All runners I'm freaking out please help!

I'm training for my first marathon on November 9. I have done something to my knee. About three weeks ago I ran 16 and got pain towards the end, but was able to finish. The following week I was scheduled to run 20 and had to stop at 16 due to very bad pain in my left knee. I took the following week off and did no running although I did my regular classes and videos. Sunday I attempted to run the 20 again and was in pain from the very start I tried to push through but by mile 11 I could barely walk. I'm so depressed I don't know what to do! I'm taking this week off and doing absolutely no exercising. Is that enough? Am I going to be okay to run my marathon? I'm also very upset as I have yet to get a full 20 miles in due to the knee pain. I feel good everywhere else. It's not an endurance issue. Any advice would be greatly appreciated I'm so upset!
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Replies

  • JoAnn73
    JoAnn73 Posts: 161 Member
    Hello I will start marathon training on January after a full check up. Please go to the doctor I know how you are feeling after I pulled my hamstring last year I felt beyond depressed and scrared of not be able to run. Doctor please!!!!
  • mlogantra76
    mlogantra76 Posts: 334 Member
    I really don't have any advice. But as a runner, I can understand your stress:( I think you might need to go to a dr as mentioned and then go from there.
  • Athena53
    Athena53 Posts: 717 Member
    There are some things you can just tough out and some things that are going to be aggravated if you continue. You don't want to cause permanent damage. I don't do marathons because I hate running and I have a permanent injury form when I twisted my leg falling off a bike years ago, and after too much running it really bothers me. I do sprint triathlons and 35-mile bike rides instead. Marathons may not be your thing.

    But definitely see a doctor.
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  • aelphabawest
    aelphabawest Posts: 173 Member
    I would talk to your doctor about if you're okay to run a marathon - they're the only ones that can really answer that effectively.

    Is this your first encounter with knee pain? I feel like all runners seem to encounter it at some point. I'm currently tackling mine by cutting back on my weekly mileage a bit and then easing back in - I don't think 11 miles is easing back in, even with in the context of marathon training.

    I ice my knee after every time I exercise, avoid running on the sidewalk, and I got one of those knee bands that seemed to help on my hike yesterday but I haven't tried wearing to run yet.

    Good luck!
  • Absonthebrain
    Absonthebrain Posts: 587 Member
    Are your shoes and issue? I know if my shoes are old or have too many miles on them they make my knees and legs hurt. You could check into that and also see a dr.
  • I know my shoes were worn out and I finally bought a new pair last week so that might have been part of the issue. I have been going back and forth with my family they insist I see a doctor but I just don't want to spend money on them doing an X-ray just to say its from "overuse" and I need to just rest. I did make an appointment for Friday but have been going back and forth about keeping it or not?
  • timeasterday
    timeasterday Posts: 1,368 Member
    Against the grain here. What is a doctor going to do? Lol. Tell you to stop running for a while. So, that's what you will probably have to do. Similar thing happened to me. Now, I can't even run 6 miles.

    I agree for most doctors. They will look at you for 5 minutes and hand you a prescription for an anti-inflammatory. Look for someone who does Active Release Therapy. I've had hip issues and went through the typical family MD and sports medicine MD and they were useless. They just want to treat the symptoms and not get to the cause. A local chiro who treats athletes and does A.R.T. got to the root of my problem and now I am running again. But it's not a quick fix - it took a few weeks of therapy to see the improvement.
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
    Get to a MD quick. Probably tore something. Running on it will just make it so much worse.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    I know my shoes were worn out and I finally bought a new pair last week so that might have been part of the issue. I have been going back and forth with my family they insist I see a doctor but I just don't want to spend money on them doing an X-ray just to say its from "overuse" and I need to just rest. I did make an appointment for Friday but have been going back and forth about keeping it or not?

    go to the dr...

    the 100.00 is worth avoiding long term damage to where you will either be out of commission for a long time or do permanent damage..
  • couldn't you see a physical therapist instead of a dr?
  • EdTheGinge
    EdTheGinge Posts: 1,616 Member
    I would tape/strap it up tight and give that a go for say a 5miler, if I was still having issues I'd go to the Dr/Physio. This is my personal view, probably not advisable but there you are.
  • samgolod
    samgolod Posts: 93 Member
    Go to a physio, and if you can find one that specializes in sports injuries even better. They'll strap you up with tape to take pressure off your knee; work out why you are getting the injury (in my case it's because my glutes aren't strong enough and my quads are too strong) and give you exercises and a program to set you back on the road. Good luck
  • Shazza401
    Shazza401 Posts: 8 Member
    I started running 10 months ago to complete a leg of a marathon, i went to the docs about an unrelated shoulder injury about a month into my running I was up to 1k at that stage ( ok I hadnt run before and Im 50) anyway I mentioned to him about a niggle in my knee that hurt when I ran,, he said and I quote " you could try running on the beach but then your achilles could get damaged, you know what Mrs Kennedy some peoples bodies are just not built for exercise" YEP he really said that, after ignoring his advise and 8 months later Im now running 5k 3 times a week and up to 12K on ocasion, and my knee if totally fine the pain has gone!! so much for that Doctor!!
    Im not saying you should ignore a doc but I thought Id just mention this
  • timeasterday
    timeasterday Posts: 1,368 Member
    I know my shoes were worn out and I finally bought a new pair last week so that might have been part of the issue. I have been going back and forth with my family they insist I see a doctor but I just don't want to spend money on them doing an X-ray just to say its from "overuse" and I need to just rest. I did make an appointment for Friday but have been going back and forth about keeping it or not?

