Knees and running

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Knees and running
6
Thu, 07-08-2004 - 1:21pm
Does running bother anyone else's knees?

I can sprint without trouble, but if I try to jog or run distance at all, I get serious knee pain. I also get it on the stairmaster and some of the elliptical machines. The only thing that is totally pain free for me at the gym is spinning.

It's frustrating, because I want to be able to cross train. I ran on Tuesday and went to spinning yesterday, and my knees are bothering me today so I'm not going to work out.

My knees even hurt if I walk on teh treadmill for 15 minutes. Of course, I can walk all over the city for hours and hours without trouble, so I'm not sure how to explain it.

Thoughts?

--Erica

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 07-08-2004 - 3:21pm

Looked it up and got the following info to pass on-


http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_5/194.shtml
Likely Causes:
It's actually not your knee's fault at all. Blame your feet and thighs; for one reason or another they aren't doing their jobs properly. Your knee moves up and down in a narrow little groove in your thigh bone. It's a nifty design: when your legs and feet are working efficiently, your knee moves smoothly and comfortably with every step. But trouble appears when your kneecap moves out of its track, or rubs up against its sides. That trouble becomes pain when you factor in nearly 1000 steps per cartilage-grinding mile. Over time the cushioning cartilage around the knee becomes worn. That smarts. And that's runner's knee.


How did your knee get off track? Probably because of relatively weak thigh muscles and a lack of foot support. It's your thigh muscles that hold your kneecap in place, preventing it from trying to jump its track. Running tends to develop the back thigh muscles (hamstrings) more than those in the front (the quadriceps), and the imbalance is sometimes enough to allow the kneecap to pull and twist to the side.


Your foot, meanwhile, may not be giving you the stability you need. It's likely that your feet are making a wrong movement every time they hit the ground, and you're feeling the constant pounding and repetition of this mistake in your knee. Maybe you're overpronating (rolling your foot in) or supinating (turning it out too much) when you run.


Runner's knee is further aggravated by simple overuse. If you have steeply increased your mileage recently, you might consider holding back a bit. Likewise, back off on new hill work or speed work. Runner's knee can also be brought on by running on banked surfaces or a curved track. Running on a road that is banked at the sides, for example, effectively gives you one short leg, causing it to pronate and put pressure on the knee. Try as much as possible to run on a level surface, or at the very least give each leg equal time as "the short leg."


Remedy:
This is an easily treatable injury with a little patience. First, relieve the pain by icing your knees immediately after running. You can use commercially available cold packs or simply put a wet towel in the freezer before you run. Wrap the cold packs around each knee for about fifteen minutes to bring down the swelling. Take an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen or aspirin after running, too, but only with food and never before running. Before bed, put heating pads or warm wet towels on your knees for half an hour.


Stabilize your feet. Make sure you have the right kind of shoes for your foot type (review our tips on shoe shopping). Consider buying a commercially made foot support in the footcare section of your drug store. If, in combination with thigh-strengthening exercises, the foot supports are not enough to get rid of the injury, see a podiatrist about whether you might need orthotics.


Hope that helps some ~IG

~-~ Moderation is Key ~-~

cl-vi_islandgirl
co-cl @Getting Fit In Your 30's
http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-fbfitthirty

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 07-08-2004 - 3:48pm
Hadn't thought about my shoes at all...they are ANCIENT, I've had them since before Sam was born. That could help.

Thanks!

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-02-2004
Thu, 07-08-2004 - 4:33pm
I totally had the same problem. It was alleviated after I broke down and purchased a $150 pair of Saucony shoes. Now, I can run months at time, for 40 minutes without a hitch, where as before, I would hurt my knees, and not be able to run for about three months. Of course this would happen, AFTER I got into the routine of running, and losing weight. This went on and off for about 10 years.

Finally, the last two years, I 've been able to keep up the running with no injuries. Other things I do is crosstrain, with the bicycle or stairmaster, just to give me knees a break, and, at least once a week, i will do yoga stretches, like the warrior, that keeps my knees from popping.

That is what worked for me. Unfortunately, old sneakers will kill you in the end. They say you should change them after a certain number of miles, after 6 months, and especially if you can bend the sole in half. This means that your body, and not your shoes, are absorbing all that poundage on the treadmill, (or worse, the pavement)

The reason why you can walk with no problem, but then on the treadmill there is a problem, is that with each step when you run, that is 3xs your weight slamming down on one foot, that does reeks havoc on your body.

Good luck to you!!!!! I hope it all works out.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-30-2003
Thu, 07-08-2004 - 4:58pm

I'm with you. Definitely new shoes will help. Also, HEAT can make them brittle, so don't leave them in your car or something like that.


I have knee probs too, but overall, I hate to say it, but it's due to the weight. And probably all the other things they listed.


Also, from what I've been told by runners, asphalt is softer than concrete, and the treadmills aren't always the softest either. I used to run on a track, MUCH nicer for my knees. That or I hvae to find one of those new treadmills that really give. Not too bad. Also, walking on a treadmill isn't a natural walk.


Although I find it strange you can spin w/o probs. I just have knee probs with everything. Anything that I have to USE the knee, it'll give me probs. lol. but then again, I"ve had bad knees since I was in high school. I swear i'm going to fall apart by the time I'm 40.

~Cher




my pet!

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-20-2003
Thu, 07-08-2004 - 10:13pm
Sorry if this is redundant -- I sort of just skimmed the other posts, as I'm sort of in a rush. I definitely agree that you should start with new shoes. What kind do you wear now? I used to have pain in my arches, and it turned out that I was not wearing the correct running shoes. There are different types: stability, motion control, and cushioning. I wear a cushioning shoe, Brooks Glycerin 2. If you have a running specialty shop in your town, it is totally worth it to go down and let them help you find the correct shoes. Tell them about your knee pain. If they know their stuff, they will check your arch and even watch you run on a treadmill or up and down the sidewalk outside so that they can check your gait. Then they'll make several recommendations, and you can try them on to see what feels best.

Another thing that might help you is to do some strength training, if you aren't already doing this. If you strengthen the muscles around your knees, you will be less injury prone. Just be careful! And don't forget to warm-up, stretch, and cool down properly. Good luck, and hang in there. :-)

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-04-2003
Fri, 07-09-2004 - 11:36pm

Erica, I'm going to agree with the rest, and say check the shoes.