Knee Pain from Treadmill?

I don't know about "normal", but it's common... knees are pretty complicated pieces of machinery. I'm 39 and my knees hurt sometimes from the treadmill. They make painless grinding/popping noises all the time, but only hurt once in a while. When they hurt, I give them a rest. I also mix in some rowing machine work just to add variety.

Wouldn't surprise me if the squats were more at fault than the treadmill though it's hard to speculate. I find that my knees are noisier with the grinding/popping when I lift heavy objects.

Maybe because the surface is pretty hard? My knees hurt sometimes too, and i just walk even...
would wearing a knee bandage ( neoprene?) help?

I take glucosamine every day. If I don't, my knees hurt when I run. I didn't take it at all on my vacation in March and when I got back, my knees really hurt. After about 2 weeks of taking the glucosamine again, I'm now running pain free.

The typical problem with knee pain associated with running is your shoes. I also have knee pain though and have been diagnosed with runner's knee, but it's not the same pain location as you've indicated you're having problems. I'd check your shoes. Have you been fitted? You really do need to get new shoes pretty often if you run regularly and I firmly believe it's really important to get fitted. I used to run, before my knee problems, about 40 miles a week, and got new shoes about every 3 months or so.

I'm seeing a physical therapist for my knee and she's told me things to watch out for with squats and lunges:

Squats: Feet should be shoulder width apart, chest up, pressure on your heels.
Lunges: Keep your body straight - no bowing forward - this puts unnecessary pressure on your knees and not enough pressure on the area that you're meaning to improve.

As for the knee wrap or neoprene - it won't do much for you except give you a little piece of mind - but that's worth something, right?

Neoterrar - are you using any ice packs or ibuprofen for the swelling? Might help to ice the knees down once in a while. I always switch to swimming in the summer months to give mine a break - not much of a runner, but figure the less impact the better, No jumping jacks for me.

If you haven't already done it, I would invest in some good running shoes. I would suggest being fitted by one of the places that specializes in this. We have aplace called "Runners" in my area & it has made all of the difference in the world for me.

Thing is, I don't really notice any swelling. I put an ice pack on it just in case.

You won't always notice swelling - internal swelling is very common with knee issues. Ice is also very good. In fact, I was told to do it 3 times per day.

the combination of running and squats is no good for the knees
i have issues in the same place no 17, mines been xrayed, poked, prodded you name it, de to see a physio in 2 weeks.
diagnosed as runners knee (chondomalacia patella), its never really painful more aching / feels like kneecap is moving around a bit.
Dr ordered me to stop any high impact / weight / full knee bend exercise, im now ok with a few minutes jogging, but squats or full on running seriously aggravate it.
If this sounds like what you have, lay off the running and squats for a bit, look up some isometric strengthening exercises that work the leg without ending, and hopefully by building up muscle correctly around the knee it should sort it out!

Besides properly fitted and not worn out shoes, I would recommend running on the treadmill with no less incline than 2%. I just recently read (sorry I can't find the article in the time I have right now) an article that suggested treadmills are hard on knees unless you use some incline as well. Like I said minimum 2%

Interesting! I find the opposite - the higher the incline, the more my knee hurts, especially when I do power-walking on the treadmill. I'm prone to tendonitis, so I have to be careful. I wear my Tensor band whenever I hit the treadmill. What I do is rotate cold and heat (if my knee hurts after getting off the treadmill, I'll ice it and then I'll put the heating pad on it before I go to bed).

Im not a physical therapist (I'm a physical therapy assistant & have been there ALONG time & have learned a lot) these are some of the tips my PT's give to their patients who are runners (and to me since Im starting to run more).

SHOES:
Don't use the bottom of your running shoes to determine whether you should replace your shoes. The midsole, which provides the cushioning and stability, usually breaks down before the bottom shows major signs of wear. If you've been feeling muscle fatigue, shin splints, or some pain in your joints (especially your knees) you may be wearing running shoes that no longer have adequate cushioning.

Replace your running shoes every 300 to 400 miles, depending on your running style, surface you use & body weight. Smaller runners closer to 400 miles, heavier runners should consider replacing shoes closer to 300 miles. If you run on roads, you'll need to replace your running shoes sooner than if you mainly use treadmills.

WARM UP: if you skip or skimp on your prerun routine, you risk injury.For treadmills start with 10 minutes on a low to no-impact cardio machine. Add a few one-minute segments at a harder effort until you reach 15 minutes. Then go on the treadmill right away & increase the speed until you reach your regular running pace.

STRENGTH TRAINING/STRETCHING: strengthening your quadriceps will improve patellar tracking, and stretching your hamstrings and calves will help with the tracking. Do dynamic stretching BEFORE your run and STATIC stretching after(google it if you aren't sure what these are)...DONT do it the other way around. Strength training and cross training are good for runners.

ICE: ITS NEVER A BAD IDEA TO ICE

*If the pain keeps up I know you said its not bad enough to see a DR. but maybe if you go see one and get a prescription for a physical therapy it can help. We see A LOT of runners, usually 1-5 visits and some of them have odd biomechanics when running that is creating a problem to cause pain. Some of our patients have had custom orthotic inserts made because their ankles do weird things when they run causing knee problems and the orthotics help stop that ankle movement. Some of them need a better stretching or strengthening routines. Plus having multiple visits helps to tweak the plan if something doesn't work or create more pain.

Hope your knee starts to feel better...sorry this was long ; /

I have a similar issue. I have a long history of knee issues, and have found that far and away it's much better for me to run on the road.

When I HAVE to use a treadmill, I reduce it to walking briskly -- I almost never take it up to running pace. And at that point I'm doing it just to move and get SOME exercise in.

As for the road being better, sure it's a harder surface -- but I think I make these automatic micro-adjustments to my pace to accommodate my knees/body. So it's not 4.5mph ALL the time -- it's 4.8, then 4.4, then 4.5 all within a minute. While my average is the same, these small adjustments in pace let me quickly go faster or slower as needed. That is not as easily achievable on a treadmill, and the adjustment between pace is not as fluid since you have to press a button or hold down a switch, etc.

I honestly think the instant flexibility on the road is what has made all the difference for me -- that and the fresh air whizzing past my face. I wouldn't trade it for the world.