Knee ache

RunningTim

RunningTim

Barefooters
Jan 6, 2012
80
15
8
Adelaide, Australia
#1
Hi guys. I started BF running about a month ago as a way of trying to prevent my recurring knee problems. Everything seemed to be going fine. I was taking it very slow, only doing short runs and slowly increasing my distance. Since my last run however (3 days ago now), I've had a dull ache in both my knees just under the knee caps. Not any sharp pain, just an ache. I can't decide if it's just because my body is still getting used to BF running, or if it's a case of tendinitis. I think my form is pretty good. I mid/forefoot strike and I'm running pretty light (can hardly hear my feet on the asphalt).

Can such aches just be attributed to transitioning or something a bit more serious (hopefully the former).

Thanks,

Tim
 
#2
Have you had anyone evaluate

Have you had anyone evaluate your form? I thought the same until I someone watched and taped me. What I thought was a midfoot strike was a heel strike. I have major knee problems too and almost get them exclusively from bad form.

Hopefully the docs will chime in, but if you have a history with the knees, be very careful. As soon as you feel something, ease back the mileage. I don't think you have to stop running, but I'd ease back the mileage a lot and get your form confirmed by someone.
 
#3
I've battled with knee pain

I've battled with knee pain on and off throughout my transition. I tried to dial in my form which helped a little but the same pain would keep reoccurring. I finally sought professional help and got working on my mobility. Turns out my glutes and hip flexors were super tight. I use a lacrosse ball to get deep into the muscle and work out the knots. You may be feeling it in your knees but theres a good chance the issues are upstream.

Try trigger pointing deep in your hips and glutes by laying on a ball for minimum of 2 minutes or at least until you feel the muscle release. You might need to do this a couple times a day if you find out you're really right. This is what has worked for me anyway and it might be worth a try.
 
#5
NotSoDoomedRunner wrote:Have

NotSoDoomedRunner said:
Have you had anyone evaluate your form? I thought the same until I someone watched and taped me. What I thought was a midfoot strike was a heel strike. I have major knee problems too and almost get them exclusively from bad form.
Click to expand...

No I haven't yet. I might film myself on the treadmill and post it and see if someone can give me some tips.



zapmamak said:
I've battled with knee pain on and off throughout my transition. I tried to dial in my form which helped a little but the same pain would keep reoccurring. I finally sought professional help and got working on my mobility. Turns out my glutes and hip flexors were super tight. I use a lacrosse ball to get deep into the muscle and work out the knots. You may be feeling it in your knees but theres a good chance the issues are upstream. Try trigger pointing deep in your hips and glutes by laying on a ball for minimum of 2 minutes or at least until you feel the muscle release. You might need to do this a couple times a day if you find out you're really right. This is what has worked for me anyway and it might be worth a try.
Click to expand...

You might be onto something there. I did some work on my hamstrings with a couple of tennis balls last night. Good lord that hurt! I assume it's a good thing and I'm working out some tension there. :)
 
#6
Tim,From your message it

Tim,

From your message it sounds like you were running prior to BFR and had recurring knee pain. For me I used to have knee pain due to muscle strength imbalances between my hamstrings and quads which pulled my knee cap. Does it hurt when you go up and down stairs? If you have a muscle imbalance you may want to do some exercise to correct this.

What worked for me was doing both leg extensions followed by leg curls with 2/3 the weight. You could also do 1 leg squats which help quad strength. I am quite sure that our ancestors did not do weight training, so I'm sure that there are so many other ways to accomplish the same thing. Just my opinion.

-Jim
 
#7
Hi Jim. Yes that's right I

Hi Jim. Yes that's right I did have knee problems prior to BFR. One of the main reasons I decided to try it out :)

When I did have bad knee pain, it was excruciating going up and especially down stairs. Which really sucked given that most of my uni classes were upstairs. Given how tight my hamstrings are when rolling on tennis balls (my quads not so much), I'm starting to think that I do have a muscle imbalance. I'm trying the eccentric squats at the moment. I'd love to do more but unfortunately I can't afford a gym membership at the moment. Time to get back on the exercise bike methinks :)
 
#8
Tim, check out Ask the Docs,

Tim, check out Ask the Docs, or write to Sock-Doc and Dr. Mark and/or check out their sites. They have all kinds of strengthening exercises you can do to help get your muscles in balance.
 
