Forums >Health and Nutrition>Runner's Knee..
anything and everything anyone can advise with, stop running for how long, then what?...thanks a lot...
I'm still running. In fact, I'm increasing my mileage and still running races. I've added strength training for my quads and hammies along with x-bike classes. I've been dealing with it since January and it's improved some, but it's still there. Pain is worse some days, and barely even there some. Been to the Dr., PT, and Orthopedic Surgeon. The OS told me to go ahead and keep running and just try to strengthen the surrounding muscles.
12-week layoff
See a P.T. to find out why you have runner's knee, and fix the problem after evaluation. Any advice you will get will be just a shot in the dark, since my runner's knee may not have the same cause as yours. That being said...strengthen your hips, glutes, quads, and ankles.
This is probably a stupid question, but are there any stretch-like moves we can do to warm-up the knee area before a run or workout routine?
I use a foam roller before every run. My knee issue is due to weak quads on one leg so I foam roll the hell out of my quads to get the blood flowing before my runs.
Good Bad & The Monkey
How do you know it is runner's knee and not something else?
I'm running somewhere tomorrow. It's going to be beautiful. I can't wait.
Poor baby
"run" "2" "eat"
i am a runner.
i have knees.
i find the sunshine beckons me to open up the gate and dream and dream ~~robbie williams
Consider modifying your stride. I had runners knee and switched to barefoot running, which requires you to land on the ball of your foot. You don't have to go barefoot/minimalist to do this though, just find some shoes with a relatively low heel to toe drop that will allow you to land either mid-foot or on the ball, not the heel.
This allows all of those muscles and tendons in the foot to act as a shock absorber. It also uses the calf muscle and when you land, your knee is bent, allowing it to flex and not absorb any impact.
If you land on your heel with a relatively straight leg, the only thing absorbing that impact is bone and cartilage in your heel, knee and hip, none of which are very good at it.
Consider modifying your stride. I had runners knee and switched to barefoot running, which requires you to land on the ball of your foot. You don't have to go barefoot/minimalist to do this though, just find some shoes with a relatively low heel to toe drop that will allow you to land either mid-foot or on the ball, not the heel. This allows all of those muscles and tendons in the foot to act as a shock absorber. It also uses the calf muscle and when you land, your knee is bent, allowing it to flex and not absorb any impact. If you land on your heel with a relatively straight leg, the only thing absorbing that impact is bone and cartilage in your heel, knee and hip, none of which are very good at it.
+1. I haven't gone completely barefoot, but I switched to running in my race flats, which seems to let me run without hurting my knee.
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If you dont feel completely comfortable going barefoot or minmalist I would suggest focusing on running on your center of gravity. Meaning dont stride too far out from underneath you. this will cause you to heal strike which then sends extra force to your knee and ligaments. the best way to work into this is to focus on sweeping your foot down then continuing to bring your foot up like a butt kick. nothing too pronounced but you will feel the difference. If you're having trouble imagine a cat pawing at the ground.
The way I learned to run with a ball strike is to run in place for about 20 steps, then apply forward motion. Ultimately you want to be in the 170-190 strides per minute. You'll have a faster cadence and shorter stride.
Hmm. I've been having knee issues this year, and I've gone from training in racing flats back to regular cushioned trainers, on the theory that that's lower impact. Maybe that was a mistake. But then, I've never been too good at modifying my stride.
Oddly enough, cushioned trainers can make the problem worse. Think about it this way. Go run barefoot on a garage floor. You'll lightly glide across the concrete on the balls of your feet. Your skin might hurt a bit if it is soft, but your legs will feel fine.
Now go run on your bed. Your feet will love it because it is soft, but look at what your legs are doing. They are driving down HARD to find firm footing. That is some serious stress.
Cushioned trainers aren't as soft as a mattress, but you get the idea. Shoe companies sell you on how soft the sole is and intuitively, it sounds good but in reality it is worse. I put on my old trainers a few months ago and I felt like I was running on marshmallows. I took them off in less than 100ft and threw relegated them to yard cutting duty.
Racing flats, minimalist shoes, barefoot, etc. all are better in this regard because when your foot lands, it is on firm footing and not going anywhere. Stick an inch of chushy rubber in there and there is movement you are driving down through with every step.
The key is, mid-foot or ball strike landings. Let your body do what it was designed to do. The suspension system in the leg and foot is fantastic. Land on your heel though and you aren't using any of it.
What the hell are you people talking about?
Runner's Knee is a syndrome that occurs when the patella becomes misaligned in the patellar canal, typically as the result of weak quads that cannot handle the strain of repetitive footstrikes. It is treated with quad strengthening.
What, are Vibrams supposed to cure cancer and heart disease too?
Maybe it is time for me to invest in some VFFs.