knee pain?

willywonka
willywonka Posts: 743 Member
edited September 19 in Fitness and Exercise
I've been jogging now for quite a few months so I feel like I've eased into it and on Weds, I bumped up the speed on the treadmill for some interval running. At one point I was doing intervals of up to 8.5 mph and since then I've been having some knee pain in both legs. I've been jogging about 15 miles a week, am I over-doing it? I certainly don't want the pain to get worse, I don't know what to do. It's not unbearable but it wasn't there before. Any suggestions? I will admit before this week, I've never pushed the treadmill past 7.0 so maybe I did overdo it. I just hope it goes away.

Replies

  • willywonka
    willywonka Posts: 743 Member
    I've been jogging now for quite a few months so I feel like I've eased into it and on Weds, I bumped up the speed on the treadmill for some interval running. At one point I was doing intervals of up to 8.5 mph and since then I've been having some knee pain in both legs. I've been jogging about 15 miles a week, am I over-doing it? I certainly don't want the pain to get worse, I don't know what to do. It's not unbearable but it wasn't there before. Any suggestions? I will admit before this week, I've never pushed the treadmill past 7.0 so maybe I did overdo it. I just hope it goes away.
  • tennetubbie
    tennetubbie Posts: 312 Member
    I would definitely back off to walking for a while---adda few extra minutes and reduce the incline. Take a tylenol before work out and

    if pain persists then you could just stop for a couple of days and reduce your calorie intake--take Ibuprofen every 6 hours and see if it resolves. those blasted ligaments can be a bear!!!

    Hope they stop hurting!!
  • Caelestis
    Caelestis Posts: 3
    Knee pain is something I'm unfortunately very familiar with due to some injuries. There are a few different types of knee pain and they each have different causes. Based on what you said, I'd guess that you have impact caused pain, which happens because your shoe, foot, and leg aren't absorbing as much of the impact of your feet hitting the ground (or the treadmill) as they should. This can happen if you're running in older shoes or shoes that don't fit properly, if you're rotating your foot too much (either inward or outward) when you step, or if your thigh muscles (which hold your knee in place) aren't strong enough. Check your shoes, first, because that's usually the easiest thing to fix. Make sure you have good running shoes that are comfortable and fit well. If your shoes are a little old but you really don't want to replace them just yet, try getting better insoles. You can also ice your knee after jogging, which helps. You can also read this article:

    http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_5/194.shtml

    and google search knee pain after jogging which should give you more information. Most of all, good for you for working slowly and increasing your goals!! You sound like you're doing great!!!
  • rohdesl
    rohdesl Posts: 9 Member
    Do you have good shoes? You probably over did it, but the farther and faster you run the more important it is to have good shoes. You can get lots of leg problems if you don't have good shoes.

    Also, I've read lots of training advice on running and they say not to increase your speed and distance too much each week, even if you think you can. I think the amount they give is no more than 10%.
  • willywonka
    willywonka Posts: 743 Member
    Thank you SO much, this is very helpful. I am sorry that you have had knee issues. It feels so good to finally be able to run and then it depresses me that I hope I haven't injured myself by not training properly.
    I did buy a new pair of Mizunos about a month ago and they have been wonderful. i went up a little on the size to have a little extra room for my toes and they have been very comfortable. A couple of years ago I was just working out a little and mostly doing the elliptical and I started experiencing foot/heel pain that sounded a lot like plantar fascitis (sp?) and it had all but gone away -but since the interval run at a faster pace, I now have the knee pains and that foot is hurting a little.
  • BR1986FB
    BR1986FB Posts: 1,515 Member
    I'm not a jogger but I do lift very heavy and put a lot of torque on my knees doing squats, leg presses, lunges, etc when not doing P90X.

    I got tired of using knee wraps because I heard they weren't all that great on the knees. I came across a product a few years ago called Tommy Kono knee bands.

    These are very heavy duty neoprene sleeve/bands that fit over your knees. They aren't so tight that they cut off circulation like knee wraps but they provide MAJOR relief on the knees during workouts.

    I usually warm up the knees with BenGay and then slide on the Tommy Kono's.

    If interested, just google the name and it will take you to his site.
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