Knee pain!

[Be-yourself]

I completed couch to 5k in 2018. Long time ago now. I then went on to run 10k and train for a half marathon - which ended up being cancelled due to covid (was scheduled for spring 2020). Since then I've had two babies and my body is definitely not the same, haha. No disrespect to my body, it has grown and birthed two gorgeous girls and I'm very proud of it.

My youngest is now 6 months old so I decided now might be the time to get back on the horse and try and start couch to 5k again (after 4 years of no exercise whatsoever).

After week 2 run 3 I noticed my knee isn't 100%. Very stupidly I went out last night to run week 3 run 1. Well my knee complained and I ended up limping home. I lay down, elevated my leg on cushions and put some ice on it. Today it's still sore and I notice it a lot going up and down stairs.

I guess I need to say goodbye to the programme until this heals.

My questions are:

1. when it heals should I restart from the beginning? I am only on week 3, so I guess so..

2. What did I do wrong? (To stop this happening again)

3. Does anyone else have experience of this? Will it take a long time to get better?

Thanks so much!!!!

[Annieapple Administrator Graduate]

🍏🤗❤️‍🩹 How lovely to have 2 sweet little girls. Well done on your decision to get back into the program. So sorry about the knee but you are doing the right thing to stop 🛑 and recover. You have learnt a valuable lesson never to run in pain. If your first aid and resting it for a few days solve the problem that’s great but it may be wise to see your GP as knees can be tricky things.

You need to support your running with some strength and flex. Here is a link to look at while you wait plus another about FAQ about the program itself.

It would be worth starting from scratch to test out the knee. Running n slowly is key to getting stronger and preventing injuries Even the super athletes do easy runs as part of their training.

Do let us know how you get on!

healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

healthunlocked.com/strength...

[John_W Graduate Ambassador]

One explanation may be that your hips/legs alignment has changed as result of childbirth (TWICE!) . It could be that you might simply need new shoes but with some support for example.

I would certainly ask your GP for a referral to a physio with a running specialism or a sports podatrist.

[Yesletsgo Ambassador Graduate]

Congratulations on your two girls! (I wouldn't call mothering little ones 'no exercise' by a long chalk).

If your pain doesn't subside within a week I'd see the gp. There's a lot that can go wrong with knees and its as well to find out exactly what's going on so that you get the correct treatment.

A supportive bandage might make things more comfortable for you in the meantime, if you get a black one I always think they make you look much more 'serious sporty person' than clinical white ones but that's just me. If the pain is bad try taking painkillers (if there's no medical reason not to).

When you do get back to running try and run on soft surfaces like grass, much kinder on the knee joints. Remember to warm up before your run and do static stretches afterwards. Also, check your shoes and get a gait analysis. The right footwear will help keep you injury free.

Here's hoping you feel better soon

[Trailslogg Graduate]

Hi Be-yourself, Good advice already. Do be careful with your knees. I have nothing to add but for my cautionary tale:

I injured my knee one winter (a hard fall on the ice). It took months for it to heal and feel normal again (even if the pain subsided, it was stiff in the morning and swollen in the evening). Eventually at the end of the summer I figured it was safe to try a run again. It was the most marvelous feeling and I enjoyed going fast and jumping on and off rocks along the trail while doing so... Until my knee started hurting again. But the feeling of finally moving again was too good (and I was probably high on endorphins!) so I figured I could run home through the pain nevertheless. Long story short: next morning I was back where I was in February and could hardly move my knee at all... Obviously I'd done way too much, gone way too fast, for way too long, and should have stopped when the pain started. It took almost a year this time to get back to normal, and when I finally decided to give running another go, I stuck to the C25K religiously! I also do strength and flex, in the hope that strengthening the muscles and tendons around the knee will help. Oh, and I go at a snail's pace - I have finally accepted that my fast running days are behind me! So far so good (knock on wood!)

So wait until your knee feels fine (with or without professional help), and then start back at W1R1, I'd say.