Hey guys.
Wondering if anyone else suffers with painful knees. Im on week 2 and on my last run hopefully next week.
Im rubbing in ibuprofen gel and using a hot water bottle on my kness to give me some relief.
Can anyone advise me what to do as im still in pain. Last time i ran was Friday..
Look forward to your reply
Ali
Knee pain in new runners is very common and primarily caused by the inability of your knees to absorb the stresses imposed by the impact of running. Reducing impact and increasing the muscular strength of your legs will both improve the situation, as will proper running shoes, fitted after a gait analysis.
Do all you can to minimise impact. Slow down, avoid heelstriking, keep footfall under your body, not out in front, run on softer surfaces such as grass or treadmill and wear proper running shoes, fitted after a gait analysis done at a specialist running shop.
To strengthen your legs do the strengthening exercises linked to in the guide to the plan healthunlocked.com/couchto5...
Stretching immediately after every run, nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/h... while muscles are still warm and supple, pulls out contractions, avoiding carrying tensions into the next run and also improves recovery by improving blood flow, as recommended in the guide to the plan.
Many people do not hold their stretches for long enough or put enough effort in. Hold post run stretches for 30 seconds and make sure the pull is strong enough to be on the verge of discomfort.
Take care and you will overcome the issue.
it could be your footwear. See if you can find a sportswear shop that has a treadmill to watch you run. DW (before they folded) had one. They’ll have you run for about a minute and has a camera. I was advised to get some insoles to help
General advice for almost every running related pain I've seen is to rest the limb, put a cold pack on it (not hot), use compression and elevate it. This really helps, plus of course the ibuprofen. If your pain persists for more than a few days go and see your gp and/or a physiotherapist. It may be that you need to build up specific muscle groups and a physio can give exercises which will help immensely.
Regarding knees, make sure you have the right shoes, I know it's early days and the cost of trainers isn't cheap but it can make a huge difference. I've caused myself injuries through wearing worn out running shoes, it simply isn't worth scrimping on this. If you decide not to continue running, well, at least you have some comfy trainers.
Make sure you run on soft surfaces while you are a beginner, so grass rather than tarmac.
Good luck, I've got arthritis in my left knee but it has improved immensely since I started running so there's hope for you.
I had painful knees that started on the last run of week 2. For me it seemed to coincide with a change in my routine from only having time to run twice a week, to having a bit of holiday that let me increase to three times a week. Also, as a new runner, I was only just coming around to the idea that I could actually stick at it and probably justify the cost of "proper" shoes, so at that time I was just using some ordinary comfy trainers.
After three weeks off running completely, but continuing cycling, I have recently restarted the programme right from the beginning again. I now have proper running shoes following a gait analysis and I plan to religiously stick to my original twice a week regimen so that my knees get plenty of recovery time between runs until they hopefully adapt to the unfamiliar impacts. So far, the pain hasn't come back.
I understand that it's utterly frustrating to have to stop just when you feel like you're getting into it, but maybe you need to consider a short break from running until the pain has gone, take care to stop if you have pain during runs and have longer breaks between runs to ease yourself in more gently.
I was worried that I would lose what little fitness I had gained, but actually week 1 now feels really easy compared to when I first started C25K!
Hi there, I have just completed week 1 and after my first run on the pavement I had painful knees and back, so for my next 2 runs I have stayed on grass/softer ground at my local rec. I’m 60 and have never run before so I’m being quite careful - just going from what has worked for me in the first week! Good luck and I hope your pain subsides soon.
How did this all go for you? I've just started week 2 and posted earlier today about achey shins, but now I've rested some more, it's my knees that are sore so I was interested to read your post. I'm going to up my stretches and strength building and change my route to grass. Did this all work out OK for you?
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