Hi, I'm new to this:)

[VKS25]

Hi everyone. I'm on week 4 of the couch to 5k run and am finding my knees start to hurt, any tips? Thanks

[Tasha99 Graduate]

Ibuprofen one hour before running 👌🏽 It’ll go after a week or so. Normal.

[VKS25 in reply to Tasha99]

Thank you, I will try that!

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to VKS25]

Not a great idea... if you need a painkiller then you should not run.

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

Some “growing pains” are normal, but it could be worth getting them checked out, and also having your running itself checked, specialist running shops can analyse your run and tell you if your shoes are right.

[Plodplod Graduate]

Hello VKS, I can only say what helped mine. Go into Tkmaxx or somewhere and get a pair of heel inserts, even better eBay, cost about a fiver but cushioned my leg joints from all the shocks. I also found that knee pain was there sometimes but not always. Don’t ignore it, slow down! Plodding

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Have you checked out the post for newbies.. lots of great advice there... are your shoes okay..?

healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

Try these too... in these first few weeks we tend to thump down a tad... Many of the rolks on here used these and found they helped enormously...

nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/k...

Try to land lightly...and relax as you run.... we never run through real pain( and you will know the difference) and...please, do not tempted to take painkillers, we do not advise this..they simply mask what may be a more serious issue.

[VKS25 in reply to Oldfloss]

Thank you for the useful advice. This is such a good forum

[Equi-geek Graduate]

Yep, careful with the ibuprofen- some inflammation is helpful for repairing muscle fibres after exercise, but it can mask pain. Best to use it a few hours after running - only once- to stop you doing more damage but also so you don’t stop moving completely as gentle movement helps clear the lactic acid and fluid from the muscles. If you still have pain at the end of the ‘repair’/rest day, you need more rest. You’re soon going to be getting into +20min runs and, if your knees are hurting, you should be ‘running for tomorrow’ by doing no more than ‘enough’, and being very, very gentle. Little steps, landing lightly, paying close attention to your posture and staying on even, flat terrain. Notice if things start to feel better as you run (so it will be just a bit of muscle stiffness) or if it gets worse as you run (which should cause alarm bells). 🤞🏻👍

[VKS25 in reply to Equi-geek]

Thank you. I went for a run and took it real slow, knees were much better. Let's see how stiff they will feel in the morning 😫

[Catster Graduate]

I was worried about my knees when I first started so I’ve been doing the nhs strength and flexibility exercises on my non-running days. I think they have really helped to strengthen my quads which helps support my knees. Worth a try 😀