Running: getting started - aches and pains
cprobertson12
Posts: 90 Member
I've recently decided I want a change of careers. I currently have a desk job - although I'm not terribly unfit, I'm not terribly fit either. I've walked to work for a good six months now - a 2.2 mile trip either way; but it's not enough.
I intend to change to a more physically demanding job in the emergency services: which involves passing a fitness test (specifically scoring a 9.2 or higher on a bleep test) - so I decided to take up running.
Given that I walk 4.4 miles every day, I figured I could slowly increase my walking:running ratio while taking time out of the day to do a 20-minute workout.
I downloaded a guide used by said emergency services to passing the fitness test: and they advice generally ramping up the running over a course of 6-weeks: the first week has two sessions consisting of 15-20 minutes of alternate running and walking.
Easy, right? The first session went without a hitch - my running track is the perimeter of a small field away from the prying eyes of passers by xD
I started a at ratio of 3-minutes walking:1-minute running. It went surprisingly well - it felt great in fact! A little bit of pain in my right knee towards the end of the 20 minutes, but it wasn't too bad.
Given the pain, I decided to take a day off - and resume the day after: I started running, and that's when it hit me - the pain.
That same knee - sore with every step: stopped after five minutes and walked home - gave it another two days to heal up and then tried again. Same story - same knee - same pain.
That was a week ago - and I've fallen behind already - I only managed one session!
And that brings me to this post! I have a few questions:
-I'm doing my best to avoid seeing a doctor if I can help it - I'll try to self-manage it until it gets better or see a doctor if it doesn't. Should I see a doctor regardless, or shall I wait and see how it goes?
-Reckon a hinged knee support might help, at least to start off with? I'm pretty sure that'd be something to discuss with a doctor!
-I'm not a small person: I'm 185cm and weigh 96kg (6'1" and 15st,2lbs) - weight loss is on the agenda of course - but I was wondering how much my mass is affecting my knee? Is it worth not running until I've lost some weight, and if so, how much weight should I lose before resuming the running regime?
-Is this a common starting-out pain? I know runners are prone to knee injury (because they're bouncing around on their knees all the time) - but is it common to face problems with it to start out with?
Many thanks! And sorry for the long post!
I intend to change to a more physically demanding job in the emergency services: which involves passing a fitness test (specifically scoring a 9.2 or higher on a bleep test) - so I decided to take up running.
Given that I walk 4.4 miles every day, I figured I could slowly increase my walking:running ratio while taking time out of the day to do a 20-minute workout.
I downloaded a guide used by said emergency services to passing the fitness test: and they advice generally ramping up the running over a course of 6-weeks: the first week has two sessions consisting of 15-20 minutes of alternate running and walking.
Easy, right? The first session went without a hitch - my running track is the perimeter of a small field away from the prying eyes of passers by xD
I started a at ratio of 3-minutes walking:1-minute running. It went surprisingly well - it felt great in fact! A little bit of pain in my right knee towards the end of the 20 minutes, but it wasn't too bad.
Given the pain, I decided to take a day off - and resume the day after: I started running, and that's when it hit me - the pain.
That same knee - sore with every step: stopped after five minutes and walked home - gave it another two days to heal up and then tried again. Same story - same knee - same pain.
That was a week ago - and I've fallen behind already - I only managed one session!
And that brings me to this post! I have a few questions:
-I'm doing my best to avoid seeing a doctor if I can help it - I'll try to self-manage it until it gets better or see a doctor if it doesn't. Should I see a doctor regardless, or shall I wait and see how it goes?
-Reckon a hinged knee support might help, at least to start off with? I'm pretty sure that'd be something to discuss with a doctor!
-I'm not a small person: I'm 185cm and weigh 96kg (6'1" and 15st,2lbs) - weight loss is on the agenda of course - but I was wondering how much my mass is affecting my knee? Is it worth not running until I've lost some weight, and if so, how much weight should I lose before resuming the running regime?
-Is this a common starting-out pain? I know runners are prone to knee injury (because they're bouncing around on their knees all the time) - but is it common to face problems with it to start out with?
Many thanks! And sorry for the long post!
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Replies
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Firstly, see your doctor. Do not take the advice of the (well meaning) random public. Running is a high impact exercise and can put your joints under strain. Have you thought about (while you are trying to rest the joint) a lower impact exercise that will at least help to keep your physical training on track until you get assessed by a professional? I would recommend swimming, If you still feel the pain in your leg you can use a float and concentrate on your core, upper body and overall stamina. Never train through the pain! Your body is telling you that there is something wrong with your knee and until you get the "all clear" avoid making it worse! Good luck with the training.4
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Don't get a knee support unless a physio recommends it. rest and ice until you see a physio (over a doctor).
losing weight will always help as the lest weight you're carrying round the happier your joints will be, but don't let it stop you running once you sort out the knee injury.
and i second swimming as good cardio while you're healing1 -
Firstly, see your doctor. Do not take the advice of the (well meaning) random public. Running is a high impact exercise and can put your joints under strain. Have you thought about (while you are trying to rest the joint) a lower impact exercise that will at least help to keep your physical training on track until you get assessed by a professional? I would recommend swimming, If you still feel the pain in your leg you can use a float and concentrate on your core, upper body and overall stamina. Never train through the pain! Your body is telling you that there is something wrong with your knee and until you get the "all clear" avoid making it worse! Good luck with the training.
