Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Runner's knee

I think I may have a case of runner's knee. My knee is at its best while I am running and at its worst a few hours after runs and sitting. Some mornings its achy and stiff as well; a little sweeling, stiffness and all around achiness. It's my right knee(the good one) and the pain is on the inside part that's closest to my left knee, mostly felt on that bone that sticks out there. I've done a little research on WebMD and have realized this could be caused by shoes. It was about 2 years ago that I had a hip problem that was corrected with some insoles. Any suggestions out there on treating the symptoms as well as eliminating the injury? My knee feels the best while climbing so I am still a happy camper!

9 comments:

  1. So you - of course - heard Lucho's podcast on this, right?

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  2. Yeah, and that's when I thought this might be the problem. My friend Adam pretty much confirmed it as well, but has treated his own a little different than what Lucho talked about, so just looking to see what's worked or not worked for others. I'm hoping to hear that it's ok to keep running uphill with very little impact and go very easy on the downs/flats. Perhaps that's not ideal?...

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  3. Runners knee is a knee cap tracking issue and will hurt in your actual knee cap. Yours sounds more like collateral ligaments or tibia? Could be meniscus too. Does it hurt when you bring your heel to your butt (bend your knee as far as you can)? If it's meniscus then you'll feel pressure or pain in your knee joint.
    Test for runners knee: sit down and put your leg out on a chair so that it's stretched out straight. Squeeze your leg just above the knee while pushing the kneecap from the outside of the leg toward the center. At the same time, tighten your thigh muscle. Does this hurt? If not then it might not be runners knee.

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  4. I am not a doctor, but it seems wierd that this could be Runners Knee based on your training this year. You've been very consistent over several months and with your incline/decline work you should have good strength in your muscles.

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  5. Thanks Tim.
    Heel to butt causes alot of pain in the area I explained and in the back, behind the knee, but not any pain on the cap, even feels restricted by some swelling maybe while attempting knee to butt. No pain at all on the second test with leg on chair. So, lots of pain when putting heel to butt and very little to no pain while leg is straight while pushing and flexing.

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  6. I agree Brett - the quads seem strong at the moment...

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  7. Sounds identical to what I developed at pony express 100 last month. The only thing I could determine as the cause was the level ground and that I wore the hoka mafates, which offer no support, so the constant over pronation took its toll. It didn't hurt while climbing, just on flats and especially right at the instant of foot strike. A few days off, then gradual, easy running with some "normal" running shoes has cleared it. Ice and ibuprofen for a couple days. Maybe take it easy for a few.

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  8. Thanks guys Great info here. And this is one the big reasons why I blog!

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