Painful knees

[grammyjamma]

Hi everyone, All I can think about is C25K and succeeding with it. However, I should be doing W2R3 today but I'm having some pain and swelling below my knees (inner) and walking even hurts. I really want to do the podcast but I'm not sure if I should just run through the pain or wait until it stops hurting. Anyone else have this happen to them...I've been very careful and jogged as lightly as I could. I don't want to run to a doctor if this is somewhat normal for older beginning runners.

[Jany]

You should expect to have some discomfort, stiffness or even soreness when you start running if you're unused to it but if anything is actually painful, don't run on it. You may have tweaked/sprained a muscle and the more you run on it, the longer your recovery is going to be. Rest for a few days- when you're sat down elevate the leg and use ice to reduce the swelling. If it's still painful after a few days then I would go and see a doctor. Don't worry- C25K will still be there waiting for you : )

[LMS2110 Graduate]

Completely agree with Jany, yes, soreness for a wee while or a twinge which goes away is one thing, but pain which continues with swelling should definitely be allowed to heal properly. A couple of days resting, elevated whenever possible, might be all you need. That'll give you a whole weekend ... Time to play indoor, board, or TV games with the grandchildren!

Before running/hobbling to the doc (mine is a juvenille - who last time I visited, had the audacity to suggest that I should expect such things at my age!!!) .... You might like to consider if your shoes are supporting your foot well enough, if maybe you would benefit from an extra rest day between runs, maybe take a booster dose of glucosamine, or arnica if the joint is bruised, maybe massage in some heating product/linament like 'DeepHeat' - heat is good for muscles/ice packs for swelling etc etc. There are several things you can try before seeing a doc. With luck and a rest of a couple of days, everything will be good again next week.

I got myself new support shoes after a brilliant gait analysis informed me that i was running lop-sided ... and haven't had aches or pains since. This was back in February, and I've since graduated and continue to run lots and walk long distances very happily.... and spent the last week running around after my youngest granddaughter who had chicken pox!

Cheers, Linda

[purplestreak Graduate]

Anything that's swollen is trying to protect itself so rest it until the swelling goes - rest, ice, elevation, you know the drill I'm sure. I also suffered with sore knees when I first started and had to stop for a few weeks, but I was simply trying to run too fast for my unaccustomed legs to cope, so try slowing down a bit when you get back to running. You'd be amazed at how slow you can go and still be jogging! Once you get used to the action and your muscles have learned to cope you'll be able to go further without injury and you can work on speed once you've completed the programme. You could also try the "Strength and flex" podcasts to build up the supporting muscles to protect your joints.

[Hidden]

Rest it and get your gait analysed. You may need different shoes, so pop along to two or three different places and see if they all agree with each other.

Resting an injury is SO important, and as has already been said, running will always be there.

[vikicats Graduate]

I agree with the others - rest is important. I tore a ligament in my knee and was out for 10 weeks. It's frustrating when you have to rest but I'm certainly thankful I did. Hope you recover soon and are back out there.

Viki

[grammyjamma]

Thank you so much, I appreciate and agree with your comments!