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Jennmoore3
Jennmoore3 Sendmail

Behind the knee pain

asked about 1 year ago | Report

Very weird... About 3-4 inches above the bend in my left knee hurts so bad when I run. The whole 3-4 inch stretch hurts. To the point where I am limping and have to stop. When I get home I sit down on the sofa and it feels like I can't have the strength to even lift my leg. After about a hour it is manageable. Pain is there on and off like going up stairs, but pain free if non weight bearing. Very strange. Anyone know what the heck this is or how to fix it?

Mike, I can't figure out how to comment, so no. Not really more distance but more times a week running. I average 2-3 times a week. 2-3 miles at a time. I am not good enough to run it all, so I run till my HR is 170's then walk for a bit then run and walk. I go for about 30-45 minutes.

Sam, I am a brand new runner. Like 2 months in. I walk fast at 4MPH, and have for months, but running is very new to me. I go slow, my average lately is a 13 minute mile, with walking and jogging in there. Thanks for the info,

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  • MichaelPRO
    Michael Sendmail

    Have you increased your mileage a lot recently? That type of thing happened to me years ago by running much further than I should have based on my training. The only way I got by it was to stop running for a few weeks.

    answered about 1 year ago |Report

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  • Samuel M.
    Samuel M. Sendmail

    I've had the exact same pain you're describing, 2 years ago. I don't mean to scare you, but in my case the MRI showed a minor stress fracture at the head of the tibia. So I had to stop running for about 6-8 weeks.
    I would suggest you to go to a doctor and get yourself scanned for a precise diagnosis of the problem.
    Furthermore, once you get healed, you should try to improve you running form in anyway. I could be totally wrong here since I don't know your running background, but in my case changing the shoes to a more low to the ground (low heel-toe drop) shoe did the trick.

    answered about 1 year ago |Report

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  • Natalie M.
    Natalie M. Sendmail

    I'm not sure how aware you are of which muscles are which, and how you use them. Please don't feel like I'm being condescending...I just really don't know what you know, so I'm trying to give the simple pointers, too.

    And I don't have specialized knowledge, but I've picked up a few tidbits along the way (*read: I'm not a doctor. See yours).

    It sounds like you've got some tight hamstrings.

    Drink more water, warm up SLOWLY (consider a good 5-10m brisk walk BEFORE you even think about running), and cool down (another 5-10m brisk walk before you're done). After you're done running, stretch those hamstrings, calves, and quads, minimum. To stretch your hamstrings, bend your knees slightly and fold your torso forward (like touching your toes, except with your knees bent). Try to rest your torso on your thighs when you do. You should feel a stretch in the area that you're having problems with.

    Look into adding strength and/or cross training to your routine. Strengthening your muscles or using them in different ways (Yoga? Swimming? Biking?) can be really helpful in preventing injury.

    Maybe step back a notch? Aim to walk 5-10m, run 10m, walk 5-10m, and then be done--it's OKAY! Really. Unless you're Dean Karnazes, runners don't start out running fast or far. Next week, try substituting the 10m run for a 12m run...and so on. Overdoing it is a REALLY common problem with new runners (I did it. Shin splints and a sore achilles.)

    Think of laying the foundation for a house: if you lay a crappy foundation by overdoing it, trying to get it done quickly, or not doing it well at first, you won't have a steady base for the rest of it, and you'll only wind up starting that base over again at some point. Build your running base WELL.

    Consider looking into the Couch to 5K program. And if you've completed that already, consider repeating a few weeks. Lots of people use the C25K (I did...and I'm an athlete for a living)...not just couch potatoes. It helps build that good base for running.

    answered about 1 year ago |Report

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