Aye, I always take what the public say with a pinch of salt: it's a bit of a hassle to see the doctor which was why I was putting it off
- I was mainly swithering on whether to keep at it and see if it improved or not, or just seeing a doctor outright.
I don't technically have a time limit on when I have to apply: my original intention was to assess my fitness myself after 3 months and then apply if it was in the sort of region expected! As you said though, no point working through an injury and making it worse!
I finish work early tomorrow (because it's a factory we finish at 1430 on Fridays! score!) - I'll try running one last time (my running spot is on my walk home anyway) to see if there's any pain - if it recurs I'll book an appointment there an then
Thanks again mate!
--EDIT--
I'll just make an appointment regardless - I can always cancel it if the pain doesn't recur!1 -
I used to suffer with knee pain a lot when running and found that adding in some exercises to strengthen my hips and core did wonders. Things like clamshells, hip dips, hip bridges, planks are all good.
But as others have said, see a physio too.2 -
Thanks for the advice everyone!
So, physio over doctor in this case? Hopefully they won't cost too much (might even be able to find an NHS subsidised practice near me!)
Will get back with the results if anything interesting crops up0 -
cprobertson12 wrote: »Thanks for the advice everyone!
So, physio over doctor in this case? Hopefully they won't cost too much (might even be able to find an NHS subsidised practice near me!)
Will get back with the results if anything interesting crops up
when i went (for my knee) it was £30 for the first appointment and £35 after that for a private place. i only had to go every 2/3 weeks after the first appointment.
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cprobertson12 wrote: »Thanks for the advice everyone!
So, physio over doctor in this case? Hopefully they won't cost too much (might even be able to find an NHS subsidised practice near me!)
Will get back with the results if anything interesting crops up
Best way. Will be best money you spend. You only have one knee per leg. They don't replace easy and if you break 'em - they stay busted.
Hopefully the medical person will be able to advise you quickly.
Good luck and keep us posted.1 -
Hi there, I started running a couple of years ago and had a similar issue. The outside of my right knee would hurt and I got to the point where I couldn't run at all. I did some research and found it was an IT band issue. I now wear IT band support using a Pro-Tech IT Band Compression Wrap. That solved my problem. I currently have done multiple marathons, so the bands really worked for me.
As far as your problem goes, it really makes a difference where your pain is located. On the outside of the knee, it is commonly the IT band. If it is all over the knee or on the inside, it could be a meniscus tear. Definitely recommend you see a professional to get a true diagnosis. Good Luck!1 -
Are you wearing good fairly new running shoes? Ones that have been fitted to your feet? I get knee pain when I am wearing older shoes that have lost their support.
Running has actually made my knees stronger and less painful than they were before when I was just hiking. There are exercises you can do to strengthen the muscles around your knees so they provide better support. Google Runners Knee exercises.
For the moment, rest, ice and elevation are best. If it doesn't get better, see a doctor.1 -
spiriteagle99 wrote: »Are you wearing good fairly new running shoes? Ones that have been fitted to your feet? I get knee pain when I am wearing older shoes that have lost their support.
Running has actually made my knees stronger and less painful than they were before when I was just hiking. There are exercises you can do to strengthen the muscles around your knees so they provide better support. Google Runners Knee exercises.
For the moment, rest, ice and elevation are best. If it doesn't get better, see a doctor.
Fairly new, maybe 3 weeks old? They were fitted by sports direct (so, no, not "fitted" per say) - didn't want to spend too much on my first pair (though if it fixes my pain I might need to get some orthopedic shoes regardless of the expense!Hi there, I started running a couple of years ago and had a similar issue. The outside of my right knee would hurt and I got to the point where I couldn't run at all. I did some research and found it was an IT band issue. I now wear IT band support using a Pro-Tech IT Band Compression Wrap. That solved my problem. I currently have done multiple marathons, so the bands really worked for me.
As far as your problem goes, it really makes a difference where your pain is located. On the outside of the knee, it is commonly the IT band. If it is all over the knee or on the inside, it could be a meniscus tear. Definitely recommend you see a professional to get a true diagnosis. Good Luck!chrismellor01 wrote: »cprobertson12 wrote: »Thanks for the advice everyone!
So, physio over doctor in this case? Hopefully they won't cost too much (might even be able to find an NHS subsidised practice near me!)
Will get back with the results if anything interesting crops up
Best way. Will be best money you spend. You only have one knee per leg. They don't replace easy and if you break 'em - they stay busted.
Hopefully the medical person will be able to advise you quickly.
Good luck and keep us posted.TavistockToad wrote: »cprobertson12 wrote: »Thanks for the advice everyone!
So, physio over doctor in this case? Hopefully they won't cost too much (might even be able to find an NHS subsidised practice near me!)
Will get back with the results if anything interesting crops up
when i went (for my knee) it was £30 for the first appointment and £35 after that for a private place. i only had to go every 2/3 weeks after the first appointment.
