Knee Problems while running/jogging
SoulThriver88
Posts: 27 Member
Anyone else experiencing knee problems with long distance jogging.
I fear this may slow down my exercise routine and I have to take breaks in between days of exercise so that my knees can recover.
I fear this may slow down my exercise routine and I have to take breaks in between days of exercise so that my knees can recover.
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Replies
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There are many different knee issues that can affect runners. Treatment depends on exactly what's wrong, and taking a day off may not be the best or only treatment.
How long have you been running, and what training plan are you following? It sounds like you may be new to it, yet running every day. It is generally recommended for newbies to run every other day. (Heck, many of us who've been doing this for years run only every other day.)
In addition, what do you mean by "long distance" and how quickly did you build up to that distance? The general rule is to add no more than 10% of your distance each week. However, that's a generalization and may not be appropriate for everyone.
Both running too much and too often can contribute to overuse injuries.
There are also other issues that could cause knee pain, such as running in improper shoes (i.e., shoes that weren't professionally fitted for you at a running store).
My advice would be to rest and ice until the pain is gone. When you return to running, if you are new, follow a training plan such as C25K. If the pain comes back or doesn't improve, see an ortho.2 -
StephaneJ777 wrote: »Anyone else experiencing knee problems with long distance jogging.
I fear this may slow down my exercise routine and I have to take breaks in between days of exercise so that my knees can recover.
I'd definitely second the advice above. I'd also add that cross / strength training may help. Quite often muscular imbalances, weak hips / glutes will manifest themselves as knee pain. It may also be worthwhile to get assessed by a physiotherapist who can then make specific recommendations to address any issues you may have.
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This doesn’t have to slow down your exercise. Consider swimming, cycling, walking, strength training, yoga, etc. Lots of options. I find it best to alternate a few different kinds of exercise (i.e.“Cross training”)3
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Also take a look at your form. When done properly, studies show that running is good for you knees. Things break down when your form is off. Make sure your feet are landing under your body (or just a little in front). Over striding (landing way in front of your body) is jarring to your legs and knees.
Good luck.3 -
I'm a strong believer in cross training. I think cycling (spinning) is really great for running. Swimming is complementary, so you can do it on alternate days.
Running can be either good or bad for knees. There are the recent articles that say that runners don't have higher rates of knee (or other) problems. But don't confuse the individual with the average! Take care of your joints so they can take care of you.
Here are some of the good-news articles:
https://nyti.ms/2rDJNZ4
//well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/25/why-runners-dont-get-knee-arthritis/1 -
This content has been removed.
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swierzbik1 wrote: »Then don't run. Simple.
One of worst ways for fatloss anyway.
how do you figure?1 -
swierzbik1 wrote: »Then don't run. Simple.
One of worst ways for fatloss anyway.
Where did the OP mention fat loss???? Did you read the question?3 -
I'll second the hips/glutes comment. I run a lot and if I'm not careful can experience knee pain that I self-diagnose as IT-band issues. AthleanX had recent video talking about the problem (link below). I've been consistent with the recommended exercises and and have had good success. Of course YMMV - https://youtu.be/1iODncOLJnk2
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Begin with the foundation of our bodies: The Feet. Form begins here. Landing under hips with all of the joints stacked up in a straight line will be the start. Show wear is the culprit since it affects form.
Try jogging barefoot in your driveway or down a cement sidewalk and notice how you land. Your feet automatically give feedback to your brain and your form adjusts to compensate to the environment.
Now put shoes on and your form again changes.
Strengthen the feet. Be aware of your form. And then when you are ready, change the environment of your feet and go minimal. Mankind has been minimal for thousands of years and still is i some areas of the world. Sure, walking around in clouds feels comfortable but it’s a cast on your foot. Try putting cloud gloves on your hands 12 hours a day and see what happens to your ability to use them in 3 weeks.3 -
I recently recovered from a month-long knee injury from running -- and to clarify, I consider myself a jogger, a lower animal than a runner.
I went to a doctor because I was okay one day and the next could hardly walk. He diagnosed me with "runner's knee," a catch-all that can include many problems. My knee was inflamed, nothing torn. He gave me some exercises to build up the muscles around the knee, which I hope will help. I'm fine now, cross my fingers.1 -
Begin with the foundation of our bodies: The Feet. Form begins here. Landing under hips with all of the joints stacked up in a straight line will be the start. Show wear is the culprit since it affects form.
Try jogging barefoot in your driveway or down a cement sidewalk and notice how you land. Your feet automatically give feedback to your brain and your form adjusts to compensate to the environment.
Now put shoes on and your form again changes.
Strengthen the feet. Be aware of your form. And then when you are ready, change the environment of your feet and go minimal. Mankind has been minimal for thousands of years and still is i some areas of the world. Sure, walking around in clouds feels comfortable but it’s a cast on your foot. Try putting cloud gloves on your hands 12 hours a day and see what happens to your ability to use them in 3 weeks.
There is no science that conclusively supports the idea of minimalist running as a superior style for everyone. As in so many fitness issues, the minimalist fad came from the two sources most responsible for fitness misinformation: a) overgeneralizing from limited research results and b) people trying to cash in on A.
As more detailed and sophisticated research is done, we are learning that shoes and running, and the forces involved in each, are (as you would expect) more complex than the hippy-dippy explanations given by the minimalists, and there is no single answer that fits for everyone. I suspect that running *form*, independent of footwear, is the more important variable, but even that is speculation.
