So I’ve not ran since a week last Thursday. I still have a terrible right knee (clicks and painful) but stranger than that I still have hugely painful and stiff legs!! Like painkiller worthy pain. And I’ve had two children with zero pain killers by choice.
I went to the docs and he just said pain killers and no running for two weeks. That’s frustrating enough but what to do about the stiffness and pain?!?!
Hi, therunningma , that's a long time to have stiff and painful legs.
I see from a previous post your doctor told you not to run for 2 weeks - did they tell you why, i.e. what they feel is causing the pain?
If normal day to day activities are still a challenge because of the pain/stiffness I would suggest going back to your doctor, .
It is a medical issue and most of us here are not qualified, so follow your doctor's advice. Runner's first aid is based on Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.......R.I.C.E . If you Google that you may find something useful. There is a link to NHS advice on sports injuries in the guide to the plan healthunlocked.com/couchto5...
I’m not looking for medical advice, I went to the gp for this, I guess I’m looking for a collection of experiences. I will continue to follow my gps advice medically but it would be good to know from others point of view if they have experienced the same or similar.
I’m feeling pretty embarrassed/low about this issue as was hugely motivated to start and then continue with this plan. Now I feel my body has failed me and o don’t even really understand why.
Most GPs are not specialist enough to properly diagnose running injuries - their standard response is painkillers and no running. If after two weeks rest you are not feeling improved enough to run again, I would seriously consider seeing a physio/sports physio. Not only will they accurately diagnose, they will try to work out the cause. It could be how you are running, how fast you are running, a weakness in some muscle group somewhere, such as glutes or hips...could be all manner of things! The muscular-skeletal aspect of our bodies is complicated!
But don’t despair - with the right advice and treatment you will run again. Your body hasn’t failed you; it just needs some help and support!
Thanks Sadie-runs. Sounds expensive though which defeats the purpose of running for me in the first instance. Sigh
Yes, it costs, but you have to look after your body, it is your most important piece of equipment, right? Failing that, go back to your GP and ask for a referral. It will take longer, but is cost free.
Epsom salt baths and lots of gentle stretching helped me when my right thigh was agony for days
I used to have very painful, clicky knees. Now I just have clicky knees! Whereabouts on your knee is the pain - outer side or inside? I ask because I have tears in the tendons on the outside and they do take awhile to repair once aggravated. Inside, it's not too bad.
As for the painful legs, did the doctor mention anything about hydration? Are they sore on the front or back or both? My hamstrings are tight and therefore I am supposed to stretch them as much as possible to help this as running makes them stiff. If it's your quads that are hurting it could be, as someone else mentioned, the way you are running. When I adjusted my style/gait it helped (eg more upright, not leaning so much as I have a tendency to lean forward).
For pain relief, it really depends on what's causing the issue, and I agree with the others - ideally an osteopath or physio can identify the source. Epsom salts are lovely and meant to help sore muscles, and you can also buy magnesium oil in Holland & Barrett that you spray onto muscles (or you can take a magnesium supplement). Magnesium often helps with muscle stiffness.
Hope that helps somewhat.
Is it normal to put on weight?
No such thing as a normal run 🤷🏽♀️
Week 3-is this normal?
Are these pains normal?
Don’t normally run at this time... ouch 😓
