Knee pain - exercise suggestions

ja9smakinachange
ja9smakinachange Posts: 144 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all.
I went for a run last night (first in a while) and after about 4 miles the outer left knee was a bit sore. Today it's tender, not swollen but hurts fairly constantly (mild- dull ache when sitting, sharper pain while walking)

1.suggestions (good links to sites, personal experience, etc) on stretches/treatment
2.suggestions on what I can do to still keep up on exercise?

Thanks in advance

Replies

  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    Do you have a full range of motion in the knee? Can you fully flex it and fully extend it?

    What kind of shoes do you have? Are they new, were they chosen for you specifically at a running store?

    How is your leg strength in general? Do you do anything other than run?
  • IreneAdler221
    IreneAdler221 Posts: 185 Member
    Does it hurt worse while running or after? Going up and down stairs? When I had pain on the outer knee it was IT band syndrome. Swimming or cycling was recommended by my osteo to keep up endurance while waiting for it to heal.
  • ja9smakinachange
    ja9smakinachange Posts: 144 Member
    Full range of motion, flex and extend fine soreness when about 80% straight. The pain is strange because it's not at heal impact it's when I am pulling my leg forward to take a step.

    Shoes are new balance, I only buy my shoes at running stores even though I have a neutral gait and could probably buy them elsewhere. They've got about 100 miles on them, so not new but not old (I usually buy new at 300-400 or if I start to feel lower back aches after runs)

    Leg strength should be good, I do weight training. 3x a week with one leg devoted to legs/butt and the others have moves that include legs like squat/shoulder press.
  • ja9smakinachange
    ja9smakinachange Posts: 144 Member
    Does it hurt worse while running or after? Going up and down stairs? When I had pain on the outer knee it was IT band syndrome. Swimming or cycling was recommended by my osteo to keep up endurance while waiting for it to heal.

    It was tender
    At night, but worse today. Stairs seem ok. Great excuse for a swim later :)
  • pa_jorg
    pa_jorg Posts: 4,404 Member
    One of the best things you can do to prevent knee pain is to strengthen your hip and thigh muscles. That will take some pressure off your joints. Try kickboxing or pilates moves.

    If that doesn't help, get new sneakers or visit the doctor.
  • dmcginnis89
    dmcginnis89 Posts: 8
    i used to have knee pain after every time i ran! it got to the point to where i wouldn't run cause it hurt so bad. I went to the doctor for it after putting up with it for so long and he told me i had extreme flat feet! he started calling me 'suction cup" cause he said my feet were so flat that i would stick to the ground if i walked barefoot all the time. he suggested going to a running store and having them hook me up with some specialized shoes. The made me stand on a gel machine, recorded me walking/jogging/sprinting and a couple days later i had some custom made insoles. over all i spent about about 400 bucks, but it was worth it! i've been running pain free for the past couple years and it's great!
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    Does this sound like what you have?

    http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/kneepainandinjuries/a/IT_Band_Pain.htm
  • schmenge55
    schmenge55 Posts: 745 Member
    If you do not have one get yourself a foam roll. You can search Runner's World for videos on how to use. It sounds to me like tight IT bands
  • ja9smakinachange
    ja9smakinachange Posts: 144 Member
    Does this sound like what you have?

    http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/kneepainandinjuries/a/IT_Band_Pain.htm

    Some of it rings true, but not the stairs or seated pain. I've looked at other knee issues and treatment seems about the same. RICE & listen to my body. I suppose 5 miles was too much after taking nearly a month off. I'll go for a swim later at the local pool and see how that feels. Thanks
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    Does this sound like what you have?

    http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/kneepainandinjuries/a/IT_Band_Pain.htm

    Some of it rings true, but not the stairs or seated pain. I've looked at other knee issues and treatment seems about the same. RICE & listen to my body. I suppose 5 miles was too much after taking nearly a month off. I'll go for a swim later at the local pool and see how that feels. Thanks

    Swimming isn't rest, but okay.
  • lucasmoten
    lucasmoten Posts: 143 Member
    I went through a bout of this for a few weeks while training for a 5K via C25K. I wasn't a runner before, so it seems common for those just starting out, or getting back into it... Here's what I did to fix it ... Hopefully something here will work for you.

    1) Make sure you have proper running shoes. Luckily, I had running shoes from before that were working well enough, but I might retire mine soon as they are a few years old, and despite not having mileage wear and tear, they aren't as fresh as a new pair.

    2) Mix up your running with flats, uphills, and downhills.

    3) If you feel a sharp pain, stop. Don't push through it

    4) Once you have this pain in your knee, avoid running on pavement (or treadmills, or anything else flat that has no give). Switch over to elliptical or biking for the same relative cardio but no impact.

    5) Do strength training. Hips, thighs, glutes and other core. If when you stand up you 'favor' one leg over the other, make a conscious effort to give the other work. Either balance evenly, or practice balancing on only one leg. In my case, I favored the right leg, and it was my left knee that was taking a beating.

    6) Try the bands that go around your leg at your knee. Sometimes they work. I tried a few. I felt better, but it could have been just in my head.

    Whenever I had knee pain, it would be killer all day long. I took plenty of ibuprofen, and drank lots of water. Even the next day (rest day) it would feel sore. By the end of that day the pain seemed to dissipate tempting me to run again on a normal day. Don't cave into this temptation. It took me a week of trying to run too soon before I realized I wasn't giving it enough rest days to recover. Finally I switched to running one day outside, then elliptical on my other 2 running days for the week until it was healed. Eat good, take vitamin supplements, and it should heal up fairly quickly. But only if you allow it to.

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