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OT: Question for runners

LoP

Veteran

I have knee pain for 1-2 days when I run more than an hour for the last couple of weeks. I have to take a break from any other workout for a few days and it gets back to normal. Google search gave me some tips, but I wanted to ask also here if there is anything particular you do to avoid runners' knee since I know there are some runners on the forum.

I never had knee pain before after physical activity, but I had to take a break from exercising last year and have to rebuild my strength. I am increasing my mileage and speed slowly and am up to one long run at 6MPH a week with additional 1-2 shorter 2-4 mile runs. I do stretch before and after. Do I really need to cut back? Did those knee bands (is that the right name?) help any of you? Any other tips?

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21 replies

Latest reply was from Janet

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I have had IT band issues with my left leg and knee where it pulls on the patella. After about 5 miles I feel it. Chiropractic is what helped me. You can be sure to stretch your IT band too. Pigeon pose in yoga is awesome for opening the hips up. Sorry you've got issues. Sucks when your body won't do what your brain wants o!

LoP

Veteran

Thank you Mo. I think I have similar balance issues. My right knee is a bigger problem compared to the left one.

Makrame

Veteran

A friend of mine had IT band issues and she ended up working with a physical therapist to strengthen and balance muscles on both sides.

I run on the road so I try to make sure to run on the same side of the road going out and in. Does this make sense? Basically, I need to avoid always running with one foot lower than the other, or my knee starts hurting.

LoP

Veteran

That makes a lot of sense Makrame. I was thinking leg bench presses might also be helpful to gain muscle strength.

catgirl

Veteran

I have exactly what Mo said. I also get knee pain hiking downhill on angled ground (or walking on any uneven surface, like on a beach where one leg is higher than the other). I got this rubber band thing to do exercises and also got expert sneaker advice because I really over-pronate... Good luck - it can really be painful but it is possible to treat!

Aziraphale

Veteran

Maybe don't run for more than an hour? I don't know. It seems like scaling back for a month or so might do your cranky knee some good. I'm a runner, but I rarely do more than 50 minutes. All of my parts start to complain at that point!

anne

Veteran

I do have knee pain sometimes, though not always running related. I went to a physio and got some exercies. Also have tried something called Rocktape, which really helps in the short term, though ultimately you want to get the knee strong enough on its own. I usually wear it for longer races.

catgirl

Veteran

Also, depending on how you sleep, you should put a pillow between your knees if you're on your side. I know it sounds weird, but it helps!

Sylvie

Veteran

I know you're experiencing knee pain and not shin splints but have you tried doing some shin strengthening exercises as well? Are you crosstraining in other activities? I find that trying to keep my muscle training "in balance" so I'm not overtraining my quads/calves running helps me avoid injury.

I used to use a supportive knee brace in high school when I was experiencing knee pain and found it helpful. Come to think of it, I haven't *knock on wood* had knee pain since then, not even when I was running marathons. I'm going to attribute that to the cross training.

Nakidra

Veteran

Hope you feel better soon! I always warm up for a few miles and then stretch a little bit after my muscles are warm. I never stretch a cold muscle. Hope you get some relief because it's certainly no fun being down!

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I've only had knee pain once from running, and it was a day when I had three strikes against me: 1) running in warm, humid weather and missed the first water stop so I got a little dehydrated, 2) I increased my mileage rather abruptly, and 3) my shoes were wearing out. So now I know that paying attention to hydration and proper foot gear is important.

It turned out to be an IT band problem, but it was pretty minor -- I rested it for a week, eased back in slowly, and got one of those roller things. This was last fall, and so far in this training season, I've had no big problems.

I'm just the opposite of you -- any discomfort I've ever felt running has been in my left side. I kind of expect this since I have scoliosis and one leg is about 5/8" longer than the other. I occasionally get cramps in my left hip, and that is my signal to ease up -- run slower or take a walk break. In fact, the day I felt that pain in my knee was a day I had been getting those warning signs from my hip that my left side was unhappy.

I remember learning somewhere that knee problems may be helped by strengthening the hip flexors, so Mo's suggestion makes a lot of sense to me. One thing I think is helping me recently is that I have resumed regular yoga workouts. Sometimes I'll take a yoga class right after one of my short (3 mi) runs, sometimes I'll alternate so that I run one day, take yoga the next, etc. I only run every other day, which helps my body to rest and heal.

Sorry to ramble a lot here! Just throwing some thoughts and observations out there. If this is ongoing, I would see a sports medicine specialist. One of my teammates fought through her shin and knee pain last June to complete a half marathon and is now *still* recovering from surgery to correct the damage that was done.

