Running And Knee Pain
I get knee pain when I’m running sometimes, and it’s a pain in the … well knee I guess. It doesn’t always happen and when it does it’s usually because I haven’t kept up with my routine.
So what do I do about knee pain that’s keeping me from running?
Assess how I’m feeling
Warm up
Start running
Assess how I’m feeling
Strength
Stretching
First I always assess the situation every morning. Does my knee hurt at rest? Does my knee hurt going down the stairs? Does my knee hurt walking?
If overall I’m feeling good then I go about my business.
Warm up for knee pain
Every day I walk. I walk either outside or inside on the treadmill.
So before I run I always warm up with a walk for 5 minutes. During the walk I assess again how my knee is feeling.
Start running
If my knee is feeling fine I start running. If my knee pain is a sharp, shooting pain. I stop running and continue walking. I try to run again in 5 minutes. If the pain is the same then I stop and I only walk. If my knee pain is a little stiff, or achy I continue running for 5 minutes. If my knee pain is going to subside it will do it in the first 5 minutes or so. If it’s not decreasing at all then I stop and I walk. If it’s decreasing and maybe not totally gone in 5 minutes then I keep running until 10 minutes. If it’s gone I keep going, if it’s not then I stop and I walk.
Assessing the situation throughout the walk/run cycle is key for knee pain.
It’s not a blanket statement that I can’t or shouldn’t run. I need to assess the situation and it’s an ongoing process.
Besides running I make sure I do strength exercises and stretching for knee pain
Strengthening my whole body, not just my legs will help me reduce the chances of having knee pain. Strength training my lower body is probably pretty obvious for why it helps knee pain. But, just in case I will state the obvious.
Strength training my lower body for knee pain
Strength training my lower body will decrease the chances of having knee pain and reduce current knee pain by giving more support to my knees. If my muscles are strong then my body can be in good alignment and support when I run.
Strengthening my upper body for running
Strength training my upper body will also help my knee pain. Strength training my upper body will improve my cardiovascular fitness because my heart still needs to pump. This will allow my body to be able to utilize the resources (like blood, water, vitamins and minerals) effectively. This will then translate to having good cardiovascular fitness when I’m running, making it less likely that I get fatigued and risk injury that way.
I do strength training 3 days a week, and I do a whole body workout every time I strength train.
Stretching lower body for knee pain
Stretching my lower body will help decrease the risk of knee pain and reduce knee pain that’s already there by keeping my muscles flexible and able to go through their full range of motion. This will keep my joints limber and happy so when I do go to run my muscles and joints don’t lock up on me. I stretch after every workout, whether it be walking, running, other cardio, or strength training.
So that’s what I do when I have knee pain that limits my running: I assess the situation constantly, how does my knee feel at rest, walking, running, other movements. I always warm up, try a run and if that pain isn’t going away within 5 minutes I just continue to walk. I make sure I strength train at least 3 days a week and stretch after every workout no matter what kind of workout it is. For more tips and tricks follow my page.
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