But dude! The, the money!
My plan is to see a doc first, I've been trying (in vain) to book a doctor's appointment - my thinking being that since I injured that particular knee maybe six years ago in a whitewater kayaking accident (it was the 25-ft waterfall's fault, I swear!) - turns out doctors and physios are difficult to pre book in this town!
He'll probably refer me to physio anyway - and £30-40 isn't too bad for a private practice!
Hopefully it will just be a muscle/tendon problem rather than there being a problem with the joint itself - in my limited experimentation it's not too sore when taking an impact: but if I sit and lift the affected leg and hold it in a position it starts to ache: which supports my hypothesis that it's a muscle/tendon injury: probably some inflammation round there as well.
I guess it's just RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) for me until I can see a doc>physio!
Will update here once I have any news0 -
cprobertson12 wrote: »spiriteagle99 wrote: »Are you wearing good fairly new running shoes? Ones that have been fitted to your feet? I get knee pain when I am wearing older shoes that have lost their support.
Running has actually made my knees stronger and less painful than they were before when I was just hiking. There are exercises you can do to strengthen the muscles around your knees so they provide better support. Google Runners Knee exercises.
For the moment, rest, ice and elevation are best. If it doesn't get better, see a doctor.
Fairly new, maybe 3 weeks old? They were fitted by sports direct (so, no, not "fitted" per say) - didn't want to spend too much on my first pair (though if it fixes my pain I might need to get some orthopedic shoes regardless of the expense!Hi there, I started running a couple of years ago and had a similar issue. The outside of my right knee would hurt and I got to the point where I couldn't run at all. I did some research and found it was an IT band issue. I now wear IT band support using a Pro-Tech IT Band Compression Wrap. That solved my problem. I currently have done multiple marathons, so the bands really worked for me.
As far as your problem goes, it really makes a difference where your pain is located. On the outside of the knee, it is commonly the IT band. If it is all over the knee or on the inside, it could be a meniscus tear. Definitely recommend you see a professional to get a true diagnosis. Good Luck!chrismellor01 wrote: »cprobertson12 wrote: »Thanks for the advice everyone!
So, physio over doctor in this case? Hopefully they won't cost too much (might even be able to find an NHS subsidised practice near me!)
Will get back with the results if anything interesting crops up
Best way. Will be best money you spend. You only have one knee per leg. They don't replace easy and if you break 'em - they stay busted.
Hopefully the medical person will be able to advise you quickly.
Good luck and keep us posted.TavistockToad wrote: »cprobertson12 wrote: »Thanks for the advice everyone!
So, physio over doctor in this case? Hopefully they won't cost too much (might even be able to find an NHS subsidised practice near me!)
Will get back with the results if anything interesting crops up
when i went (for my knee) it was £30 for the first appointment and £35 after that for a private place. i only had to go every 2/3 weeks after the first appointment.
But dude! The, the money!
My plan is to see a doc first, I've been trying (in vain) to book a doctor's appointment - my thinking being that since I injured that particular knee maybe six years ago in a whitewater kayaking accident (it was the 25-ft waterfall's fault, I swear!) - turns out doctors and physios are difficult to pre book in this town!
He'll probably refer me to physio anyway - and £30-40 isn't too bad for a private practice!
Hopefully it will just be a muscle/tendon problem rather than there being a problem with the joint itself - in my limited experimentation it's not too sore when taking an impact: but if I sit and lift the affected leg and hold it in a position it starts to ache: which supports my hypothesis that it's a muscle/tendon injury: probably some inflammation round there as well.
I guess it's just RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) for me until I can see a doc>physio!
Will update here once I have any news
best money i've spent to be honest!!!0 -
I would see a doctor because you could have issues that running will make worse.
However, you also need to make sure you are not overstriding where your foot lands in front of your body. That will cause knee pain really quick and I experienced this when I started running. Make sure your feet land directly below your hips.
In the meantime, walk, cycle, elliptical, or swim for cardio until you get the knee pain figured out.1 -
Landing more-so towards the front of your foot, instead of your heal, will take stress off your knees.0
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Just back from the doc's - patellar tendonitis - that is, an inflammation of the patellar tendon (for those not in-the-know!).
Joint itself looks/feels fine - take it easy and take some NSAIDs, and consider cross-training.
2-3 weeks recovery time he reckons!BeeerRunner wrote: »I would see a doctor because you could have issues that running will make worse.
However, you also need to make sure you are not overstriding where your foot lands in front of your body. That will cause knee pain really quick and I experienced this when I started running. Make sure your feet land directly below your hips.
In the meantime, walk, cycle, elliptical, or swim for cardio until you get the knee pain figured out.
Now I may indeed be overstriding - I have a habit of taking long strides when walking so it might be carrying across to running as well - will talk to a Physio about that in the near future methinks!0 -
Glad you got it figured out and now you know whats going on which can be treated. I'm sure the therapist will have you run so they can see what you might be doing wrong and give you tips.
I typically run 5 days, cross train 1 day, and rest 1 day. I'd love to run 6, but my body just doesn't seem to like it.0
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