    I don't think an X-ray will do any good. If anything is broken you wouldn't be walking much, let alone running. You need a therapist. You might have an IT-band issue if the pain is more towards the outside of the knee. A foam roller will help in that case.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    I would tape/strap it up tight and give that a go for say a 5miler, if I was still having issues I'd go to the Dr/Physio. This is my personal view, probably not advisable but there you are. I have my 1st marathon sunday, few aches and pains but we'll see what happens

    sure tape it up and run ..then when OP blows her knee out and is out of commission for a year she will have this great advice to thank ....
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
    Get to a MD quick. Probably tore something. Running on it will just make it so much worse.

    Seriously? Tore something? You can tell that from the information in the post? :grumble: :noway:

    Most running injuries are soft tissue related. In order to get a better idea what this injury could possibly be, we need more information. Where exactly does it hurt on the knee? Does it hurt when you walk too, or just when you run? Does it bother you when you did your other exercises?

    More than likely, it's one of two things. Either runner's knee or IT Band Syndrome. Runner's knee takes a bit longer to deal with because it require strengthening the quadriceps muscles. ITBS can be mitigated with foam rolling, ice, stretching and other physical therapy type of actions. Someone already suggested Active Release Technique and I'll second that ART is phenomenal for soft tissue, running related ailments. You will be encouraged to run through the treatment, and if your experience is anything like mine and many others that I know, you will feel the injury getting better with each round of treatment. If you can find an ART practitioner that does Graston as well, you'll be even better off.
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
    I would tape/strap it up tight and give that a go for say a 5miler, if I was still having issues I'd go to the Dr/Physio. This is my personal view, probably not advisable but there you are. I have my 1st marathon sunday, few aches and pains but we'll see what happens

    sure tape it up and run ..then when OP blows her knee out and is out of commission for a year she will have this great advice to thank ....

    "Blowing a knee out" doing distance running is almost unheard of. Those types of catastrophic injuries occur because of torsion and lateral impact. See my post above.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    I know my shoes were worn out and I finally bought a new pair last week so that might have been part of the issue. I have been going back and forth with my family they insist I see a doctor but I just don't want to spend money on them doing an X-ray just to say its from "overuse" and I need to just rest. I did make an appointment for Friday but have been going back and forth about keeping it or not?

    I don't think an X-ray will do any good. If anything is broken you wouldn't be walking much, let alone running. You need a therapist. You might have an IT-band issue if the pain is more towards the outside of the knee. A foam roller will help in that case.
    you don't just see bones on x rays. You can see soft tissue damage and fluid levels which can ask indicate different problems
  • EdTheGinge
    EdTheGinge Posts: 1,616 Member
    I would tape/strap it up tight and give that a go for say a 5miler, if I was still having issues I'd go to the Dr/Physio. This is my personal view, probably not advisable but there you are. I have my 1st marathon sunday, few aches and pains but we'll see what happens

    sure tape it up and run ..then when OP blows her knee out and is out of commission for a year she will have this great advice to thank ....

    'Blows her knee out' wow that's dramatic. I stated that this is what I'd do, didn't tell her to follow suit. Chill
  • bluefox9er
    bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
    I'm training for my first marathon on November 9. I have done something to my knee. About three weeks ago I ran 16 and got pain towards the end, but was able to finish. The following week I was scheduled to run 20 and had to stop at 16 due to very bad pain in my left knee. I took the following week off and did no running although I did my regular classes and videos. Sunday I attempted to run the 20 again and was in pain from the very start I tried to push through but by mile 11 I could barely walk. I'm so depressed I don't know what to do! I'm taking this week off and doing absolutely no exercising. Is that enough? Am I going to be okay to run my marathon? I'm also very upset as I have yet to get a full 20 miles in due to the knee pain. I feel good everywhere else. It's not an endurance issue. Any advice would be greatly appreciated I'm so upset!

    I'd say go see an osteopath, and refrain from running during any treatment he/she may give you. In fact, refrain from running, full stop until you 'feel' better.

    I'd rather arrive at the start of a marathon under trained than injured...I suffered a hip injury 4 weeks before my marathon and pretty much rested until the taper, which should be starting shortly for you.

    and don't try and do ' catch up' mileage...you are too close to race day. This might be enough to salvage your marathon..i really hope so... please let us know how you get on.
  • CathOh
    CathOh Posts: 72 Member
    I had a similar sounding thing happen to me earlier this year. I saw a chiropractic doctor who helped me through my "injury" which actually wasn't related to my knee at all (although it's where I thought the injury was), but rather VERY stiff muscles throughout my legs. I would start with a chiropratic doctor - it was covered under my employee health benefits. She recommended some stretching exercises as well.

