Knee pain...

[MarciaAllen]

Hiya everyone, first time posting!! I'm just about to begin week four but the last two runs I've been having some pain in my knees... I've woken up this morning and it seems worst, what can I do to ease the pain? And get back to running... hate the idea of not being able to run as I'm really enjoying it. Thanks!!

[ArthurJG Graduate]

It could be footwear - have you had a gait analysis done in a running shop? You may need shoes with extra cushioning - I certainly did and they made a big difference. Or it could be you need to slow down a bit. There are also knee strengthening exercises you can do if necessary but other people on the forum are better placed than me to give you details on those.

[JuJogger Graduate]

Agree get good shoes. I have also bought elastic knee supports which help me, as long as it is not a sharp pain you can keep running and knees get stronger, can also do knee strenthening, but if it keeps getting worse maybe see doc or physio.

[Hidden]

I would recommend working on your core strength on your non running days, Squats are my favourite

[Tasha99 Graduate]

This happens to so many people! Take ibuprofen 👌🏽 I took it an before running and ran through it but that’s up to you. It goes in a week or so.

[Rosiepug Graduate]

Hi MarciaAllen, I’m no medic but I had the same issue at the same point in the program so can tell you how I managed it. (I’ve just finished wk6 with a 25min run)

I introduced glute and knee strengthening exercises in addition to post run stretches plus a few pre-run exercises (Google) which only take a few extra minutes. I also took ibuprofen to help me through. I repeated week three a further two times (6 runs) until my knees were not quite so sore and felt strong enough to tackle week 4. And of course drank LOTS of water every day. Hope that helps.

[JaoJao]

I’ve had this too and I am on W3 like yourself. One of my knees had a niggly pain. I have running shoes but I put it down to running on grass (uneven surface). My remedy was rubbing glucosamine gel (£7.99 from Holland and Barrett) and resting on recovery day. I may have an additional recovery day.

Good luck.

[MarciaAllen]

Thanks everyone for your replies!

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Welcome to the forum and well done on your progress.

This guide to the plan is essential reading healthunlocked.com/couchto5... and includes advice on minimising impact, stretching after every run and dealing with injury.

Knee strengthening exercises will also help nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/k...

Take care and enjoy your journey.