These are my key words at the moment. Christmas day I went for a run before the big dinner and had to stop and walk two miles from home my knee was that sore. Was very unhappy and had to put my best festive face on over lunch!. Didn't run yesterday and knee felt fine today so i headed out for 5 miles during my lunch hour and my knee was fine! A very dull pain came on about 2 miles in but nothing like it has been lately. I think in spite of all my best efforts to prevent my knee from healing, behind the scenes it is actually getting better. As long as I can keep running slowly and well within myself I think I see light at the end of the tunnel. I'm also presuming that doing something is better than doing nothing at all (increased blood flow to the area, etc.). Thoughts?
Other than that Christmas was great. My 5am prediction turned out to have been a tad optimistic as Emily only made it to 4.30. We had told her to come to our room and wake us before going downstairs but of course she forgot that and just went straight downstairs. So I had to run downstairs and make sure she didn't see too many of the presents as Sophie wasn't going to wake up for a few hours yet. When I told her she needed to go back to sleep, she replied very rationally "Why? Santa has already come!" I couldn't argue with that logic so we sat and watched tv together until Sophie stirred and they were able to open their pressies together.
I did well myself and managed to get not one running related present (although the new quote to the right came from a print of Everest Lisa got me!). (We are both heavily into the Everest thing at the moment having watched 'Beyond the Limits" on Discovery Channel for the past few weeks).
So patience and moderation it is then.....
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Increased blood flow...I like the sound of it. It probably depends on the injury though. My achilles issues lessen with higher mileage, are awful when running 30mpw or less, and seem to vanish when I do a lot of running on grass.
What have you done about it so far? Can you get a doctor to order an MRI? Where on your knee does it hurt (have you ruled out Tuscaloosa's old bane, Illiotibial Band Syndrome)?
Oh Hubitron,
Don't forget the bitchier version of this, Patellar Tracking or "Runners Knee"?
I'll tell you, Mainers, to my mind, there's some kind of strength imbalance going on. I've kept up your training and there's been an on again/off again series of things: PF, knee issues, and something else I'm blanking on. It just sounds like--at least I hope--there's something in common underlying these issues.
In the long term, get somone--a PT, a Ex Phys, etc.--after the accute injury settles down.
In the meantime, slow running will help bloodflow and whatnot, and usually is good for dealing with pain in the ass niggles. That said, by the time I accepted my injury, it was way past the "reduced volume" phase. So I'd say it's a wait and see proposition in the short-term
In the long term, get somone--a PT, a Ex Phys, etc.--after the accute injury settles down.
This should read, get someone to test your structural strengths after the acute injury settles.
Joseph you are right I do have structural imbalances and flexibility issues and my physio has given me a bunch of stretches, etc. to try and address these. These have helped keep the pf and other issues away so far. The frustrating part about the knee injury is that it was down to me simply falling over on it on the sidewalk. How avoidable was that injury!!
mainers,
I have the same problem. Well actually I have had it under control for quite some time, but I have experienced the same thing. I agree that you should continue running so long as it doesn't hurt during running. And I mean really flare up. For me it used to act up a bit into the run and then calm down after a few minutes. It wasn't killing me, but I could feel it. Here is what I did:
1. Take a glucosamin/chondroitin/msm supplement. It helps 25% of people so it is worth a try.
2. Wear a neophrene sleeve on your bad knee when it is at the worst stage (now) to help with tracking.
3. For me, running more strengthened my legs. Stronger muscles is key.
4. To get to the imbalance problem, do some exercises. Squats, done properly, can be very helpful. I also do pilates religiously. I know that idea freaks guys out, but more and more runners are coming around to it. Find something that works your abs, but also the remaining core muscles (thighs, glutes, hamstrings, etc.). That has for the most part "solved" my problem. Now that it is an ongoing thing though. 3 weeks of it won't fix you. It is a lifetime thing to work in.
Do you have a runner's clinic near you or a sports rehab that you could go to? They will probably be more helpful than your primary care doc, although you may need a referral to get it paid for by insurance. I went to one once and had my gait videotaped and learned all of my specific weaknesses. This helped me so much re where to strengthen and were to get artifical aids (I pronate severely so I needed very different shoes).
Good luck.
thanks Mindi, some great advice there!
i have been wondering about taking glucosamine supplements. any other people have any advice on those?
yeah my sports physio gave me a bunch of exercises to do, i'm just very lazy with them! where as I can easily find time to run, I find it much more difficult to find time for these even though i'm perfectly aware that I should do them or pay for it!
Ah...blunt force trauma. Happened to me once last winter. I slipped while jogging home from the gym in a little storm that made the Chicago sidewalks a very dangerous place to be. I saw a couple other people wipe out as well on the 3/4 mile jog home. It hurt like heck for a month. Yuck. Not much I know to do for that besides the obvious ice, ibuprofen, and pretend to your doctor that you're resting. Also stay on soft stuff, of course. No "pavement punching."
Pilates is great. I did some a couple years back. I always worried though that I was somehow being "one of those creepy guys that shows up at Pilates classes." Same with yoga.
I asked my dr about glucosamine because I am not a big believer in taking lots of supplements and pills. She told me that the glucosamin/chondroitin was one of the few supplements that had actually had extensive clinical trials, etc. She said it really did work for 25% of people, so it was worth a try. When I started using it, I never noticed a difference. So I stopped taking it and boy did I start noticing things flare up. So I continue to use it and hope it helps my joints. I hope your knee issues clear up. My blunt force trama happened when I was 14 and the old knee has never been the same. :(
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