    For my particular "injury", I was allowed to continue running, but at shorter distances and flatter surfaces (it's pretty hilly in my area) for a couple of weeks, and then I was able to increase a bit. If you end up having the same sort of injury, it shouldn't affect your cardio/ endurance leading up to your marathon... you've done most of the work in your training already. But don't wait to get this looked after.

    My injury was solely created by not stretching. Hopefully you find a solution to your problem soon!
  • disneygallagirl
    disneygallagirl Posts: 515 Member
    I would get some medical advice on what is wrong sso you can determine best course of action...it doesnt sound like running through the pain is the way to go.
  • TheBrolympus
    TheBrolympus Posts: 586 Member
    I have knee issues and when they flared up a couple of months ago I skipped my general practitioner and went straight to a knee guy. They can see a lot from x-rays and from seeing and talking to you. If the doc just says "take anti-inflammatories" and sends you on your way or says "Stop running," go see another doc. If you can see a doc that deals with runners or runs themselves that will be awesome.

    Once I found that my knee issues were not a structural issue (requiring surgery), I went to see my chiro and she worked on knees and hips. If you can find someone that works with the Graston Technique go for it. <-- I can be uncomfortable but it works.

    Good luck.
  • HypersonicFitNess
    HypersonicFitNess Posts: 1,219 Member
    The rule of thumb is if the pain goes away after 1-2 minutes of running you can train, if it doesn't STOP.

    I'm sorry, I know how you feel but you MUST see a doctor at this point. I missed my half in April I was training for because of pain in my stomach, the doctor thought it was a hernia (3 weeks from my race), so I was forced to not do anything; walk, stretch, nothing until I saw the general surgeon. They finally got me in and it was just a pulled groin. I could have continued training and run the race, however, the break helped the pulled groin heal quicker.

    Go to the doctor; preferably a sports medicine doctor but sometimes you have to see your regular doctor first to get an appointment with a specialist.
  • Nickle526
    Nickle526 Posts: 239 Member
    Reasearch "IT band" and try out some of the stretches. Did wonders for my knee pain.
  • runs4zen
    runs4zen Posts: 769 Member
    Are your shoes and issue? I know if my shoes are old or have too many miles on them they make my knees and legs hurt. You could check into that and also see a dr.

    This. AND...believe it or not, there are wrong/right shoes for each runner. Get properly fitted for size and based on how you run (pronating and such). When I had knee pain it was a combination of worn out shoes and a hip that was out of place. My chiro took care of all of it and I was running pain free in a few days.

    My first full marathon is this Sunday and I'm excited! Good luck on yours on the 9th!
  • Thanks for all the advice. The pain is in the front of my knee. It does hurt to walk, although it feels alot better this week than it did last week, but thats probably because my long run mileage was higher last week. It does not hurt to do other excercises, squatting doesnt bother me. Its just the bending motion of running. I bought one of those thin knee bands from the running store and walked around all last week in that, I thought that helped. But when it came run time it didnt do much for the pain. My appointment Friday is with an Orthopedic and Sports doctor. I plan on resting resting and more resting, as hard as that is for me! Im also obsessing over the fact that I havent completed a 20 miler! Do you think its possible to finish a marathon with my longest run only being 18 miles barring my knee holds up of course?
  • ksy1969
    ksy1969 Posts: 700 Member
    Against the grain here. What is a doctor going to do? Lol. Tell you to stop running for a while. So, that's what you will probably have to do. Similar thing happened to me. Now, I can't even run 6 miles.

    I agree for most doctors. They will look at you for 5 minutes and hand you a prescription for an anti-inflammatory. Look for someone who does Active Release Therapy. I've had hip issues and went through the typical family MD and sports medicine MD and they were useless. They just want to treat the symptoms and not get to the cause. A local chiro who treats athletes and does A.R.T. got to the root of my problem and now I am running again. But it's not a quick fix - it took a few weeks of therapy to see the improvement.

    ^^^^This^^^^^^^

    I was having issues with some major hip pain that was radiating through my whole right leg. I didn't want to see a Dr. so I just self prescribed time off of running. After a few weeks I seen an advertisement for a Chiropractor that specialized in sport injuries. I decided to go see him, that was about a month ago and I have seen him about 4 times. He did some work on me and then prescribed some specific stretches that hit the piriformis (sp.) muscle. After my second visit he prescribed a run outside. I am now back up to 5 miles. Still having some minor issues but they are getting better.
  • I second the shoes idea. They can get past the "end date" and deteriorate rather quickly in my experience. As a result, you adjust your gait (maybe even without actively realizing it) and start running less efficiently, thereby causing more discomfort, etc.

    Was there any other change to your routine (other than mileage increases) prior to the discomfort? Is the plan you're following ramping up mileage in a gradual manner (~10% per week)?

    To address the knee pain, ensure you're elevating and icing your knees as well. A foam roller will also help significantly, as others have mentioned.

    Best of luck to you!