Hope everyone is keeping safe and well, and enjoying your running. My apologies for not being on the forum lately.
After what I thought was a fairly smooth and gradual return in June, unfortunately my left knee injury has come back with a vengeance in early July.
So I have not done any running for 5 weeks now.
Before the pain was mainly in the lower front part of my knee and I experienced discomfort when descending stairs or steps. It appears I have an IT band or runners knee injury.
Now quite often I also get quite sharp pain at the back of my left knee, which results in me limping when I walk or put any weight on it. To me this is a more of a concern.
Has anyone experienced this before ?
Perhaps I have picked up and extra knee injury ( buy one get one free ).
I am determined to get back to running, every day I am doing strengthening and stretching exercises as well as going for regular cycles and walks.
I have had two online video appointments with a physio so far, whilst they have been helpful I think it is nigh on impossible for any physio to accurately diagnose an injury over a video call. I'm going to try and get another appointment if possible to try and find out what the pain in the back if the knee is all about.
I am also thinking of having another gait analysis done. An earlier one showed me to be an overpronator, so I wear support running shoes which feel great. No harm in double checking though that this is what I should be doing.
Happy running all
Written by
MartinKH
Graduate10
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Great to have you back! The extra knee injury may be because it's been compensating for the way you've been carrying it. It's good that you are exercising and strengthening all the time because these will be your concrete base for when you get back out there, which you will!!
Poor you, your second injury may be due to overwork/compensation of your initial injury. Glad you are getting physio, albeit over video. I've ha all these issues in the past but slow build up through c25k has kept me injury free. Don't push to fast to return to your original form when the time comes, give your muscles a chance to adapt again. Take care 🤗
Thank you very much Grannyhugs, that sounds like very sensible advice to build up slowly and not push too fast back to my original form when I return.
To be honest that may have been my cause of my return to the IC, having has an initially gradual build up I then rushed it a bit with pushing on too hard too soon. I should really learn from that experience and listen and act on your good advice.
Best of luck with your recovery. I share your frustration having been out of action since early May when an occasional niggle developed into what felt to me like soft tissue damage inside my right knee causing a feeling, whenever I put weight through it such as when climbing stairs, of movement inside the knee and sometimes clicking.
There were no visible signs of damage and early May didn't seem to me like a good time to be calling on the NHS so I decided to wait it out as I read online that an injury such as a ligament tear can heal with 6 to 8 weeks of rest.
After several months off my feet I've just started to cautiously run / walk. I'm crossing my fingers for both of us.
Thanks Martin. I still have the clunky knee too - I think it's OK, but then I catch it at a funny angle which doesn't bother the other knee, and it just lets me know not to take it for granted!
It has certainly been a lesson to me and humbling, to go from 10K being no problem, to this morning when I was so pleased to be able to complete just half of a C25K week 1 session, and to know that is my limit at the moment.
Bigger picture was it was so great to be able to run just a little bit - I've missed it so much. I was pleased as punch when I got back home. A small victory, but very sweet nonetheless.
I do wish you every success with your own journey back to running.
Poor you, sounds like you got 2 for the price of 1 not a good feeling. Sounds like you are doing all the right things though injuries can be so debilitating and frustrating hope your back running slowly soon.
Sorry to hear of your woes. Gait analysis could well help, gaits change over time and strengthening work can accelerate that... one coach I read said “correcting” the gait through strengthening was the way to go, and I read that as we can almost all get to a neutral shoe eventually.
Hope you can get a face to face appointment. Physios probably have a good idea what’s wrong over the video link, but hands on is the only way to be sure.
Loads of empathy Martin! I have just comeback from a knee issue which messed me about over a period of 4 months! My physio has sorted it 🤞 through face to face consultations; I had two problems, runners knee and a very painful plica (google it). I got pain in the back of the knee at one stage too.
She first established that there were no structural issues (that is where the hands on comes in) then gave me an exercise routine, much of which was focussed on hips. Counterintuitive I know, but she said the tracking of the patella over the femur was part of my issue. She also KT’d the knee to stop the kneecap migrating towards the outside of the knee. She managed to keep me running short distances throughout. I have shortened stride, kept my pace down and am now building up distance again. Trouble with knee injuries is that they are permanently “in your face” and can get on top of you. Your problem may be different of course, but thought it worth sharing the above. Hope you get the treatment you need soon.👍
Thank you very much for sharing that info with me BC66.
I also just read through your other posts about your knee problems and recovery. There seems to be quite a few similarities there in our knee problems, and as you mention there may be some differences too.
Sounds like you have had the help of a great physio, and great that your return is going well.
I think that's what I need to get the right treatment.
Really appreciate all the info., thanks again and happy running.
Welcome Martin. Hope you get sorted. My sports physio is brilliant, as are her colleagues. They run and they “get it”.
One thing often leads to another as the saying goes, and the same can be said for injuries unfortunately, as one side of our body compensates for the other.
I hope you can get some face-to-face physio soon so that they can really see what is going on and you can begin to make some headway with your recovery.
I was out 6 months, so I know how frustrated you must be. Take it easy on your return and build up gradually with intervals. Hopefully it won't be too long before you are posting your runs again, but in the meantime please keep visiting us all on here!
Oh no, I was wondering how you were. Really sorry to hear about your knee but you sound so positive which will definitely help. Hope you get an appointment soon and can get to the bottom of the problem. Well done with all the exercises you're doing, keep it up
Arrggh Martin what a shame. Your up beat attitude will help though, and you’re willing to listen to advice from the others on here who have suffered similar injuries. Between all that and your physio, I’m sure you’ll be up and at ‘em again before you know it. 🤞 🏃♂️
You might have gleaned from my reply that I have no experience of knee issues (touch wood of course), but I just wanted to wish you well! 😀
This forum is the best isn’t it? There’s always someone to help. 😍
Yes, all very good with my running thanks. I haven’t been out since a leisurely 10k on Wednesday as we’ve had a few days on Dartmoor, and I didn’t even take my running gear (lots of long walks though). I’ll run tomorrow and get back in the swing of things next week. 😀🏃♀️🐾
You are doing the right thing in resting MartinKH. When I had niggles with the ITB, it was when increasing to 10 miles last year. Physio said whatever you do, don’t try to run through the pain , as ITB syndrome is a long recovery. So I walked when it niggled. Strengthening exercises were great. I don’t remember a pain at the back of the knee, just the outside.
Thanks Dexy, appreciate you passing on those words of advice from your physio.
I didn't initially appreciate ITB syndrome would be such a long recovery. I definitely won't run through the pain anymore.
I may have done that unknowingly in June, being an inexperienced runner I wasn't able to distinguish between a niggle and something more serious. When I do return I have to be more cautious and walk when I get a niggle, as you do.
Yes, I look forward to seeing a physio in person.
Thanks again Dexy, and hope your return to running continues to go well.
Rest well. I hope your analysis gives you the little gems that’s going to get you back running strong. Wishing you a speedy recovery. A runner on pause is still a great runner. 🤗❤️
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