Running and aching knees

[Anonymous]

I have in the past couple of months taken up running. I have worked myslef up to three miles a day, mostly on a treadmill. My knees have started to get very sore. I just got fitted and bought a great pair of shoes, but it doesn't seem to be helping.

What can I do to prevent the kneww paing? And what can I do to treat it when it happens? I do not want to give up running because it is working for me.

TIA.

[Anonymous]

The knee bands that they sell at CVS or at sports stores have helped me with this problem. (It's really a short-term solution - long-term is that you need to strengthen your knees - one good exercise for that is one-legged knee bends)

[Anonymous]

I think you should probably talk to a doctor. That's not a lot of mileage and a treadmill surface should be easier on the knees than street/sidewalk running. I've been running a lot of miles since high school (20 years) and have never had consistent knee pain, so I think this is something worth looking into. There are several possible causes of knee pain, depending on what type of pain it is, some of them more serious than others. (and yes, strengthening the muscles around the knees with weights is a good idea too.)

[Anonymous]

Weak quads will do it every time. Your knees are taking too much of the brunt, due to weak muscles.

I suggest taking some time off running and focus on the stationary bike and fit some squats in.

Cardio is great, but you will always suffer injury if you do not incorporate strength training.

[Anonymous]

I'm like you-a 3mile treadmill person. If i do it every day, my knees kill me, so i switch every other day between treadmill and elliptical and it's much easier on the joints.

[Anonymous]

I would talk to a physical therapist, not an M.D. And you don't want to start strengthening your quads unless you are really sure that is the problem, as opposed to tight IT bands or a tilted pelvis or weak hamstrings or a number of other possibilities.

[Anonymous]

may also need sneaker arch inserts. helped my knees alot.

[Anonymous]

Simple solution but you need to know the cycle of an injury.

1. You run and after you feel fine
2. You run, during you feel fine but after your knees hurt some
3. You run and it hurts a lot after running
4. You run and your knees start hurting during and after
5. You run and your knees hurt before, during and after

You need to treat the injury, RICE rest, ice, compression, elevation

Once you get the pain to stop, build back up slowly with proper shoes and strengthen your muscles, not just your quads but all your muscles so you are running properly. .

[Anonymous]

Try running on the road. You'll strengthen a lot of muscles that you don't need on the treadmill (because the forward and stablizing motions are done for you) and your knees will be better supported.

And yes, I do know what I'm talking about. USATF certified coach.

[Anonymous]

I'd check with a doctor. I have bad knees and running always hurts me. I have to balance it out with cycling, elliptical and walking. Whoever said strengthening your quads is right -- that takes a huge amount of stress off the knee. I personally do not think do the same repetitive movement every day is the best thing for your body and joints. My father has been a marathon runner for years and he is constantly treating an injury. If you are a running addict, I get it. But if it's just staying in shape you're after, I'd do some cross training.

[Anonymous]

Do cross training, like pps suggested, alternating running with biking and elliptical will strengthen your muscles without adding additional strains on joints. Alternating with Cycling actually did wonders for my own jogging ability, and reduced discomfort in knees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do cross training, like pps suggested, alternating running with biking and elliptical will strengthen your muscles without adding additional strains on joints. Alternating with Cycling actually did wonders for my own jogging ability, and reduced discomfort in knees.

I'm the original quad poster. I did cycling for a month to strengthen my quads and once those were stronger I NEVER had another knee ache. I think the problem with running (especially for those out of shape) is if you do not focus on OVERALL body conditioning. To give my body a break, I do a long 60min eLliptical 1x a week and a 60mon cycle 1x a week.

[Anonymous]

Thanks all. I have taken a spinnign class or two in an effort to mix it up. I didn't love it and actually felt more strain on my knees during the exercise (as opposed to the aching that I get after running). Maybe I just need to stick with it.

And I'll head to that BodyBump class today to get some strength training in......

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all. I have taken a spinnign class or two in an effort to mix it up. I didn't love it and actually felt more strain on my knees during the exercise (as opposed to the aching that I get after running). Maybe I just need to stick with it.

And I'll head to that BodyBump class today to get some strength training in......

If you are out of shape, a spin class to start off with might not be the best idea. That is pretty intense and anyone, if they even half followed the instructor, would be in pain.

I think when people say cycling, they mean on the bike at a comfortable pace for your level of fitness. If you are in pain, you are going too hard at it.

Also, for the knees if you are heavy it is going to kill your knees. It is never good to run when you have excess weight bearing down on your joints. It is a good way to tear your meniscus and have to have surgery. If you are overweight, that wears the meniscus down pretty fast.

[Anonymous]

Check with a doctor to make sure you don't have an injury as compared to just soreness.

Most of the time when your knees hurt it means that you increased your mileage too quickly. You should not increase your distance (or time) by more than 10% per week. You risk overuse injuries if you try to increase too quickly.

I would also consider trying different shoes. Strengthening your quad muscles might also make a difference. And ice your knees down after you run.

I am a marathoner. My knees are in horrible shape from years and years of long-distance running. I love running more than I hate the pain, so I just deal with it. My sports med doctor put it pretty simply: "The knee only gets so many miles per lifetime. And you used yours up years ago".