#10
Well I have possibly found

Well I have possibly found the cause of my knee ache and it seems that it might indeed be because of my quads and/or hamstrings. The past few nights I've been rolling my muscles with tennis balls. Tonight I did 20km on the exercise bike. My knees felt ok after that. But a couple of hours later I went on my evening walk that I do most nights with my dad. It involves some hill climbs and descents. This past week on the way down I've been feeling some discomfort in my knees. Tonight they felt much better. Some more research is needed but I am hopeful :)
 
#11
RunningTim wrote:Well I have

RunningTim said:
Well I have possibly found the cause of my knee ache and it seems that it might indeed be because of my quads and/or hamstrings. The past few nights I've been rolling my muscles with tennis balls. Tonight I did 20km on the exercise bike. My knees felt ok after that. But a couple of hours later I went on my evening walk that I do most nights with my dad. It involves some hill climbs and descents. This past week on the way down I've been feeling some discomfort in my knees. Tonight they felt much better. Some more research is needed but I am hopeful :)
Click to expand...
I'm hopeful for you too! You might be surprised. I had knee pain after most of my trail races (15 miles and under) last year, but after spending some SERIOUS time working out my glutes and hips with my "tools" I was able to complete my marathon free of any of that knee pain. I had a little hip tightness but nothing crazy like my knees. And my recent 50k wasn't too bad either although I did have the knee pain come back to haunt me a little on that. For me it can also be exacerbated by overstriding, so you might want to be aware of that as well. Good luck and keep us posted!!
 
#12
Thanks Zapmamak. Glad you

Thanks Zapmamak. Glad you were able to still run 50k after suffering from knee pain. Makes me feel optimistic. And good to know I'm not alone :) I went swimming these past two nights and that seems to have helped me knees a bit (not to mention a bloody good workout overall!). I really want to get a mountain bike so I can get outside rather than be stuck on an exercise bike but until then, the indoor bike is better than nothing :)
 
#13
Hi RunningTim, I had

Hi RunningTim,



I had patellar tendonitis in my right knee back in 2006. After strict physio-therapy, and exercise, it eventually "went away" until it re-surfaced again in the fall of 2011. Thats 5 years! Not bad.

I contribute my duration and frequency, and my heel-strike technique as the factors in its comeback.

However, having been a "veteran" of knee pain, I immediately stopped all running activity at the first sign of knee pain. I performed light stretches at night at my own leisure. I also did some leg exercises at the gym, like squats.

After about 3 months, I decided to try running barefoot. I started slow, and my first run was successful, no knee pain. After about 3 runs, I did notice a dull ache, just below my knee cap, lasting for a minute or two, not painful, and not in the same area as my patellar tendonitis.

So I decided to stay cautious and ease back on running again.

Couple weeks later, went for a barefoot run, no problems. No dull ahces, no knee pain.
 
#14
Thanks for the info Chris.

Thanks for the info Chris. That sounds a lot like my situation. I've basically done the same thing. I've taken this past week and a half off from running but I've been swimming and doing about 25-30km a night on the exercise bike and rolling my muscles on a PVC pipe. I've also been going for barefoot walks in the evenings. My knees are feeling a lot better. I think I might go for a short run in the next day or two :)
 
#15
Well I did a 1km run on the

Well I did a 1km run on the treadmill this afternoon and still got the knee ache. I guess it hasn't really been long enough to let my swimming and riding take effect sadly. Bit disheartened really :(. But I guess this is going to be a slow process. I filmed the run though and posted it in the gait analysis thread to see if there is anything wrong with my form



http://barefootrunners.org/forum-topic/gait-analysis-videos-post-here
 
#16
I run terrible on the

I run terrible on the dreadmill. I run so heavy and clunky. It would mess me up too. Maybe a nice, short run outside instead in a few more days?
 
#17
LOL dreadmill! Love it! I

LOL dreadmill! Love it! I think that sounds like a good idea TJ. On the plus side, this morning the ache in my knees seems to have subsided. Given last time it it took about a week or so that seems like a good thing. Granted I did run half the distance I did last time, but still hopefully that means something :)
 
#18
Well bad news. My knee ache hasn't gone away or even gotten better. I saw my GP the other day and now I have a referral to a sports doctor and an appointment to get x-rays taken. The doc said it could lead to surgery :(
 
#19
That bites. Surgery! He should have told you more about why. I would be scared too, especially if he didn't say why. Good luck to you.
 
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