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knee pain after reaching 6-7 mile mark (possible runner's knee)

I

iOrlando

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jul 20, 2008
1,811
1
heres my situation.

whenever I run past 6-7 miles, my knee begins to hurt and it is basically out of use for the rest of the day. The next day I am fine. If I run less than 4 miles, I have no pain.

just wondering if anyone else had this issue and what you did. I am thinking it is runner's knee. I have been increasing the weight when I do some leg exercises which involves bent knees - not sure if this caused it...never really had pain (not great for runner's knee). I also dont have a special "running shoe" persay.

any experience with this?
 
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I don't know what to say.

Do you have flat feet or something?

Do you run in running shoes?

Are your shoes old?


I have a bad knee, and I was told not to run. One doctor told me it may be a type of arthritis where I'm wearing out some tissue of some sort when I run, while another doctor said it has something to do with my muscles in my leg pulling unevenly. I really don't know exactly what the problem was, and after seeing 3 doctors, I don't know who to believe. All I know is that my most recent shoes, which are designed for flat-footed people that have a bit of extra support, and that allowed me to run a bit longer and more frequently before I feel pain.

Also, riding my bike may have helped my knee. :) It's not something I planned for.
 
Keep an eye on how old or how many miles you've put on your running shoes. That is usually the cause of sudden pain in your ankles or kees.

If it makes you feel better, my hip started hurting. First it started aching after my runs (usually 6 miles) but now its been aching during the run :(

I'm hoping today's run will be better and pain free.
 
Stand up, ball your hand into a fist, and run your knuckles down the outside edge of your thigh from hip to knee with a significant amount of pressure. Run your knuckles down the inside edge of your thigh with the same amount of pressure. Make sure to make a few broad strokes so that you cover a large amount of the surface area of both the inside and the outside edges of your thigh.

Let me know what kind of a difference you feel between the inside and outside.
 
http://www.mapmyrun.com/user_profile?u=458127727306498766
That's my runners profile. I run an average of 150 miles a month, and have experienced what you are describing. Now of course you could have a bad knee or what not but my problem was similar. There are things I did to alleviate my pain and further my runs. I run like 8 miles a day now.

Ice after you workout.

Take a few days off after any significant pain. You shouldn't be limping.

New shoes every 4-600 miles. If you have new ones, maybe try a different brand. Different ones work different. Feet are different
(depends on how hardcore you are! :) )

Take vitamins and supplements. E V E R Y D A Y. Joint Fuel or whatever works great. Take the cartilage builder crap. Go visit GNC, tell the salesguy to go away and look for something to try. I hate them trying to upsell me. I like to experiment with new stuff. It's up to you. Or research in Runner's Magazine or online.

Stretch for a good 5-10 minutes before your workout. Stretch out those knees! WARM UP!

STRETCH AFTER!

Ice after. Every day, get a cold pack. It helps. Ice when you are not in pain, even on days you don't hurt. Take a Mortrin to alleviate swelling.


Anyways just my two cents. I came in 13th place overall in the Utah Summer Games with a mid 30 minute 10k time. I know what it is to have runner's toe, knee, whatever. SUCKS. Just take care. See a doctor if it's significant. I sprained a knee from not _stretching_ and after running like 5k on the treadmill last year. Took like 3 months to recover. I still have aches.
 
thanks for the replies.

I must have put 500-700 miles on my running shoes, so maybe I might check out getting a new pair. My current shoes do have some holes near the toes but I didnt think that could impact my knee...?

I typically run around 8-9 miles a week. I am not really interested in any more than that since I also weight train and beyond 10 miles really starts to hinder any results from the weights.

i also dont stretch or ice the knee regularly, so maybe I might do stretching before and after.

for now, I think I must keep my long run more like 3 -4 miles and do it 2-3 times a week instead one long run.


a slight fear of mine is I do think this is the same knee in which i almost tore ACL snowboarding a few winters back, so i really need to be careful.
 
iOrlando said:
thanks for the replies.

I must have put 500-700 miles on my running shoes, so maybe I might check out getting a new pair. My current shoes do have some holes near the toes but I didnt think that could impact my knee...?

I typically run around 8-9 miles a week. I am not really interested in any more than that since I also weight train and beyond 10 miles really starts to hinder any results from the weights.

i also dont stretch or ice the knee regularly, so maybe I might do stretching before and after.

for now, I think I must keep my long run more like 3 -4 miles and do it 2-3 times a week instead one long run.


a slight fear of mine is I do think this is the same knee in which i almost tore ACL snowboarding a few winters back, so i really need to be careful.
Click to expand...


