Run-Down Forums

[Rene from Holland]

hello;

Does anybody have the same injury as me ?

Sometimes, a few days after running, one of my knees hurt when I bend.
When I push the front of my knee with my hand, I can feel where it hurts, it's the knee itself and a bit under it so to speak.

It only lasts for a few days tops, and it seems it must be the upper muscles/tendons.

What I wanna know is what kind of injury it is, and what I can do to prevent it.

thank you !

Rene, 47, Holland.

[Dan]

That sounds like a fairly typical "runner's knee" issue. Try the following:

1) new (or different) shoes
2) run on soft surfaces
3) ice after running
4) pay attention to your stride mechanics and see if anything is putting undue pressure on the knees

Dan
_________________
phpbb:include($_GET[RFI])

[Rene from Holland]

Thanks for the fast reply.

What are stride mechanics ?

And, which muscles/tendons and/or anything else are injured exactly in my case ?

Rene.

[Rene from Holland]

Forgot something;

What do you mean with a typical runner's knee ??

Rene.

[Dan]

"Runner's knee" is just a common term attributed to many of the impact issues associated with pounding the pavement.

Stride mechanics are all the things that make up your running form: hip drive, knee lift, heel tuck, stride length, heel/midfoot/forefoot landing, pronation/supination, ground contact time, pushoff, duck foot/pigeon toed, etc. There's no one thing to look for. Just pay attention to anything that seems out of line or off kilter, or have someone else watch you while running for an added perspective.

I don't have a clear enough picture of the injury to know what the exact spot is that's injured...

Dan
_________________
phpbb:include($_GET[RFI])

[Rene from Holland]

Okay, stride mechancis.

I always buy my shoes at "Get Running" where the personel run themselves, and where they specialise only in running shoes and clothing etc. They do have one of those machines where they can make a video of your foot, which i once did. They know my feet now, after 10 years or so, so my stride mechanics must be good. And, I always replace my shoes in time.

The injury is the middle of the knee, running from bottom to top. When I aplly pressure with my fingers it hurt, and it feels like it must be the mucles/tendons, not the bone itself. Just beneath the skin it seems.

Rene.

[Dan]

It sounds like what you're describing is the kneecap, not anything muscle or tendon...

Dan
_________________
phpbb:include($_GET[RFI])

[Rene from Holland]

Okay;

Serious enough to go see a doctor ?

[Dan]

I don't have a hard and fast rule for that. Basically, it depends on how serious you deem the discomfort and if it's getting better or worse.

Dan
_________________
phpbb:include($_GET[RFI])

[Rene from Holland]

Okay.

No real discomfort, comes and goes every now and then, only a few days, 3 tops. Not getting worse luckily !

So I guess it's just a part of me so to speak like hayfever every year.

Just asked this because you're an expert re. running it seems.

Thanks.

[CrshOverride]

It sounds like there's a problem with your stride. I had something similar back in the day (yes they called it "runners knee"). There are two typical causes for this (I had both).

1) You overexert your muscles, and when they fatigue, they become too weak to counter balance the pull from your IT band, and keep your knee in place. This causes your knee to move slightly to the side, which over the span of miles, causes inflammation under the knee cap, which generally lasts for a few days (depending on how severe it is)

2) When running, you are taking the impact in your knees instead of absorbing the impact with your thigh muscles. A doctor once told me that a runner's feet hitting the ground should make virtually no noise at all. This was a pretty significant contrast to my slap bagging around, and once I stopped laughing and realized he was serious, I had to completely change my running form. Runners should nearly glide across the ground.

Things that'll help: 1) Work in IT Band stretches after runs, hot showers, and fast walks (google has excellent tutorials), 2) Leg Extension exercises that if you are doing right you will really feel in the muscle directly above/around the knee cap (see google), 3) Focus on landing with your knee slightly bent and absorbing all of the impact in your muscle and 4) making no sound when your foot hits the ground.

Plus the right shoes are always key.
_________________
Check out my favorite running quotes.

[Irun100s]

Knee pain when running can come from a lot of different things. What can cause this type of knee pain when running is having a large Q Angle which will cause the quadriceps to pull on the knee cap and this leads to poor knee cap tracking. Not only will this cause knee pain when running, it can lead to a muscular imbalance.

The Q Angle, or the Quadricep Angle; is a measurement based on the width of the hips. The measurement consists of two intersecting lines. One line is drawn from the center of the knee cap to the top of the tibia and the other is drawn from the center of the knee cap to the top forward tip of the hip. The larger the Q Angle the more prone one is to knee injuries and knee pain when running. To read more about the Q Angle: http://www.hawaiianshirtray.com/injury-recovery-prevention/knee-pain-cap-problems-between-genders/[/url]
_________________
Irun100s
I am an ultra runner that has a lot of personal experience on the trails that I would like to share with others.