Forums >Health and Nutrition>intense pain on outside of knee
I just recently started running. I am trying to train for a half marathon. I have always been athletic-softball, volleyball. When running my first training day, really a jog, my knee started hurting at 1.5 miles. I get this pain every time I run. Last summer, the same thing happened and it was only better when I wore a knee brace. It hurts on the outside of my knee, like it is going to explode, and hurts going down stairs. I rested it for several days and then used a brace. I only got a little pain at about a mile, so I stopped. After doing some research I am wondering if it is my IT band. I got some therabands and started doing exercises. Does anyone have pain like this? I was told to get a foam roller. Any help would be appreciated. I really want to be able to do this half marathon, but don't want to permanently hurt my knee. Any opinions/thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!
Hip Redux
Sounds a lot like IT band "stuff". The basic suggestions are typically - rest, stretch, try to break up the adhesions and knots (a la foam roller, Graston, massage) and strengthen your hips/glutes.
Only your doctor can say what it might be with any certainty. But, you are describing ITBS pretty accurately. I dealt with it last year. It's caused by a number of things which a PT will be able to figure out. Mine was my form due to over pronation which I've always had but never bothered me until I was 38. You can google all about it, but I took a multifaceted approach:
stop running (most critical, hard to tell how long to stop for)
stetching (can't stretch IT band, but other tight areas affected my stride)
icing (daily, immediately after runs and evenings)
strengthening exercises (lots of this for glutes, and hamstrings, and core)
now I foam roll before every run and a couple nights a week
good luck!
I've had this before too - if I do leg exercises for strength - especially quads - it ususally helps cure it.
The website below has a lot of helpful information about ITBS. I am just recovering from this after having to take a couple of months off from running. I have been doing the ITB rehab routine from the website below a few times per week (for strengthening hips, glutes, quads & hamstrings) in addition to foam rolling (quads, hamstrings, & IT Band), and had four Active Release Technique (ART) sessions with a chiropractor. I also tried almost everything else I found suggested online - stretching, new shoes, not running on banked routes, icing, taking MSM for joint health, & the Pro-Tec IT Band wrap (I wear it when I go on a long run). I think the ITB rehab strengthening exercises & the foam rolling have been the most helpful (and initial rest!). I think the ART sessions also helped, but they weren't the miracle cure for me that I've heard from some people online.
Good luck. How soon is your half?
http://strengthrunning.com/2011/01/it-band-injury/
http://strengthrunning.com/2011/02/the-itb-rehab-routine-video-demonstration/
Yep, sounds like classic IT band stuff. Does it hurt at the little "knob" on the outside of your knee when you press on it? When I have it and it's intense, I almost cannot even walk down stairs!
For me, it was my shoes. I have high arches and was running in a supportive shoe that had too high of an arch, thus pushing my foot/leg further to the outside and straining the whole outside of my leg and resulting in ITBS. I got fitted for shoes and foam roll like a crazy person and it mostly keeps it at bay. Every once in awhile I get a frustrating flare up, but overall, if you exercise it, work on strengthening muscles, and keep it loose, it does become manageable.
There are several really good YouTube type videos on the exercises to do for ITBS.
Good luck! It's a painful one.