Runner's Knee?

Question

I hurt my knee a year and a half ago and now I haven't been able to run since then. I made two attempts but it hurt so badly I couldn't continue. I recently tried again and the pain is still there. I do the elliptical now but it gets so boring. I love love running and I want to run again. I'm just afraid I'll never be able to do so. Anyone know how to help heal this injury?

I sort of expected time to heal it but I guess I need to do more than just wait.

Answer 1

I have it right now, and i got it before track season last year. It sucks but at least we don't need to get amputated. But you need to treat the injury yourself, not wait for time.

First, you want to try to avoid bending your knee-that's what creates pressure, which leads to pain. When you're sitting, try to keep your legs relaxed but straight. Avoid riding a bike too-it aggravates the pain.

Icing helps also-go for 8 minutes with ice, 2-3 minutes without ice, etc. There's exercises that you can do to help strenghten the quads, which can cause the problem of runner's knee if they're weak. If you run a lot, your quads can still be weak, so don't rule that out.

One exercise that always helps me is to lie on my back with one leg up and bent, and the other on the ground. i use my quads to slowly raise my leg, focusing on keeping my leg straight and foot pointing to the ceiling. I raise it for about 5 seconds, then slowly lower it down. I do 20 on each leg. There's another where you stand in front of the wall with your butt not touching the wall, but close. Lower down to a slight squat-you'll feel the burn. Hold this for 10 seconds then go up. Go to these links from runnersworld.com also to get tips on the injury-it's a great source. Hope you heal soon! You should also go to a sports medicine doctor (regular doctors prolly won't be able to help much), whether at school (if you're in school) or in a medical office. They'll be able to show you exercises and tell you if your injury is something more, since it's still hurting a year and half ago.

Answer 2

The best way might be to see a professional physiotherapist. They should be able to figure out the problem and give you specific advice and exercises. Of course, this costs money (generally) and depending on the injury can involve painful treatment so it might not be worth it for you. In which case, maybe you should try some cross-training to build some strength in your running muscles. Swimming is popular for injured athletes but, as a racewalker, I would encourage you to consider trying a bit of racewalking as it's kind of like a slow-impact version of running.