Yah just be careful. Take some time off, get new shoes. Stretch and ice. Good deal! Do you do leg routines at the gym? Running in itself is a routine that really will work those muscles. Maybe also look into eliptical cardio. It's easier on the kneed.
 
iOrlando said:
i also dont stretch or ice the knee regularly, so maybe I might do stretching before and after.
Click to expand...

Don't stretch before, stretch after. Make sure you stretch the hips and the ankle through their full range, the knee is the proverbial red-headed step-child of joints and becomes irritated making up for ROM lacking in other joints.

Do the test I wrote about above.
 
house

Your question reminds me of a house episode...

"My leg hurts really bad after I run...."
-"how far are you running?"
"5 miles..."
-"So your leg hurts after you run 5 miles....." [Gets up and leaves]

Maybe try stretching more! When my legs or knees hurt from running it normally means I am not stretching enough.
 
Iscariot said:
Don't stretch before, stretch after. Make sure you stretch the hips and the ankle through their full range, the knee is the proverbial red-headed step-child of joints and becomes irritated making up for ROM lacking in other joints.

Do the test I wrote about above.
Click to expand...

I believe you need to stretch before your exercise just as much as stretching afterwards. All that I've read, about avoiding injury when exercising stress the need to stretch before and after exercise.

I also adhere to that, as I was noticing that my Achilles tendon was starting to get a bit tender on my runs, so I now make an effort to do my stretching before and after. Since then, no more pain in the Achilles and I also noticed.
 
Jason Beck said:
Yah just be careful. Take some time off, get new shoes. Stretch and ice. Good deal! Do you do leg routines at the gym? Running in itself is a routine that really will work those muscles. Maybe also look into eliptical cardio. It's easier on the kneed.
Click to expand...

funny you should ask...i do leg routines at the gym, and part of me wonders if that contributed at all. I have been increasing weight alot when working thighs and it obviously puts alot of pressure on the knee joint as i move from 90 degree angle to 180 degree. This knee pain started 1 month ago.

i use to have ankle pain when i first started running but that was mainly due to being out of shape.
 
maflynn said:
I believe you need to stretch before your exercise just as much as stretching afterwards. All that I've read, about avoiding injury when exercising stress the need to stretch before and after exercise.

I also adhere to that, as I was noticing that my Achilles tendon was starting to get a bit tender on my runs, so I now make an effort to do my stretching before and after. Since then, no more pain in the Achilles and I also noticed.
Click to expand...

As a general rule, the gym that I work at as well as both of the professional fitness and health organizations with which I am associated recommend against stretching before exercise. Most new studies find that stretching before you work out mildly reduces performance and has no impact on preventing injuries. There are some meta studies on the topic, but they are pay access.
 
You shouldn't stretch cold muscles. I believe you should stretch, but go for a 1 km run first, then stretch. Consider that low-stress run as a part of your pre-run/stretching period. ;)
 
I had the same thing a few months ago. I was running a nice 10km route and all of a sudden a sharp pain in my knee, stopped me in my tracks.
Afterwards I could only run maybe 1km before it set in again.

To treat it I used a compression bandage and ice packs, got a sports massage once a week for 6 weeks, saw an osteopath to check my back and hips and got some new running shoes. All of these seemed to have helped me. Now I am working back slowly to my original distance.
 
iOrlando said:
heres my situation.

whenever I run past 6-7 miles, my knee begins to hurt and it is basically out of use for the rest of the day. The next day I am fine. If I run less than 4 miles, I have no pain.

just wondering if anyone else had this issue and what you did. I am thinking it is runner's knee. I have been increasing the weight when I do some leg exercises which involves bent knees - not sure if this caused it...never really had pain (not great for runner's knee). I also dont have a special "running shoe" persay.

any experience with this?
Click to expand...

I'll echo the sentiment that issues like this occur when I haven't been stretching regularly. I like to run the first mile easy and then stop for stretching before the workout proper. Running strengthens muscle groups unevenly (hams vs. quads), causing uneven pulling at the joints and sometimes slight misalignment. Stretching equalizes the pull from the opposing groups. Certain cross training activities seem to compliment running such as swimming and particularly cycling. Cycling builds up strength in the quads to offset the hamstrings and help stabilize the knee joint. Thought of seeing a physical therapist for this?
 
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