Runners how do you take care of your knees ....

hyper_stitch
hyper_stitch Posts: 180 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm just restarting running with the C25K program and straight away my knees are hurting ..... Like crazy growing/joint pains.

I've had my gait tested and bought the right shoes etc wore a knee support on the last run and that helped a little.

Ay advice really appreciated .... How about applying ice? Does anyone have any experience with this?

Replies

  • lblert
    lblert Posts: 55
    When I first started running I had knee pain. I read some running books and figured out that I was over-striding in front of my body. I shortened my stride length and sped up my cadence to keep my steps light and beneath by body rather than in front. I also noticed that I ran with my toes facing outward rather than straight ahead, so I made sure to keep my feet facing forward and aligned with my knees. Made all the the difference - no more knee pain, even now that I running 3-5 miles at a time several times a week.

    Icing your knees and taking an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen or naproxen should help alleviate the pain that you currently have.
  • veg_jen
    veg_jen Posts: 20 Member
    That's a bigger question than it sounds.

    Is it a sharp, acute pain or general achiness?

    It's hard to know what the problem specifically is for you. If you are very overweight, you are putting a lot of stress on your joints when running. That can hurt. If you are running too much too soon, that can hurt.

    And to make things more fun, there is currently some controversy over whether a person's gait even needs to be corrected. Gait analysis is only as good as the person who does it.

    Are you using a low drop shoe? Low cushion?

    You said you are restarting. How long has it been since you last ran regularly? Did you have knee problems then? What shoes were you wearing?
  • brandiuntz
    brandiuntz Posts: 2,717 Member
    Some thoughts from my experience:

    1. Applying ice and foam rolling after every run. Making sure to warm-up enough.
    2. Review running form. I've learned to take shorter strides so that my foot lands in line with my knee and hip.
    3. What kind of surface do you run on? Concrete is very tough on the joints. Asphalt is better than concrete. A running track or trail is even better. I run on actual dirt trails or a jogging trail (gravel mix) most of the time.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,249 Member
    Check on runnersworld.com for hip & glute exercises. Weak glutes & hips will frequently manifest themselves a knee pain.

    Generally speaking, though, knee pain is often a sign of trying to do too much, too soon too fast. Keep your stride short (your forward foot should not extend too far in front of your hips), your pace slow and don't try to rush your progress. One of any runner's goal is to finish every day injury free.
  • ATT949
    ATT949 Posts: 1,245 Member
    I'm just restarting running with the C25K program and straight away my knees are hurting ..... Like crazy growing/joint pains.

    I've had my gait tested and bought the right shoes etc wore a knee support on the last run and that helped a little.

    Ay advice really appreciated .... How about applying ice? Does anyone have any experience with this?

    I'm just restarting running with the C25K program and straight away my knees are hurting ..... Like crazy growing/joint pains.

    I've had my gait tested and bought the right shoes etc wore a knee support on the last run and that helped a little.

    Ay advice really appreciated .... How about applying ice? Does anyone have any experience with this?

    A lot of helpful replies but let me add in my tuppence.

    I started having knee pain when I was a senior in college (1977) and it was due to improper development of my leg muscles. I had constant knee pain from 1977 until October of 2011, which was 4 months after I started running. I've had no resting knee pain since then.

    Assuming that you are within about 15 pounds of your goal weight, your weight is probably not a factor in causing knee pain. My rational is that even if your goal weight was 100 pounds, the extra 15 pounds probably isn't going to make a difference between knee pain and being pain free. If your knees were weak to begin with, then maybe the extra weight would push you over the edge but 15% over is something that healthy knees can deal with.

    For the first year or so that I was running, my knees would hurt when I did a 6 or 8 mile run so I bought the "ice doughnuts" at CVS (can't find them on the CVS site - maybe Amazon has them) and they helped.

    After running for about a year, maybe a little more, I stopped using them. By that time I was strong enough that a 6 mile run was no big deal and I have no knee pain know even when I run 14 miles (the longest I've run since I started running again).

    Using ice, while a sounds treatment, is treating the symptom, not the underlying issue. If you're wearing a knee brace or having to ice frequently, why not see an ortho doc or a sports doc for a diagnosis? (note - chiropractors are not doctors)

    Running surface - run on whatever you want. Repeated studies have shown that there is no correlation between the hardness of the running surface and injury. The current thinking on this is that the body holds up so well because we actually adjust shock absorbency as our foot impacts the ground. Pretty cool when you think about!

