CR 3 - bad run, knee pain

[GrimJard]

Not such a good one this time. I got very tired, and only managed 4.5k, a good distance I know but down from my full 5k in the previous run. I had a bit of pain in my left knee most of this week, and after this run its got much worse. Think I may have overdone a bit it on my first run this week.

Not sure where to go from here, I guess I should probably rest up for a bit? I'm a bit disappointed to be honest, hoping I won't be off running for too long.

[shuffleido Graduate]

I'm sorry to hear that. I'd rest it for a while and take it easy but I'm not an expert. Hope it's better soon.

[nowster Graduate]

The obvious question is: are you overstriding or heel striking? Both can be bad for the knees.

When your foot lands, it should be vertically below your hips, not ahead of them. If it lands ahead you're actually pushing backwards for a part of the stride, and that puts a lot of strain on the joints.

[GrimJard Graduate in reply to nowster]

Thanks for the tips Nowster 🙂. I'm fairly sure I have a mid foot strike, I've paid a lot of attention to that in every run. But I'm not so sure about whether I'm over striding, perhaps I am. I'll definitely concentrate on that next time I go out!

[GailXrunning Graduate]

I do hope this clears up soon; it’s so deflating when these things happen.

Perhaps, as you say, you’ve over-pushed - whether as distance, pace or frequency. Sometimes it’s good to step back or back off and adopt the ‘less is more’ outlook. You’ll need to distinguish the ‘bit of pain... worse’: ‘niggle’, ‘twinge’, ‘burn’, or ‘pain’. A few days rest certainly can’t hurt and might be all that’s needed. You’ll need to monitor yourself there and be really patient with your body, and seek professional advice if it persists.

Once you’re past the immediate pain, there are specific exercises for runners with knee issues on NHS website. They helped my knees immensely. nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/k...

And, once you are ready to run, there’s also the points nowster mentions too.

Best wishes.

[GrimJard Graduate in reply to GailXrunning]

Thanks, sounds like good advice 😊.

[SueAppleRun Graduate]

Take a few days rest and maybe look at strength and flex for knee strengthening exercises to do gently while your knee heals

[GrimJard Graduate in reply to SueAppleRun]

Thanks, I think I will.

[CBDB Graduate]

On the Strength and Flex Forum here on Health Unlocked I posted quite a few links for workouts focussed on strengthening knees or to minimise knee pain. So it might be worthwhile heading over there and checking through past posts. Recently I took a whole week off from running and focussed only on my knees and posted the workouts every day. That might give you a bit of variety when attending to your knees. Good luck and wishes for pain-free knees!

Here is the link to my favourite knee oriented workout:

youtu.be/iUn_YZkEA_U(Not working as expected?)

[GrimJard Graduate in reply to CBDB]

Thanks, I'll check it out