Asking Runners - Knee Pain??

ColeyCannoli
ColeyCannoli Posts: 147
edited September 26 in Fitness and Exercise
Hello all!

Lately I've joined a group called Jane's On The Run, which is a women's organizationt that helps us learn how to run or improve our running abilities. I've been doing the bare min so far: 2 minutes of running and 3 or walking about 5 times. I do this every other day.

Unfortunately ever since I started on Saturday, my knees have been bugging me, especially my right knee. It is more like an ache/soreness than a real bad pain. I tried putting cushioning soles in my shoes but that almost makes it worse.

I definitely don't want to hurt my knees. As most women know it is incredibly easy for us to screw them up and reallly hinder our physical ability. I just don't want to give up on running so early either...

What do you all recoomend? Should I try new shoes (which I don't really have the money for)? Stop running?

Replies

  • wilmelenne
    wilmelenne Posts: 113
    I know the pain all too well. I've had to stop running for a while because of the pain? What the doctor keeps telling me is that I need to strengthen my quads. I find this impossible since if you touch(or squeeze) my quads it pretty much is all muscle. But then my doctor twisted my toe out and told me to lift my leg and I felt a different muscle at work. She says that's the muscle I need to be strengthening more. So to help you out...strengthen your leg muscles and do leg lifts with the toe turned out, and it should help with the knees and running. I'm still testing this out so I'll let you know how it goes.
  • Cmccracken1
    Cmccracken1 Posts: 326 Member
    you should be fitted for a pair of running shoes.. Find a running specific store in your area they will measure your gait how your foot hits the ground everything and put you in the right shoe for you.. I am an overpronator which means i turn my foot in when i hit the heel down so i have a high stability shoe to keep my ankles aligned right. good luck,, keep running.
  • NoExcuseTina
    NoExcuseTina Posts: 506 Member
    I use Glucosamine, Chondroitin and MSM...it is for joints.

    Sometimes I will take an anti-inflammatory (ibuprofen or naproxen)

    AND I wear a knee brace

    I did see a doctor when I first started having trouble and he did all the x-rays to make sure I was not having any issues that continuing to jog would cause permanent damage!

    Hope this helps!!!!!!
  • ColeyCannoli
    ColeyCannoli Posts: 147
    I know the pain all too well. I've had to stop running for a while because of the pain? What the doctor keeps telling me is that I need to strengthen my quads. I find this impossible since if you touch(or squeeze) my quads it pretty much is all muscle. But then my doctor twisted my toe out and told me to lift my leg and I felt a different muscle at work. She says that's the muscle I need to be strengthening more. So to help you out...strengthen your leg muscles and do leg lifts with the toe turned out, and it should help with the knees and running. I'm still testing this out so I'll let you know how it goes.

    Thank you! I feel the same about my quads but I bet I've got an imballance too. Glad someone can relate! Again the answer is more exercise :grumble:
  • kimmerroze
    kimmerroze Posts: 1,330 Member
    If you have been fitted for a proper pair of running shoes I would suggest a knee brace...

    but only wear it while your run... your legs just aren't used to the running so until those running muscles get strengthened you will feel soreness like that.
  • paigele
    paigele Posts: 123 Member
    I have a trick knee-has been annyoning me most of my life. For me personally if I use a knee brace BEFORE pain begins I have fewer flare-ups. Once I flare up, however, I have to back off to just walking for at least a week for the swelling to go down.

    You are definitely right in the desire to protect the knee.

    It sounds to me like your group will be a great asset to you in finding what works.

    There are places you can go where they specialize in running shoes that can evaluate your stride and pair you with the shoe that is meant for you specifically. Ask someone in your group their recommendation to one of these sports stores.

    If you cannot get relief I would, however, highly recommend having the knee evaluated for possible injury. Orthopoedists specialize in preventing and correting injuries of joints and bones. You can ask those in your area for the name of a good one and compare it to your insurance plan to see who is available to you.
  • Kirsty_UK
    Kirsty_UK Posts: 964 Member
    I also started running and suffer from knee pain. I've done two things - mix up my exercise, so I do less running, and more gym and swimming etc instead, and I had a gait analysis done to buy some shoes that match my running "style" (I say "style" because the shop guy described it as "unique" which I think was slang for "you run like a freak"!).

    Not sure if any of that helps you, but I think if you can do less running in a week, but keep at it, the cartlidge levels in your knees should increase, and the muscle support should get stronger.

    EDIT: the guy in the shop also suggested an exercise that should help my knees. IT's hard to describe, but I'll try.

