Tag: runner's knee

A Glimmer of Hope

For a little more than a month now, I have dealt with some knee pain that has prevented me from running.  I’ve had aches and pains over the years as a runner and for the most part rest and easing back into running was sufficient.  But not this time.  This injury seemed to be lingering and not getting better with rest.

I tend to self-diagnose, and I came to the conclusion that my knee pain was most consistent with “runner’s knee,” aka – patellofemoral pain syndrome.  But just knowing that alone, along with rest wasn’t cutting it for me, so I swallowed my pride and went to see my doctor.

I was able to quickly get an appointment to see my doctor’s physician assistant and she advised me to take a prescription anti-inflammatory and try some physical therapy.  So with the referral in hand, I went to get some “physio” as the hip kids say.

The first trip didn’t do much for me, she evaluated me, told me that I had no flexibility, and rubbed some cream on my leg and used some sort of ultrasound gizmo on my knee that made me roll my eyes.  But she advised me to come back on Tuesday and see another therapist to have my knee taped.

On Tuesday I was prepared for another “you’re not very flexible” lecture, but I could tell right away that this lady was going to get me on the right track.  I told her that I have pain with stairs and we tested that out.  Just stepping down a single step slowly was very painful.  I was ordered up onto the bench and the tape came out.  Of course, I was skeptical (I’m the biggest pessimist in the world), but she wrapped the knee up and explained the whole process to me.  After taping we tried the step-down test again and there was no discomfort.  IT WAS GONE!  I was surprised, but also kind of excited.  Although we were out of time for our session, she wanted me to go for a run and see how it felt.  That was all I needed to hear.

I drove from their office straight to the nature preserve and hit the trail.  I ran a hilly 3-miler at a pushed effort, and although the taping felt a little weird, there wasn’t any knee pain.  The muscles around the knee felt a little sore, but I haven’t run in several weeks, so that was expected.

The next day the air quality was so bad thanks to the Canadian wildfire smoke drifting down into the Chicago area, so I opted for a walk instead.  But two days after getting my knee taped, I went for another run/walk (2min run/2min walk) at an easy pace and it felt great.  I only planned for five miles, but when I got to four miles, I detoured my route to extend it and had no discomfort at all.  The taped knee was doing great!  I ended up doing 7.75 miles and have no lingering knee pain.

So, I will need to continue improving my flexibility through stretching, and foam rolling, and hopefully strengthen the appropriate quad muscles so that my knee actually moves in the spot it is supposed to move and then maybe I won’t need the taped knee.

My ultrarunning goals for the year may have been saved thanks to a knowledgeable physical therapist and some athletic tape!

My Dumb Running Injury

Doctor, it hurts when I do this! Then don’t do that. – Henny Youngman

I’ve been running a long time, consistently since the late 1980s. Over the course of those 30+ years I have had mostly pain-free miles, but I think I have had just about every type of common running injury there is – iliotibial band issues, plantar fasciitis, piriformis, bruised toenails, and Achilles tendonitis just to name a few. Sometimes they seem serious and take a while to heal, while others I just train through them. Now I think I might be experiencing the dreaded Runner’s Knee. I say “I think” because I tend to self-diagnose, and I don’t really know for sure. Plus, the term “Runner’s Knee” doesn’t seem to be specific to one condition. So here’s what I found out about the condition.

Runner’s Knee is probably something that I have had in the past, but it wasn’t enough of an issue that I remember it specifically. There are a handful of causes but I think my issue is due to overdoing it for the past three years as I have stepped up my mileage training for ultras, being an older runner, and lack of flexibility in my leg muscles. Basically, I’m wearing out my already worn-out legs and I don’t stretch. Running injuries really all stem from overtraining or overexertion.

There are two types of injuries that are sometimes called Runner’s Knee, Chondromalacia Patella (CMP), and Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS). Both deal with knee pain, with Chondromalacia Patella dealing more with pain in the knee cap and degradation of the knee cap cartilage. Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome is more generalized to the muscles and area around the knee. Symptoms of Runner’s Knee that I am experiencing include pain while sitting with my leg bent, especially in the evening, knee pain while using the stairs, and pain while bending the knee. I do not have any grinding or unusual sensations while bending my knee, so therefore, I think my type of Runner’s Knee is more in line with the broader PFPS condition.

Either way, both conditions tend to respond to rest, OTC pain meds, stretching, and physical therapy if needed. There are plentiful videos online in which physical therapists describe stretches and exercises for the condition, so I think I’ll skip the hassle of seeing my doctor for a referral for PT. So far, I have found some relief just from the quadriceps, hamstrings, iliotibial band, and Achilles tendon stretches that I have done. This may be one of those short layoffs from running and I can get back to the long and slow training that is needed to prepare for the three ultras I have in the fall.

‘Tis but a scratch. Just a flesh wound. – The Black Knight

Have you ever dealt with Runner’s Knee? How did you handle it? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.