Help, I'm 47, what can I do to help these joints!!!

Joint supplements don't work. I eliminated joint pain nearly completely by going vegan. I'm 61 and have many years of mileage and racing on the chassis. I had accepted the fact that joint and muscle pain was the cost of doing business. But going vegan changed all that. Now, I recover much more quickly. You might read Scott Jurek's book Eat & Run. Jurek is one of the US's premier ultramarathoners, and he describes the impact of veganism on his running. Also, check this out:

http://www.runningraw.com/

There are other reasons for going vegan. Perhaps you know of Campbell et al's China Study, and also the clinical work of Dean Ornish and Caldwell Esselstyn and his son Rip.

If you go down this road, you need to supplement with B-12 and perhaps with a plant-based version of Omega-3.

Wow, that's interesting

runner who professes wrote:

Joint supplements don't work. I eliminated joint pain nearly completely by going vegan. I'm 61 and have many years of mileage and racing on the chassis. I had accepted the fact that joint and muscle pain was the cost of doing business. But going vegan changed all that. Now, I recover much more quickly. You might read Scott Jurek's book Eat & Run. Jurek is one of the US's premier ultramarathoners, and he describes the impact of veganism on his running. Also, check this out:

http://www.runningraw.com/

There are other reasons for going vegan. Perhaps you know of Campbell et al's China Study, and also the clinical work of Dean Ornish and Caldwell Esselstyn and his son Rip.

If you go down this road, you need to supplement with B-12 and perhaps with a plant-based version of Omega-3.

which joints?

well I suppose it doesn't matter.

The key is finding a balance between the running you need to do and the rest you need to keep your joints from hurting.

running is a lot of pounding - those people running 40-60 mile weeks have mostly been running for 10 years, so they have built up strong tendons, ligaments, muscles.

there's no cure but time to keep getting stronger.

You can probably speed the process by strength training and exercises. I read a study once that just standing on one leg for 5 minutes a day reduces injuries. You can poke around the interwebs for specifics.

you can also run/walk on long runs. walk for a couple minutes every 30 minutes.

play around with shoes

try to run on soft surfaces

Thanks! It is my knees and most of my jogging is street and asphalt. Strengthening sounds smart. I guess I just have to be patient until things get better.

I have been running a few years and had that problem for about 6 months earlier this year. It's just caused from running hard and the inflammation is your body trying to heal the damage.

I noticed when I started putting mayo on my sandwiches my legs felt 100% better so I am pretty sure that is the cure for it. I never tried vegan so I can't say if that is a cure also.

Any unpaved trails in your area? I am over 50 and there is no way I can routinely run on concrete or pavement anymore without courting post-run inflammation.

YOu don't say what your weight is, or your running style. If you are carrying excess weight, that can cause joint pain. Running hard on your heels can also cause pain. Can you find a coach, and have them evaluate your running form? Maybe you can tweak it enough to run more efficiently.

You can also spend a day or two each week running in a pool, in the deep water. That gets the weight off of your joints but you can still put in a good work out.

Hot Yoga is your answer. Try to incorporate a practice 3-4 dys/week.

Running for the fun of it wrote:

Thanks! It is my knees and most of my jogging is street and asphalt. Strengthening sounds smart. I guess I just have to be patient until things get better.

Your knees should not hurt. It is a myth that running destroys your knees. And at 47, your are not so old that you should be having joint pain just as a result of being old.

You really should get checked out by a good ortho to rule out arthritis or any other soft tissue damage. If that checks out, then it may just be that you are improving faster than your body can handle. Back off training and definitely get in the gym. I have very minor slight tear on my medial meniscus. Without strength training (mostly quad press), it is sore after runs and pops and crackles like crazy in the morning. With consistent strength training, it is asymptomatic. Also, you may just have regular old runner's knee. This is very common with new runners and will require some rest with a gradual return to running.

She said her knees were in pain, not getting destroyed.