Bone density affecting running?

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emmab0902
emmab0902 Posts: 2,337 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Started c25k today and am in a fair whack of pain in the knees. They started twinging in about the third of eight cycles but I thought it would pass. I am average weight (5'4" 121lbs) and fairly fit so am mortified at having fared so poorly on day one!

Had recently been cleared to start again after a few weeks of physio, having had sore knees and inner ankle after doing 30DS and starting running (unsure which was the culprit).

It just occurred to me that having low bone density may play a part - was diagnosed with osteoporosis 5 years ago (huge family history, at that time I was very underweight, lifelong aversion to dairy and therfore negligible calcium intake etc etc).

I am unsure how or if low bone density may contribute to knee pain running. Does anyone know more about this? I don't want to point the finger at my cruddy bones if it is something else playing up. Planning to see doc this week to talk to him and get a referral for a repeat bone density scan also.

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  • wbgolden
    wbgolden Posts: 2,071 Member
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    I'm no pro, but I'd suggest checking your form before your physiology. If you heal strike, your knees are going to take a major beating. I've been there.

    Additionally, when I was a heal striker, I also planted my feet (heal) with my legs straight, exacerbating the problem. Slightly bent knees and a midfoot strike have really done wonders for me.
  • Gonzoxx
    Gonzoxx Posts: 27
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    Best what i can advice you is....just wait to see your doc and... if you can look for another kind of cardio...maybe this one hurts a lot your joints...hope you can get well :)
  • tameko2
    tameko2 Posts: 31,634 Member
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    I don't know I'm afraid but I can recommend a few things. One is a bone building supplement - some heavy duty calcium and some other things that are supposed to increase calcium absorption. Doctors used to say you can't reverse bone loss but this worked for my mom - she got tested, started taking these, and the next time she got tested her bone density was improved significantly. Hit up a big health food store and they should have them. The ones my mom takes offer like a 90 day money back guarantee or something if your next bone density test doesn't show improvement.


    Second is look into barefoot running - or rather, look into learning to run in a low impact way which has recently been primarily championed by the barefoot running movement. I myself find it much easier to run low impact barefoot - even easier than in my vibrams but I wear them because the ground has nasty sharp/hard/rough things on it. There is a video on this article which shows an exercise you can do to train yourself to run this way. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/06/magazine/running-christopher-mcdougall.html?_r=1

    Third, I've heard before that medium and high impact exercise can increase bone density. Don' t know if its true.

    Oh and fourth you might try running on grass or sand for a while - its a LOT harder to physically run but its easier on the joints and muscles - I had to stick to grass for a few weeks just to toughen up my legs or I got nasty shin splints in the beginning.
  • emmab0902
    emmab0902 Posts: 2,337 Member
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    Thanks - I do overpronate on the left (possiby due to a mild curvature of the spine - God I sound like a total write off) but have had orthotics from the physio.

    I did run on grass today and have good shoes so will see what doc says.

    I do have more calcium now as well as high dose vitamin D. Have avoided the osteo drugs due to not wanting the irreversible side effects some carry.

    When I was first diagnosed I was mortified - felt like I would crumble into a heap of dust at slight movement but have largely forgotten completely about it since then.

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