    Stand with your legs apart fairly wide, with feet pointing forward. Move your right foot forward, so that the heel is then in line with the toe of your other foot. Bend your right knee, until it stretches the inside of your left leg. Hold for a minute. Then swap legs and hold again for a minute. Do this every day. Don't ask me if it works, I kind of forgot to keep trying it! But he said "do this and you'll suddenly find things feel a lot better ina few weeks"
  • sweetheart03622
    sweetheart03622 Posts: 928 Member
    If you ask any of my MFP friends I used to ALWAYS have knee issues. I'm currently training for a half marathon, so it's something I've dealt with. First, good shoes are a must. I wouldn't invest in them until you know you want to stick to it, but they WILL make a different. Second, do what you can to reduce the amount of strain on your knees during the day. Try to NEVER have them either completely straight or bent past 90 degrees, both place more strain on your knees. When you're laying on the couch, put a pillow under them so they're slightly bent, sleep this way as well. Elevate them to help reduce swelling. And ICE! On really bad days I would sit ont he couch with a bag of frozen corn (or peas) on each knee. Keep it on for 20 minutes and then take it off for 20 minutes. Repeat three times. The icing will help a lot!

    The good news... after I lost some weight (about 12 pounds for me, will vary depending on your size) they stopped hurting. Unless I do lunges or squats, my knees never bug me anymore!
  • Iceprincessk25
    Iceprincessk25 Posts: 1,888 Member
    Where is the knee pain? Is it under the kneecap? Or just below the knee in the space between the patella and tibia?
  • ColeyCannoli
    ColeyCannoli Posts: 147
    Thank you all! This is very helpful. I appreciate it. I'll check out the local running store and ask about braces. If it gets worse I'll ask my doc.

    Everyone is so helpful on this site :flowerforyou:
  • ColeyCannoli
    ColeyCannoli Posts: 147
    Where is the knee pain? Is it under the kneecap? Or just below the knee in the space between the patella and tibia?

    Seems like it is mostly sore just below the knee but I can feel it a little higher up. Don't believe it is under my kneecap though. (though since I kept poking at it to see where it hurt, it now hurts all over XP)
  • Iceprincessk25
    Iceprincessk25 Posts: 1,888 Member
    Look up patella tendonitis and see if it sounds similar to your symptoms. Sporting good stores have a brace you can buy for it.

    In the meantime, do an ice massage when you are done running for 5-7 min. (Fill up a paper cup with water and freeze it.)

    Start taking some sort of NSAID like Advil or Aleve to help with the pain/swelling.
  • ColeyCannoli
    ColeyCannoli Posts: 147
    Look up patella tendonitis and see if it sounds similar to your symptoms. Sporting good stores have a brace you can buy for it.

    In the meantime, do an ice massage when you are done running for 5-7 min. (Fill up a paper cup with water and freeze it.)

    Start taking some sort of NSAID like Advil or Aleve to help with the pain/swelling.

    Thank you!
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    The cure may be as simple as correcting your running technique. If you are landing on your heel first the shock of your entire bodyweight is transmitted up your legbone into the knee everytime you step. The thin sheet of foam in the shoe does nothing to reduce this shock.

    If you land on your fore to midfoot the shock is absorbed by the foot's arch and the calf and the knee is spared. Also, landing on the fore to midfoot is the way the foot and leg is designed to operate while running.
  • guidnca
    guidnca Posts: 64
    Seems like it is mostly sore just below the knee but I can feel it a little higher up. Don't believe it is under my kneecap though. (though since I kept poking at it to see where it hurt, it now hurts all over XP)

    Sounds like Runner's knee.
    Runner's World and other sights will have that.
    Be patient with yourself.

    question is it soreness or pain. Soreness is muscles being used. Pain is serious.

    Get fitted for a pair of shoes. When you go to the running store find a person who has been there awhile. Don't get the 18 year old kid.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    There really are a multitude of different answers for this question.
    It could be your shoes, it could be your running form, it could be a muscle imbalance, it could be a bum knee that is being brought to the surface now that it is getting used.
    The cause of knee pain for one person, may not be the cause of your pain. Seeing a doctor, doing your own research and seeing what works for your body thru trial and error are about the only ways you can figure it out.

    I ran into a little bit a knee pain a few weeks back. Also about the same time my back started acting up. My chiropractor gave me an adjustment, the back pain went away along with the knee pain. Evidently my back was causing a tiny change in my stride that didn’t work for my knee.
  • lwilson68
    lwilson68 Posts: 1
    I am a runner and knee pain is something I have struggled with as well, and I have had some physical therapy too. As the other person indicated, strenghtening quads is key. Running does not strengthen the muscles that help to align the kneecap. Sometimes when you run, your knee cap does not track in a straight line, and thus it pulls to one side or the other and causes pain. I know firsthand that the exercises that work on quads, abductors, and hips WILL help most knee pain. The technical term is "patellofemoral pain syndrome" and you can google it and get some exercises that will help. I did these and recovered enough to run the Las Vegas marathon last December, and I was limping around just weeks before! You only have to do them 3-4 times each week (I worked up to using ankle weights) and they take about 10 minutes.
    http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/knee_injuries/a/knee11.htm

    Good luck~
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