Someone please tell me a happy story of overcoming a knee injury to keep running

[Anonymous]

I overdid it a few weeks ago and now I've gone from comfortably running up to 7 miles at a time to barely making it a mile without knee pain. I tried taking a week off, replacing my shoes, I'm doing strength training. I've only been running for a few years but I love it and had aspirations of doing more. In the past year I've improved so much both in speed and endurance. More generally since I started running I've lost weight and feel great. This is a big setback and I feel discouraged. I don't want to go backwards, and I want to keep running. Has anyone successfully rebounded from a running injury and come back strong? Any words of wisdom?

[Anonymous]

I know several people who've torn their ACLs, had surgery, and have since run marathons. I think as long as you're healed you're OK. Just listen to your body though. Take some time off. Mix it up. Try something else for a little while.

[Anonymous]

Rest

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rest

How much?

[Anonymous]

Adrien Peterson. Not RG3.

[Anonymous]

Go to a doctor.

[Anonymous]

Try lower impact surfaces, rest, continue with strength training and o to a doctor. You probably went too far and will have to work up to it.

As others have mentioned I know so done who uffered an ACL rupture and went on to run marathons.

However I have had bad knees since I was a child. And have never been able to run. I do workout videos, ride my bike etc. I really really wish I could jog but I simply cannot handle the impact.

[Anonymous]

Yes, people rebound all the time.

If you have rested it for 2 weeks with ice and motrin and it is still painful, see a doctor.

If the doctor tells you just not to run, find another one .

I highly recommend John Park in Rockville. He's a PT but he can assess ur injury and will send you to an orthopedic if you need it.

Do not give up!!!

[Anonymous]

My story: When I was running about 30-35 miles per week, with a weekly long run of about 10 miles, I suddenly developed serious pain in my knee. No idea why it started; nothing dramatic happened. But within a week, I could not climb stairs without wincing badly, and even walking 2-3 blocks was agony. The doctor I visited drew a lot of fluid from my knee (a pint?, maybe more), took a MRI, and told me I needed surgery to repair a torn meniscus. He said it was probably just age-related. (I'm in my 40s.) I arranged for surgery, but then spoke with another orthopedic surgeon who suggested first trying to take a couple months off, combined with aggressive RICE, to see whether the meniscus might heal itself. He pointed out that I could always do surgery later. I ended up doing no exercise at all for 2 months, then easing back with the elliptical for about 2 months. Today, I'm back up to 30-35 miles per week, with no problems.

Be patient. Be aggressive with RICE: ice every night, regular ibuprofen, no running. Try again after two weeks of RICE. If it still hurts, visit sports medicine practice. Get a second opinion, and maybe a third if they recommend surgery or something drastic. Ultimately, if you need surgery, I'm told it's not that bad and has a high success rate, but it will likely put you on your ass for a couple months anyway.

Good luck. You'll most likely make it back. While you're hurting, put just as much effort and focus on recovery as you do on running when you're healthy; recovery is your goal now, so treat it like part of your training regimen.

[Anonymous]

I thought that they don't recommend ice anymore for injuries? Need to look that up...but I remember my PT friend said there are new thoughts on healing/inflammation...

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone - OP here. I have not been doing ice or ibuprofen because there's no swelling and it doesn't hurt unless I'm running, but there is a good deal of grinding and cracking and clicking going on. I will try the ice and ibuprofen nightly for a few weeks and see if that helps. I appreciate the encouragement!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks everyone - OP here. I have not been doing ice or ibuprofen because there's no swelling and it doesn't hurt unless I'm running, but there is a good deal of grinding and cracking and clicking going on. I will try the ice and ibuprofen nightly for a few weeks and see if that helps. I appreciate the encouragement!

The clicking makes me think it's a meniscus tear. See an ortho.

[Anonymous]

compression is important & ice is questionable after the initial injury:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/should-we-ice-injuries/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rest

Three weeks

[Anonymous]

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00358