So I finally got injured?

[drew_c]

I'm not sure what advice I could get on this but it's worth a shot.

I run every morning and have for about a year without issue. Sometimes again at night. It's been a long time since I took a day off. I did 5 miles or so yesterday and started to feel some dull pain on the right side of my right knee, towards the back. I continued to jog on it for a little while and it stopped hurting as soon as I stopped.

This morning I couldn't get started with my run.. Right off the bat it was bothering me. I only did about a mile at a very slow pace and stopped fearing I might injure myself worse.

I've just decided to take the day off and do a lot of stretching, is there really anything else I could do to speed up the recovery of whatever this might be? It feels very minor just irritating. I could've easily ran through it but just decided against it.

Just walking around the yard or the house I don't feel anything. Only if I attempt to run. Stretching feels fine as well.

A lot of words to describe a minor issue but any thoughts are appreciated. I've not dealt with this type of thing since I began training. Two days in a row with very little cardio isn't very appealing... I hope to be back to normal tomorrow.

 

[Trouble]

First thing that hit me was the fact that you admit to not having had a break from running for a long time, a year. Great that you're dedicated, but it also seems that you may have an biomechanical issue with impact stress, common in the knees, shins and ankles of those who jog or run for long periods of time on hard surfaces without proper foot support.

I could be wrong, but you have what sounds like an overuse injury; with luck, P-Funk will see this, or one of the other training mods who can chime in and either correct me, add to or expand on my observations.

If it is a biomechanical issue, look to purchase of new shoes (your old ones could be part of the problem) and changing your running route surface - run on the grass or on a dirt track to reduce impact stress. Purchase a pair of gel inserts made for running as well.

At present, you can't continue to run on the inflammed joint, you risk further injury and worsening the strain to the affected tendon.

RICE. Rese, ice, compression and elevation, as necessary, if it worsens.

 

[drew_c]

Appreciate the excellent response.

I use a treadmill on a cement basement floor so I'm guessing you are probably correct with your diagnosis.

Not to mention the fact that I have not been using proper running shoes at any point. So I got my wake up call for a foolish, lazy mistake. I haven't been using hiking boots or anything horrible, just pretty standard Nike's. The same ones I use to play basketball. Lesson learned, I'll be shopping tomorrow.

I also just took 400mg of ibuprofen as someone suggested it might alleviate whatever is going on with my knee, not to mention dull the pain away. Slight as it might be.

RICE. Rese, ice, compression and elevation, as necessary, if it worsens.

Can you, or do you have a link that expands on what you are saying here? Rice?



Does anyone with experience with my type of running routine have suggestions on running shoes or certain types of inserts? The Nike 360's seem to be popular but I've not yet tried them on.

 

[fufu]

Saucony are the best running shoes I have ever worn. I ran cross country back in high school, great shoes. Either those or New Balance.

 

[drew_c]

Well I was up about 6:30 this morning and still feeling slight irritation in the same spot. Purchased some Nike runners as well as a knee sleeve. Just under $100 for the two items. If believe I took two more ibuprofen (same dose as yesterday) as well.

That combination allowed me an easy 30 minutes of jogging with no issues other than getting used to the presense of the knee sleeve. The pain was no longer noticable but I figured it best to stay with a light cardio session since I would be lifting later in the day anyway.

The weight training was normal but it was all upper body.

Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to resume my standard 45-60 minutes, without any pain relief required. I think I will stick with the knee sleeve as a precaution though. The pressure and heat it creates really seem to help.

So it would seem I dodged a bullet and didn't cause any damage but I will be sure to keep a close eye on it as I progress.

 

[studen77]

Try ellipticals bro..I got an LC-980 lifecore? and that thing gives me a great workout..

 

[Trouble]

Drew, good, you took proactive control of the situation.

See that post by Studen77>

Excellent advice. Please consider it, if you can get access to this training equipment.

 

[CowPimp]

Definitely sounds like an overuse injury to me. The first thing that jumped out at me was when you said you hadn't taken a day off in a year. I always recommend at least one day off each week.

Switching to an elliptical for a little bit would probably be a good idea; that is, once the pain is completely gone. In fact, using an elliptical 2-3 days each week instead of jogging outside would probably be a good idea to save your joints in the long run.

It's good that you're taking an anti-inflammatory, but be careful about the analgesic effects of Ibuprofen. There still could be irritation in the joint, but your perception of te pain is blunted by the drug.

Having your stride analyzed for pronation or supination and buying footwear accordingly is always a good idea too. This can minimize the impact on your joints. As well, focus on making sure your running form is tight.

 

[drew_c]

Really great advice all around. I will have to make a donation here and get my 'elite' title. You guys even treat new members well, much appreciated!

Not trying to turn this thread into a journal but I will say the past 3 days have all been 100% and without use of Ibuprofen or the knee sleeve. Feeling really great about that.

I believe the shoes were the key. I was acting very foolish and I'm suprised it took so long to catch up to me.

I'm shopping around for an elliptical machine. Alternating between that and running day to day sounds very appealing to me. It took this little experience to instill the fear of injury (and therefore inability to continue training) and force caution on myself.

 

[CowPimp]

It's good to hear that you're doing something about the situation. This is going to lead to you having a longer running "career" so to speak.

Another tidbit of information I want to throw out there is that you are supposed to replace your running shoes every 500 miles of running or so. Keep that in mind to make sure you're getting the full shock absorption effect from your shoes.

 

[maniclion]

It's good to hear that you're doing something about the situation. This is going to lead to you having a longer running "career" so to speak.

Another tidbit of information I want to throw out there is that you are supposed to replace your running shoes every 500 miles of running or so. Keep that in mind to make sure you're getting the full shock absorption effect from your shoes.

Thats the shitty part, you have these nice broken in pair of shoes you have to toss out and buy new ones just cause the treads are worn down, it's like buying a new car each time you need tires. They should comeout with a shoe that lets you keep the broken in upper half and just replace the soles

 

[Trouble]

*thoughtfully scratching head*

You can get Birkenstocks retreaded. They supposedly last 50 yrs.

 

[CowPimp]

Thats the shitty part, you have these nice broken in pair of shoes you have to toss out and buy new ones just cause the treads are worn down, it's like buying a new car each time you need tires. They should comeout with a shoe that lets you keep the broken in upper half and just replace the soles

If you have nice boots you can get them resoled. It's almost as expensive as buying a new pair though.