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williamsjmPDX wrote: »I'll second the hips/glutes comment. I run a lot and if I'm not careful can experience knee pain that I self-diagnose as IT-band issues. AthleanX had recent video talking about the problem (link below). I've been consistent with the recommended exercises and and have had good success. Of course YMMV - https://youtu.be/1iODncOLJnk
Great video - reminds me of some the stretches I did with Pilates exercise with Bands today...
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Begin with the foundation of our bodies: The Feet. Form begins here. Landing under hips with all of the joints stacked up in a straight line will be the start. Show wear is the culprit since it affects form.
Try jogging barefoot in your driveway or down a cement sidewalk and notice how you land. Your feet automatically give feedback to your brain and your form adjusts to compensate to the environment.
Now put shoes on and your form again changes.
Strengthen the feet. Be aware of your form. And then when you are ready, change the environment of your feet and go minimal. Mankind has been minimal for thousands of years and still is i some areas of the world. Sure, walking around in clouds feels comfortable but it’s a cast on your foot. Try putting cloud gloves on your hands 12 hours a day and see what happens to your ability to use them in 3 weeks.
There are fewer and fewer of these folks out there but they still exist....
The fastest marathoners in the world run with a 8-10 mm drop. Why aren't they changing????2 -
Begin with the foundation of our bodies: The Feet. Form begins here. Landing under hips with all of the joints stacked up in a straight line will be the start. Show wear is the culprit since it affects form.
Try jogging barefoot in your driveway or down a cement sidewalk and notice how you land. Your feet automatically give feedback to your brain and your form adjusts to compensate to the environment.
Now put shoes on and your form again changes.
Strengthen the feet. Be aware of your form. And then when you are ready, change the environment of your feet and go minimal. Mankind has been minimal for thousands of years and still is i some areas of the world. Sure, walking around in clouds feels comfortable but it’s a cast on your foot. Try putting cloud gloves on your hands 12 hours a day and see what happens to your ability to use them in 3 weeks.
There are fewer and fewer of these folks out there but they still exist....
The fastest marathoners in the world run with a 8-10 mm drop. Why aren't they changing????
I am lazy about links sometimes, but a story I read before posting my remarks used more sophisticated equipment to measure ground forces during running. Their research showed that, regardless of the footwear and even the running gait, similar amounts of force were produced. The body compensated for the amount of force transmitted through the gait by changing the biomechanics of the run.
As I always emphasize, single studies are rarely definitive—to me this mostly supports the idea that there is no single, simple answer.
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I also suffer knee pain when I run. I've been to the orthopedic doctor, he's a knee guy. I got the exercise sheets for "runner's knee" a year ago. I already wear zero drop shoes with minimal cushion. As far as I can tell, nothing changed in my gait since 2011, but my knee has been telling me everything is not ok for a full year, now - I just had the memory pop up on Facebook from when it all went bad.
Following for useful suggestions. Minimal might be great, but no - that's not all. Cushioning is actually reasonably useful, right now, actually. I don't love those shoes, with the 10mm drop. They shred my ankles at runs over 6 miles. I'm not making 6 miles, since my knee doesn't like it. Even in the cushioned shoes. But it makes me pretty sure, at least over here, for me, personally, it doesn't seem to be about the shoes.1 -
it could be a number of reasons
common reasons are not the right shoe-go get fit at a local store
starting too much too fast-slow down both pace and amount of mileage
my running shoes are zero drop and cushion. i use them for city running
my other main pair are 4mm drop, low cushion, big lugs for the trails
it works for me because of my gait. bigger drops, i naturally strike more on my heels. the low to zero drop help me hit more midfoot and this has helped me avoid soreness1 -
I think this is one of the better free articles for the non medical person concerning "runners knee".
https://runnersconnect.net/runners-knee-symptoms-causes-and-research-backed-treatment-solutions-for-patellofemoral-pain-syndrome/
I don't like the term "runners knee" because it is non-specific and because it implies that there is some inherent problem with either running, or your knees. People hear that and think they have a permanent condition, when in fact most running knee injuries can be treated so that pain is greatly reduced or eliminated.
The other problem I have with the "runners knee exercises" that general docs hand out is that they are very likely outdated and do not include progressive exercises.
We now know that running knee problems (and ITB band issues) start with weak glutes, hip muscles, and bad hip mechanics. The old approach focuses almost exclusively on the quadriceps muscles (particularly the VMO), which is a partial approach, but doesn't address the hips and glutes.
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Begin with the foundation of our bodies: The Feet. Form begins here. Landing under hips with all of the joints stacked up in a straight line will be the start. Show wear is the culprit since it affects form.
Try jogging barefoot in your driveway or down a cement sidewalk and notice how you land. Your feet automatically give feedback to your brain and your form adjusts to compensate to the environment.
Now put shoes on and your form again changes.
Strengthen the feet. Be aware of your form. And then when you are ready, change the environment of your feet and go minimal. Mankind has been minimal for thousands of years and still is i some areas of the world. Sure, walking around in clouds feels comfortable but it’s a cast on your foot. Try putting cloud gloves on your hands 12 hours a day and see what happens to your ability to use them in 3 weeks.
It's funny because multiple physical therapists that I've worked with and/or trained in other sports with are of the thought that you actually want to look top down - from the hips on down. That said, neither of us are really qualified to give such advice to the OP for a host of reasons.0 -
I would switch to stair climber for lower impact for few days1
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