you mean? How can you change your form?

    You should run however is comfortable to you. The majority of runners use a heel-strike form, and without pain.

    if you went from 0 to 3 miles in one week, your pain is likely from using muscles and joints that you haven't been using.

    If you have pain after 2.5 miles, then you need to stop running at 2 miles! Then, SLOWLY increase your mileage every week.

    If your pain really is from your ITB, then you definitely need to reduce your distance, use the foam roller, and do some other ITB-specific stretches.

    You will also benefit from some light strength/core training. Having strong muscles helps keep your running form from getting sloppy, especially when you're tired. Think compound movements (squats, barbell rows, deadlifts, etc) with moderate weight.

    Good luck!
  • moondawg14
    moondawg14 Posts: 249 Member
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    I used to always have pains on the sides of my knee. Never really locked up or anything. I did get a nice brace and it never hurts now...maybe try one out?

    Braces can be a good SHORT TERM solution. Ultimately, though, they end up doing the work that your muscles and tendons SHOULD be doing. If a brace fixes your problem, you need to figure out a plan to stop using the brace. Usually strength training to stabilize the problem area.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    It sounds to me like there may be a few things going on......

    1. It may be as simple as trying to do too much, too soon, too fast. Running is an activity that require significant physiological adaptation, especially if you've been fairly inactive (it's not just aerobic capacity). The rule of thumb is that week over week increases in mileage should be limited to about 10% to stay injury free.

    2. Knee pain is frequently a manifestation of weak hips and glutes (check out some of the exercises at http://www.runnersworld.com/workouts/glute-strength) if you don't already have strength bands (they're not very expensive) buy a set and make a habit of doing exercises like monster walks & the clam for a few minutes at least a couple of time per week.

    3. Strengthen training helps with injury resistance for runners. Core, lunges, squats etc etc are your friends!

    FWIW IT band injuries will often present as acute pain on the outside/bottom of your knee and you may feel some tightness along the outside of your thigh. You can google IT band stretches, you may also want to find a good massage therapist (one that specializes in sports treatment); I missed 6 weeks of running a few years ago trying to self-treat ITBS when I finally gave in and went to a massage therapist - she had me running again after a couple of session.

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