Running and my knee

[Gina O]

Sometimes when I run, I have a very sharp pain on the outside, lower part of my knee... actually almost on the side of my leg more than my knee. It was pretty annoying a couple weeks ago, then went away. I ran on a treadmill this morning, and it hurt so badly that I had to stop after 25 minutes. Within 1-2 minutes of stopping, the sharp pain went away, and now it is just barely a dull ache. Just wondering if anyone else had experienced anything like this. Gina

[emilycat]

Gina,

What you describe sounds very much like iliotibial band syndrome (IT syndrome); which I had last year for about 1 month and a half. To be blunt, it sucked. It basically feels like knee pain, but it's the band that runs from your hip down the side of your leg, and when it rubs against something in your knee (sorry, I'm not a physical therapist; I don't know all the technical names), it gets inflamed and hurts like hell.

The pain, for me, was very sharp and sometimes excrutiating (and there's not much that'll make me stop in the middle of a run) during running, and only dull afterwards, but I felt it often. There are stretches you can do to help heal it, and a lot of people recommend taking Ibuprofen before you work out to dull the pain, but not so much that you're hurting yourself without realizing it. I could go on and on, but I would really suggest you visit the RW site; I tried to get a link, but all I could do was link you to the main page. Click on injury prevention, and then there's a link for IT syndrome...it has lots of good info that I used when I finally figured out what was wrong with me. Hope this helps!

[Natasha]

Gina,

Sorry to hear that - sounds painful!

Emily s advice is bang on as always, and not surprisingly http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

I would just add that I would also recommend seeing an athletic therapist (sorry, I m repetitive; I know I ve mentioned this before). The therapist will watch you run and move and get a good idea about your gait. He/she will also get you to do various exercises and stretches, and pay particular attention to any existing aches and pains (e.g., your knee). He/she can then tell you where you are most susceptible to injury, where you are strong, and prescribe exercises that are best for you. Of course, books and websites are still very, very helpful, and certainly worth checking out - but I get a whole lot out of seeing my athletic therapist. Just wanted to pass that along ... good luck and keep us posted!

[Gina O]

Thanks much for the info... I will check out the RW site, and had thought about talking to my Dr. I am in an HMO, with a fabulous internist who will give me any referral that I want. Unfortunately, I have to wait another couple weeks until I get all the insurance information from my new job. Haven't decided about trying to run again today. The treadmill is my only choice because the roads are still ice/snow covered with more on the way. Actually, after 2 ice storms and 8 inches of snow this week, today adds insult to injury. The forcast is for extremely cold temperature, high winds and more snow... basically blizzard conditions. Why do I live in Missouri?????

Okay enough whining! Gina

[lindrusso]

Gina - Okay, I don't run, but I just wanted to offer sympathy for your weather conditions. We're in Indiana and are getting a lot of what you're getting! It's now raining on top of all the snow and ice and it's supposed to change back over to snow - which means that everything will ice over and be a big mess! Feel free to whine to me about the weather any time - I can relate!! As well as give you a run (oh, sorry, no pun intended) for your money in the whining department http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif !

[Gina O]

I guess I did not appreciate the incredibly mild winter from last year enough and this is my punishment! I bet it is equally as nasty in Indiana. Wish I had know you were there in June... I spent 2 days in Indianapolis shopping while Brian took a weekend class. Would have been fun to visit with someone. Gina