niggly knees! advice please :)

[Slowest-snail-ever]

Hello, so I have amazingly made it to Week 7. I noticed in the last run of week 6, when I jumped to running for 25 mins that my knees ached after during the day. I did 7.1 today after a 2 day break and am noticing that same niggle. Any advice welcomed please. Should I have a longer break between runs, or are there any more exercises that I should be doing. I have started to do the strenthen and flex sessions too..... Thanks so much, as always

[SueAppleRun Graduate]

Knees can ache as you get to the longer runs, knee strengthening exercises, another rest day, insoles or look at your running shoes, and slow it down even more. Don't worry, speedier runs will come with time but you need to strengthen those bones muscles and ligaments first. Hope some of that helps

[Slowest-snail-ever]

Thankyou. Good advice!

[Yesletsgo Administrator Graduate]

Everything SueAppleRun says, take it slow and easy and that way you should avoid injury.

If your knees don't get better after a few days of rest it's worth going to your GP to make sure there isn't an underlying problem. GP will also be able to recommend exercises to strengthen the knee and the muscles surrounding it. It's worth asking them about physiotherapy as some GPs have an NHS physio. Even if you have to pay it's money well spent if you avoid injury. Physios work magic.

Running shoes are extremely important. If yours are getting old they may not be giving you the right sort of support. It's worth going to your local specialist running shop and having a gait analysis and on the basis of that they will recommend the best shoes for you.

The standard treatment for most running injuries is R-I-C-E: rest your knee, use ice for the pain, compression ie wear a support, and elevation, raise it up when you sit.

If you still have pain take painkillers. I didn't realise they'd work for the sort of niggly pains you get from running but was recommended to take them by my sister, a hospice nurse who knows all about treating pain. Very effective if you take them before bed but bear in mind I'm not a doctor so what works for me might not be the best thing for you.

If the pain is bad enough that you need to take painkillers you would be very sensible to get it checked out by your doctor.

[Annieapple Administrator Graduate]

🍏 Excellent advice already given!

Well done on getting this far! If the knee niggle appeared with the longer runs you may be running faster than you think.. slow it right down especially the first 10 mins when your muscles are changing from walk to run.

[Beachcomber66 Graduate]

Hopefully this is just the sort of niggle that can develop as we start to extend distance and increase pace. If this problem hangs around, it might be time to find a good sports physio. Mine is brilliant at diagnosis, limits the number of visits required for treatment to a minimum, gives me a recovery plan with daily exercises, and gave me an excellent tip for sorting out my knee which was getting sore on longer/quicker runs( having ruled out any major issue)…it was as simple as warming it up with a hot water bottle for 15 minutes before each run. I have been doing that for about 3 years; works for me!

[Slowest-snail-ever in reply to Beachcomber66]

That's really helpful. Thanks. I have found the nhs knee exercises link and started on them . My trainers are quite new and from a reputable store so I think I just need to continue building strength💪

[Beachcomber66 Graduate in reply to Slowest-snail-ever]

I hope that fixes it 👍. Knees are odd in that the pain is sometimes the result of a problem elsewhere. For example I needed to do lots of hip exercises (clams etc) to solve a knee problem. Some of this stuff is counterintuitive…which is why my physio is worth her weight in gold to me.🙂

[RollingPea Graduate]

Lots of great advice above. I would suggest leaving more than 1 day rest between runs. Where do you run? How about doing the next ones on a soft surface such as grass or treadmill? If they are pain-free, then you have a way forward. After some months of soft-surface running, to graduation, consolidation and beyond, plus the strengthening exercises mentioned already, you will build up enough core, pelvic and knee strength to enable you to run niggle-free on harder impact surfaces.

[Slowest-snail-ever]

Thankyou. That's encouraging. I have been running in the forest on increasingly muddy tracks, so probably have been a bit tense to avoid slipping over. Really appreciate all the advice I have a 'track record' of injuring myself every time I start trying to get fitter, so I was so pleased to get 7 weeks into this and then so fed up when the knees started to play up. But I have plan now🙂

[grumpyoldgirl Graduate]

There are so many reasons for knee niggles. Lots of good advice above. Additional thoughts - new running shoes can alter your running gait (different drop from heel to toe, more or less cushioning, ankle support etc). Could just be a case of getting used to them. Do you have the same issue with new shoes and old shoes?

Since you haven't been doing the strengthening exercises for very long, one option is to drop back a week or two and continue the strengthening exercises as you build back up. Running through pain is a bad idea and can lead to longer term injuries, so be cautious. Although it sounds like it's only niggling after you've run, just be aware.

Oh and just saw your comment about running in mud - if you don't feel secure on the running surface and tense up, that can definitely do for you!

Good luck - you've done brilliantly so far