Working through Runner's Knee - anyone else have this now or in past?

[JungleGymJam]

Hey folks - 

Last winter through early spring I was running on the treadmill, slowly building up to a 5K distance. 

In mid-spring when the temps warmed up enough I ran outside for the first time and experienced a strain in my right inner ankle. My pain seemed to match online descriptions of anterior tibial tendinitis. It would get better temporarily with calf stretches. But I couldn't run on it, so I started cycling instead. 

A few weeks later I slowly introduced alternating between running/walking - 2 minutes running, 2 minutes walking, gradually increasing the amount of running (also rotating cycling outings with walk/run outings and strength training days). 

I'm now back to running about twice a week, as I still rotate through strength training, running, strength, cycling. Knee pain during & after running is considerably less; Today I don't feel the need for a Tylenol at any point after a run. 

Have any of you experienced runner's knee? What has best helped you manage and heal it? 

[SunsetRunner]

Have you tried to reach for help from a physiotherapist? I've been experiencing quite a severe knee pain which made me stop running and physiotherapy was a great help. I can tell you what I've been doing to fix the problem. I focused on leg and hips strength. Before I haven't had an idea of how important hips were. Strong hips will give you better stability during a run. I've been doing first single-leg sit-backs then, when I got more strength, I switched to pistol squats. All types of squats ( especially Bulgarian split squat ), lots of plyometric exercises with plenty of jumping, adding TRX and a lot more. It took several months but after that, the pain disappeared and I run again gradually increasing distance ( now I'm on 8-10k ).

So shortly:

- Contact physiotherapist (probably first thing to do)

- Work on strength of your legs and hips ( especially hips )

- Visit https://www.running-physio.com/ ( my physio recommended the website to me, lots of valuable information )

[Sadieonthemove]

Hello-

I was in a similar situation last fall, however, instead of running I got runners knee from cycling... sounds a little weird I know. However, my mom was a huge track athlete in high school (getting a scholarship for it as well) and has taught me a lot. A few things to look at is your form if your feet are slightly tilted in or out your muscles can get strained by the incorrect movement. In addition, if you are running on surfaces such as asphalt or concrete it tends to place more stress on your knee joints making it harder to run. Another thing to look at is where your weight is being placed on your feet, if you are a heavy runner you tend to run heel to toe, instead you should be running on the "palms" of your feet. This prevents you from slamming you feet into the ground creating pressure on your joints and helps you push off of the ground instead. 

For current healing what I recommend is icing every night 5-10 minutes, taking good knee stretches before/after workouts and before bed.  Also, massaging your knees with a tennis ball will help.

[JungleGymJam]

Very cool @Sadieonthemove ! Good to have the advice of 2 generations of athletes! I'll bet I was "getting away" with incorrect form on the treadmill and my luck ran out on the road. I will put these tips into practice starting tonight. What do you recommend for knee stretches? 

[JungleGymJam]

Thanks @SunsetRunner for the benefit of your experience on this! Fortunately, my wife and I are on a strength training routine: Day 1 upper body; day 2 cardio (for me, running); day 3 lower body/shoulders; day 4 cardio (for me, cycling). 

This is why I think I'm getting gradually better. This morning I did squat/bicep curl combination, side lunges, reverse lunges, leg extensions (with ankle weights) and one-leg calf raises (with ankle weights). 

I'll definitely look at those variations on squats & sit-backs, many of which are new to me. If I don't continue improving I'll see a physiotherapist.