I do believe pain is our body's way of telling us we're doing something not quite right. I feel like a wimp sometimes because I'm kind of a slow, cautious runner (I'd love to get to where I can sustain a 10-min mile for more than a mile but it may not happen), but I'd rather be a slow runner who can run for 40 years than a fast one who gets hurt and has to stop.

Good luck!

Debora

Veteran

LOP, I'm not a runner but my husband is, so please take my advice with a grain of salt. What is the condition of your shoes? My husband has been running for years, and he goes through several pairs of running shoes a year. He always knows when it's time to get a new pair because his knees start to hurt. He literally wears out his shoes and the cushioning gets shot. Good luck and I hope you can get to the source of the problem soon.

Queen Mum

Veteran

Do you have an Enrique? That is what I call my my foam roller... haha. A friend got me hooked on it and it really does help when I take 5 minutes before a run to massage my leg and hip muscles.
http://www.amazon.com/Fit-36-I.....038;sr=1-1

And what Debora said... I always know I'm in need of replacing my shoes when my knees start to complain.

Jonesy

Veteran

I am a lightweight compared to you (I only run 2 miles/day) but I did have a chronic ankle problem for years until I went to a holistic bodywork person. Sounds a bit off the wall, I know, but I believe that to effectively treat a strain or injury (or just a sign from your body that it's stressed, like your knee starting to hurt) you need to deal with the whole body: posture, alignment, communication between the different parts, energy flow, etc. I would ease off the long runs too, as long as your knee is telling you to ease off :).

Just my two cents here--good luck figuring out what's wrong and healing.

Kim

Veteran

Listen to your body while it's whispering to you, and cut down on the mileage (and probably the pace too) until you figure out the problem and correct it. If you don't your body will eventually SCREAM at you and you won't have a choice but to stop altogether for a long while AND spend a lot of money on physio to get back.

Ask me how I know...LOL

Have you considered using the Run/Walk/Run method? Google Jeff Galloway and you'll find out what I mean. It's gaining in popularity and has saved my running life. Without it I would simply not be able to distance run.

Isis

Veteran

I was having knee problems, and replacing my shoes more frequently made it go away. If you are running 1 hr several times a week, you probably need to replace your shoes every 4-6 months....

renae

For me, the fact that my knee pain was on the outside part of the knee was the signal that it was an IT band problem. I have an IT band stretch that I do after every run, and have not had this pain since. It takes about 2 minutes. I think I found it in Runner's World. I looked on their site and wasn't able to find the specific stretch that I do, but they have several on there.

LoP

Veteran

Thanks everyone. These are all extremely useful advice. I've learned something from every comment.

I'm getting ready for a run in a few weeks, that's why I'm running such long training runs. I've been balancing out my workout (running, kettlebell, pilates or yoga 5 times a week). I'll experiment with some of what you suggested and let you know how it goes.

Janet and renae: From what I can tell, we have similar issues. I'm self diagnosing mine as an IT band problem. It is on the side and is over after 2 days of rest.

Jonesy: I would love to try out body adjustments one day. I believe in good posture and the nerves being connected.

Queen Mum: You are so funny! We all need an Enrique!

Kim: It turns out I was using a version the W/R/W method without being aware of such a method. I noticed that I can run faster if I give 30s-1m walking breaks every 1-2 miles. I'll try to do it more systematically. Thank you for the pointer!

Janet

(website)

Veteran

LOP, that's funny you've noticed faster times with brief walking breaks! It seems counterintuitive, doesn't it? I've worked so hard to increase my ability to run farther without walk breaks, but I'm kinda stuck at the 11-12 minute mile. If I allow myself brief walk breaks, I wonder if I could go faster in the long run. Hmm. I sometimes have to remember not to be too hard on myself -- I only started this last February at the age of 45.

I have a half marathon coming up in the middle of March, so I'm working on getting back into long runs. Eight miles this Saturday for the first time since the fall!

LoP

Veteran

Janet, I used to run around that speed before I took breaks. Now I'm down to 9-10 minute mile. Good luck with your half! Mine is in a few weeks. It is great to find so many runners to learn from here.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

That's really encouraging, thanks! My husband has been telling me I won't get faster if I walk. He means well but the last marathon he ran was over 20 years ago, so maybe he's not right about this! He's been an "athlete" way longer than I have, so I guess I've internalized the idea that running more is a step towards getting faster. You learn something new every day.