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Runners Knee Prevention

By: Steve Weber

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I began running seriously at age 40. My first "running injury" was a bad case of runner's knee. I was getting ready to run a half-marathon in the spring and I just began training in the winter. That in itself was a mistake.

I had run no more than 3 or 4 miles at a time up until that late December day when I decided to have my wife drive me 10 miles from my house and drop me off. I know now how foolish that was. She dropped me off in the country and drove back home.

I was fine until about mile 4 when I felt some pain my right knee. It was not too bad; just a twinge at that time. But in just a half mile more, I knew I was in trouble. I continued on as the knee pain became more and more intense. But after mile 5, I had to stop and walk. Of course, as is common with runner's knee, the pain stopped as I walked. After walking 100 yards are so, I took off running again. The pain returned in my knee more intense than every after running just a few steps.

It was cold and I really wanted to get home. So instead of walking, I fought the pain. That was my next mistake. My knee was screaming for me to stop running, but I kept on. By mile six my knee was in bad shape. I was cold and hurting.

For the next three miles I walked and jogged at about a 5 to 1 ratio. By the last mile the knee hurt so bad I had to walk all the time. The pain was so bad I could hardly pick my leg up to take a step. Worse still, my other knee was now hurting too!

I made it home finally and learned a lesson. From then on I would listen to my body and not ever bump up my training miles that far that fast.

After that event I studied the causes of running knee pain. It results from the hamstrings becoming stronger than the quads. This imbalance causes the quads to fatigue to the point that they become tight and somewhat cramp. This causes a pulling of the tendon where it attaches over the knee joint. This pulling causes irritation and thus the knee pain.

Runner's knee is not long lasting fortunately. With some rest, I was good as new in a few days and much wiser. Almost all runners will suffer with this problem at some point in their early running careers. The best advice to follow is to ramp up ones mileage by no more than 10% per week. I usually suggest a lower rate in the beginning.

Also, I found a knee band online that worked really well. It was elastic with Velcro and worked great for controlling the pain. I'm not sure how or why it worked, but when I wrapped it around my knee tightly just under the knee cap, it really helped slow the onset of the pain during running; I could run farther and farther without the knee problems occurring.

Also, runners should be aware that when there is even a slight pain anywhere in the body, other areas are more vulnerable to injury. It's not uncommon for running knee pains to result in other injuries such as in the hips or ITP band.

Runners have to remember that if they push too hard and suffer something like knee pain, they will have to layoff and lose training time. Results are better if training mileage is increased at a manageable amount. Most importantly, a new runner has to listen to his or her body and obey what it is telling them.

Running is a wonderful sport for building fitness and endurance, but serious exercise without proper strength and conditioning can lead to something known as "runners' knee". This injury, caused from the continued stress and impact on the knees, is common in a number of sports especially in the younger generation. Though the pain of runners' knee isn't typically intense or excruciating, it can be nagging and leave athletes on the sideline for a while. Following are several very good runner's knee exercises.

As an athlete, whether you participate in running or snowboarding, ballet or volleyball, it is important to have strong muscles and take great care to avoid runners' knee. Unfortunately, many athletes don't ever take into consideration how important their knees are or how easily they can injure them. However, it is important to note that the stronger the legs, the easier the impact will be on the knees.

Runners' knee is often believed to be caused by poor knee tracking, or the way the kneecap slides over the thighbone. If the muscles in the thigh are weak or imbalanced, the knee tracking will be improper, therefore leading to runners' knee.

Here are some exercises used to strengthen the legs, especially those muscles in the thigh, and lessen the likelihood of runners' knee. This is quite a short list, so be sure to learn as many other knee exercises as you can.

Exercises for the quadriceps:

Contractions: Sit in a chair, back straight, and extend your legs in the air as straight as possible. Hold this position with good posture, tightening your thighs to maintain, for 10 seconds. Release and relax for a couple of counts before repeating this exercise for a total of 10 repetitions. You can perform several sets as well as you continue to build strength.

Short-Arc Leg Extensions: Sit on the floor with your legs in front of you. Place a rolled-up towel under one thigh. Keeping your leg straight, lift you leg several inches off the floor. Hold for five seconds before bringing the leg to the floor and relaxing the knee. Complete 10 repetitions on one side before switching to the other. This is one of our favorite exercises for strengthening and thus eliminating runners knee problems.

For the hamstrings:

Curls: Lie on your stomach, placing your left foot behind your right heel. Bring your right heel towards your bottom in a slow, controlled manner. Feel the resistance from the left leg and hold for 10 seconds. Relax slightly and repeat for a total of 10 repetitions. Reposition feet and repeat on the opposite side.

Exercises for the inner thighs:

Sit in a chair, squeezing your fist between your thighs as tightly as possible. Hold for 10 seconds, relax, and repeat 9 more times.

Secondly, lie on your side with your legs together. Prop your head up with your arm. Bend your top leg, bringing it to rest on the floor in front of you. Lift the bottom leg, squeezing together your inner thighs to complete each movement. Lift leg 10 inches from the floor, hold, relax, and repeat. After 10 repetitions, turn,and perform exercise on the opposite side.

These are some knee exercises runners can begin with. If you want to continue to strengthen your legs and knees, look for other exercises similar to this. Remember to stretch your thighs-front,back, inner, and outer-before and after any type of exercise especially one which put large amounts of impact on the knees.

If you begin to notice pain in your knees while running and exercising, take some time to rest. Too many people overdo it or try to push through the pain, only to bring a more serious knee injury to themselves. With some ice and rest, runners knee can be easily taken care off and get you back in the game more quickly.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Steve Weber is an avid runner from Oklahoma and has more articles on his web site about runner's knee pain.

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