Why are you running2win?

[Benjamin Stuckey]

Total posts: 204

Registered member.

My knee has been getting progressively worse for about a month now. I've been taking preventative actions against it, icing, stretching, heat therapy, ultrasound therapy, ibuprofen (1600 mg/day), blah blah blah... the head trainer for my track team says that I have Jumper's Knee, I've got one of those stupid little knee strap things, that seems to do nothing for me. In the last week I've taken my mileage from fifty down to thirty, due to pain. I skipped one meet already, with three more meets before conference, which I probably won't make now... my PR would put me in the 20th slot right now, 24 make it.

What should I do?
A) Take the rest of indoor off to get healthy and prepare for outdoors.
B) Pound through the rest of indoor and take outdoors off.
C) Pound through indoors and outdoors, complaining about pain in my knee the whole time.
D) Stop running, because I'm a pussy.

Reply (you need to log in to reply)

[Benjamin Stuckey]

Total posts: 204

Registered member.

I didn't start taking ibuprofen until the trainer told me to, through high school and my first year of college I never took any.

Reply (you need to log in to reply)

[Benjamin Stuckey]

Total posts: 204

Registered member.

I have two pairs of Saucony Guide 2, I alternate every other day which pair I wear. I've been doing that for three years now. I started wearing Trigon 5, then they turned into Guide, now Guide 2. So, I've had the same type of shoe for three or four years now... I don't think that is the problem, right now my shoes only have 320 and 350 miles, I buy new shoes about every 500 miles.

Reply (you need to log in to reply)

[reedan01]

Total posts: 95

Registered member.

Hey buddy, I too suffered from patellar tendonitis for my senior year of outdoor track. The only way it went away was to: stop running. I know its hard, but stop. Just stop, and keep doing everything else that you have been doing. The other important thing is to get to a physical therapist if you can. A big part of the problem, as they explained to me, was that the quad muscles and other muscles that act on the knee are not strong enough, putting undo stress on the tendon and causing it to slip around, inflaming it. So go to PT, and do online research about gentle leg strengthening exercises for the muscles around the knee. Just trust me, it worked. I hope it gets better, and then you can hopefully have your outdoor season. Its still early in the winter, don't fret. Good luck!

Reply (you need to log in to reply)

[Dono]

Total posts: 179

Registered member.

This is why R2W rocks. (Chuckles and stumbles off to bed.)

Reply (you need to log in to reply)

[runwfu05]

Total posts: 33

Registered member.

Find a good physical therapist. Your athletic trainer probably doesn't have the experience treating this (or else you would be better).

You need to strengthen your hips. Do bridges:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crGw1znKaBA&NR=1
and sidelying leg raises:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ox3OUflqXM

I don't know how to embed the video, sorry.

The hip controls the knee. You can have quads the size of Gail Devers and still have knee pain if your hips are weak.
Avoid any seated knee extension exercises.

As for your choices... A is the best.

What's the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

Reply (you need to log in to reply)

[marylandexc]

Total posts: 2778

Registered member.

D

Reply (you need to log in to reply)