    Ibuprofen - it's a miracle drug for me but I avoid taking it unless I'm injured.
    Ibuprofen inhibits the creation of prostoglandins as part of its healing process. Unfortunately, in some individuals, ibuprofen also inhibits the body's creation of prostoglandins which means those particular folks will recover more slowly from any injury.
    In that you have a recurring injury, it might be good to take IBU in the very short term, knowing that you're addressing the underlying issue. This page has more detail on this topic, but I think Fellrnr is being very conservative in his outlook:

    http://fellrnr.com/wiki/NSAIDs_and_Running

    "Crash landing" AKA overstriding - that occurs when you land with you leg straight so that your foot lands in front of your knee. When you land that way, you're absorbing shock with your bones and joints which can be very painful. Google "overstriding" or have a looksee on that topic at runnersworld.com

    I hope you're able to solve this issue quickly. I suffered for years with knees that snapped and cracked as well as frequent, stabbing pain like a hot poker going through my right knee and an incessant low level pain in my left knee. After almost 35 years, I started running and everything cleared up!
  • froeschli
    froeschli Posts: 1,292 Member
    I just read a book on running form called "natural running" by Danny Abshire. He makes many good points on form, and also provides a list of strength exercises and form drills.
    Personally, I found since I started transitioning to run barefoot style (in minimalist shoes, about half my runs), I take shorter steps and land a lot more lightly on the forefoot than I ever did with running shoes and landing heel first. I am not saying "go run barefoot" but for me it was a great tool to examine and change my form. No more pain since, well, sore feet if I do too much at once.
  • windyrobotham
    windyrobotham Posts: 19 Member
    I figured out the slope in the road that i was running on was causing my knee discomfort.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Squats, lunges, leg extensions (1 leg only working only the last 30 degrees or so of extension).

    Hip abduction, hip extension, glute thrusts

    Also some balance and stability work--step ups, squats on a BOSU ball (flipped over so you are standing on the flat part), lunges stepping forward with one foot on the rounded end of a BOSU.

    Basically, an overall lower body strength and conditioning program.
  • Konfetti123
    Konfetti123 Posts: 26 Member
    You should try stretching your hps more, tight hips can cause knee pain!!
    Google for hip opening stretches and do them after every run.
  • cwsikes
    cwsikes Posts: 86
    It depends on what kind of knee pain you have really. I had knee pain for a while last year after running a trail half-marathon. It continued on and off for months with me trying various remedies. Eventually I picked up an IT band strap and used that on all my runs until the pain stopped. Even now, I use it on my long runs (if I remember to put it on) just to make sure I don't redevelop any IT band issues. Knee pain isn't always caused by the knee when running if that makes sense.
  • hyper_stitch
    hyper_stitch Posts: 180 Member
    Thank you so much for the responses .... I knew there would be some good info here.

    Let me give some more info .... I weigh 148lbs so within 20lbs or so of goal weight, I cycle 12 miles a day to work 5 times a week and am lifting weights 3 times a week .... I have Crohn's disease so can't really do ibuprofen .... I have always had problems with my knees I had growing pains until way into my teens, the worst pain is at the back of the knee after running.

    I'm going to check out some of the info people have given me.
  • 1capybara
    1capybara Posts: 162 Member
    thx o ATT949 for this excellent link and well-thought out post, above:
    http://fellrnr.com/wiki/NSAIDs_and_Running
  • smarionette
    smarionette Posts: 260 Member
    I swear by yoga. If it wasn't for the work I do on the mat then there is no way I could be a runner. Lunges, walking lunges, squats and other leg strengthening work is also beneficial. If you have access to a treadmill you can do pushcarts on an incline (turn the tread mill off, run for 20 seconds as fast as you can make the belt move with just your legs while holding onto the bars, rest, repeat tabata style). Side shuffles also help strengthen your hips so you don't over compensate with your knees.
  • runnerdad
    runnerdad Posts: 2,081 Member
    And to make things more fun, there is currently some controversy over whether a person's gait even needs to be corrected. Gait analysis is only as good as the person who does it.

    ^This^
    I had tremendous knee pain when I started running seriously (13 years ago) My physiotherapist sister watched me run and told me 'it's all about your shoes'. ( I am a heavy pronator). Had gait analysis done but still suffered through my long runs until I changed running stores. I was told I was in a shoe with too much motion control, changed to a lighter stability shoe, and have been pain free for 10 years.
  • veg_jen
    veg_jen Posts: 20 Member
    Back of the knee is interesting. I have a Baker's cyst that inflames occasionally. Seems kind of random and eventually subsides so I've never gotten treatment other than icing it when it flares up.

    Here is info: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bakers-cyst/DS00448

    It would be odd if you had them on both knees but I thought I'd mention my experience.

    On the gait analysis, I wore orthotics for 12 years. I weened myself down from motion controlled shoes to neutral shoes over several years when I realized the orthotics + motion control shoes was too much correction and causing me knee problems. I took about 10 months off two years ago and when I started running again I was having a lot of pain. I splurged on some Hokas, stopped putting orthotics in them and have been pain free since. I've moved to only using the Hokas for really long runs or a post hard workout run. Otherwise short runs, speedwork and races are in Brooks Pureflow.

    I'm not saying this is right for everyone. I do think people are put into motion correction shoes and in orthotics more often than they need to be. No doubt some people need them.
  • 1capybara
    1capybara Posts: 162 Member
    I figured out the slope in the road that i was running on was causing my knee discomfort.
    was the slope uphill and downlhill, or sidewards or ???

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