This sounds like a classic case of runners knee.
Mine didn't change for about 8-10 weeks of constant re hab last year. Then in two weeks i went from not being able ti run 20 min in bad pain to being able to run every day.
Go to the physio and get some exersizes to do, and DO them everyday. make sure you work both legs though as I didn't and the pain intially transfered to my other knee!
Seems to be a lot of runners going down with this. Are the running shoes to blame?
I had the same thing and couldn't bend my knee and run a step for 5 months. Misdiagnosed as a calf problem, I went to see a decent physio with running knowledge and he realised it was the IT band had tightened during my rest period. He gave me three exercises to do to stretch it out and strengthen it (lie on end of bed and pull leg across holding the knee; stand against wall cross legs and squat down slightly; lie on side on floor and turn leg out upwards) and within a week I was back running and it didn't hurt again.
I've been fighting with this problem for a while now too and things seem to be on the mend. Doing the IT band exercises and runner's knee ones but i think the biggest help is stretching and doing some yoga, specifically ones that put balancing stress on your knee, i'm finding the pose where you stand on one leg with the opposite foot on your inner thigh is a good one, and the bikrams 'eagle' pose, although very awkward and difficult to do, i'm seeing the most gains from when i started the yoga. in the fall i had a ITband problem, and hatha yoga 2-3 times a week got rid of it in no time.
good luck
I have this right now too. I've only run a total of 12 miles since mid-March. :(
It's the shoes
i have/had the same problem. started doing the exercises and it has helped up to running 40mpw but am scared to go more, i still have a little bit of pain but nothing to what i had.
I got an MRI and it showed nothing at all, its weird how you can't run for 1 min and an MRI says nothing.
Keep plugging away at Quad lifts
This is encouraging lads. I was only on 25mpw before I had this problem so if I could improve to 30-40 pain free Id be happy.
The Walrus wrote:
It's the shoes
Why is it the shoes?
I have chondromalacia of my right knee and was scoped the first time after a year of pain and found that my patella had torn cartlidge under it.This was fifteen years ago and it still hurt like hell after the first surgery for over a year before they scoped it again. I had to go through pt for along time before they approved the second surgery. They smoothed out the rough cartlidge and did a lateral release which made my knee cap track like it should and whala...no more pain. My right leg has never been as strong as my left since though. Back when i was going to pt my therapist told me with my condition to never stretch my quads.....only my hamstrings.
Are you doing full leg extensions?
Coolio wrote:
This is encouraging lads. I was only on 25mpw before I had this problem so if I could improve to 30-40 pain free Id be happy.
You don't want to be doing them . Stay at 10 - 15 degrees only. You'll be making it worst!
Leg Expert im confused. I was talking about mileage not degrees. I do all sorts of quad strengthening including full leg extensions from the hip, twitching and squeezing a towel between legs. The only one I was advised to avoid is thigh extensions from the knees.