For the past few weeks I've had all the symptoms of runner's knee in my left knee -- instability, hurts going up stairs, hurts after sitting. After a three week break, I slowly am getting back into running. I 15 minutes slow on Thursday and 25 minutes slow yesterday without pain.
Last night, however, both knees popped a lot. Every few minutes I would hear popping. This morning when I woke up it seems as though the pain has transferred to my right knee (that was in my left knee).
Any help?
Try doing very light sets of half squats or wall sits. Ice and heat afterwards. This got rid of the pain in my knees.
But first, see a doctor.
Okay, thanks!
I'm approaching 4 full weeks off from runner's knee. Yesterday I finally made a breakthrough. I think the key with this injury is locating the source of it. What is causing it? Once you can figure out what is causing it, like I did last night, then your recovery should be quick.
For me, I spent 3+ weeks convinced it was a weakness in my quads. So I'd do lay lifts at home and leg extension holds while sitting in my chair at work. And every 4-5 days things would feel better as a result of the rest I took. However, I'd try to run and the problem would happen again. So obviously the quad exercises were not solving anything.
Yesterday I finally got the foam roller out (long overdue) and started rolling out various areas - IT band, quads, hamstrings. And when I got to the hamstrings I could tell a noticeable difference between the left and right. And actually when I'd go over the inside of my hamstring I could feel tightness on the exact spot of where the knee had been hurting. So I spent 3-4 hours foam rolling and stretching while I watched football. And even in that time I could tell my knee was getting stronger and getting more support. I went to bed with my hamstrings feeling looser than I've ever felt in my life. Now my knee feels very close to normal.
So my point is... find the source of the problem (weak quads or tight hamstrings or tight IT Band or tight calves seem to be the common possibilities based on what I read). Rest alone seems to make things feel better, but it won't solve the problem from what I can tell.
Best of luck. It's all connected is what I'm figuring out. I think this tight hamstring of mine is what caused my plantar fasciitis for 5-6 months last year as well.
Thanks, very nice help! I will certainly try foam rolling the hamstrings. I too have been doing all the quad workouts and stretches, but can't tell if they are helping. Maybe it could be the hamstrings that is the source of the problem. I have noticed them being sort of tight when I run.
Most of my injuries are due to tight and or weak hamstrings. I've found if I do a couple sets of straight leg dead lift, the injuries subside pretty quickly. Use the weight to really get a good stretch in the hamstrings.