Experts will tell you how to behave if your knees hurt after running

If your knees hurt after running: identifying causes and effective treatment methods

Running is a very popular sport. It is practiced by millions of people around the world, regardless of their professions and interests. Morning or evening jogging is a healthy, fashionable way to keep your body in good shape. But sometimes after running the knee hurts and causes a lot of inconvenience to a person. In order for this sport to be a joy and bring favorable emotions, you should understand why a joint may ache after a race and how to treat it. There is a high risk of injury when playing this sport. One wrong step can cause a sprain, dislocation or fall. Existing diseases and pathologies may also become aggravated or worsened. After all, diarthrosis, which is already under constant load, experiences even greater pressure. It is impossible to treat this “bell” from the body with disdain and it is worth understanding why pain occurs and how to deal with it.

Treatment or self-medication - what to do next?

What to do if your knees hurt after training? Many athletes, experienced and beginners, prefer to wait it out. No one is in a hurry to go to the clinic, and sometimes this leads to serious consequences. Self-medication can be recommended in case of obvious overtraining, when it is clear that everything will go away in a few days. However, in case of chronic overtraining, when your knees hurt constantly, or only one knee hurts, it is better to see a doctor. He will identify the area of inflammation and determine its true causes.

Patients with a high body mass index are at risk - they subject their joints to serious stress even without regular long-distance running. For running, such people need special shoes that will adjust the load. Leg joints hurt after running even in beginners who have never done anything like this before.

Beginners are advised not to self-medicate and, just in case, visit a doctor. The same applies to people with orthopedic problems. You should definitely visit a doctor if:

My leg joints constantly hurt after running. When the pain is not related to loads, incorrect shoes, or the level of training of the athlete, the cause can be quite serious. As a last resort, even if nothing serious is discovered, the doctor will recommend good vitamins, sessions with a chiropractor or osteopath.
The knee area swells, turns red, and the pain lasts quite a long time. Any of these symptoms indicates the presence of an inflammatory process. The cause may be injury or disease of the joint.
There is a restriction of mobility in the knee joint area. This is an alarming signal that indicates a disease.
Pain in the back of the knee after running.

Serious diseases that can lead to such problems include arthritis and arthrosis, synovitis, tendinitis, rheumatism, bursitis, and periarthritis. And this is not a complete list of disorders that can be diagnosed. Diagnosis is carried out using special equipment, and in some cases the patient’s blood is taken for analysis.

Why do my joints bother me after jogging?

Often people who practice jogging wonder: why do their knees begin to cause discomfort only after exercise? After all, at any other time the joints behave differently - there is no pain and limited movement.

There can be many reasons for the occurrence of painful sensations. The very first of them is unfamiliarity with increased physical activity. When running, jumping and squatting, the joint is loaded much more noticeably than during normal walking. Excruciating discomfort can also appear after the ligaments are torn or stretched. This is accompanied by acute spasms, pain on palpation, local swelling and limited freedom of movement may be observed. Problems with ligaments can appear as a result of a sharp jump in the degree of load on the joint and due to various injuries. The next reason why an uncomfortable feeling appears in the limbs after a race may be a damaged meniscus. This cartilage is connected to other cartilaginous elements by ligaments. Sometimes, with a sudden unsuccessful movement, the fiber of the ligaments can tear and the meniscus is not able to function normally. There will be a sharp spasm, swelling, and the inability to lean on your leg. A common cause of pain is subluxation of the kneecap. The injury is not dangerous, but nevertheless unpleasant, typical specifically for runners. There are no special complications. But with repeated dislocations, the stability of the joint may be lost, and the patella will be injured again and again. And this can lead to the development of the so-called “runner’s knee”, when the tissues of the kneecap are destroyed under the influence of frequent “loosening”, a dull aching pain appears and the joint stops moving normally. With this syndrome, discomfort becomes commonplace. Important: if the blood supply is impaired and diarthrosis does not receive proper nutrition, this may be the cause of pain after jogging. Adolescent children are susceptible to this, when the vascular system does not have time to grow at the same pace as the bones and the blood supply to the bone tissues occurs intermittently. The unpleasant sensations that appear in this case usually do not have a clear location; the knee joint can hurt randomly, and they go away on their own, without taking medications. Or vascular pain can appear in people with a problematic circulatory system, when the patency of blood vessels is impaired and the blood supplies the tissues unstably. We can also talk about the presence of pathological processes: the development of rheumatism, arthritis, bursitis, arthrosis, synovitis and other joint diseases. Inconvenience in the knees during a race can also be a consequence of the incorrect progression of the components of diarthrosis, which occurs when moving on uneven ground, the wrong method of jogging, flat feet, bad shoes or unheated muscles. Important: If a runner moves over uneven terrain, the joints may distribute tension incorrectly, which can result in permanent damage and microtrauma that can develop into inflammation of the knees.

When the wrong technique is chosen (if a person runs with an emphasis on the heel or twists the feet, or holds the torso incorrectly), the body can also respond with pain. The load increases, and normal depreciation does not occur, but the tissues of the joints are compressed and, as a result, the person feels discomfort. If a runner has flat feet, the foot does not spring well and the knee joint is overloaded.

When shoes are incorrectly or poorly selected or laced, the foot is not fixed in the desired position, the joint does not function correctly and can be injured and painful. And, last but not least, you need a full warm-up before classes. The muscles must be warmed up and prepared for stress, otherwise they develop unevenly and direct the skeleton incorrectly. When pain is caused by incorrect position or movement of bone tissue, this can lead to the onset of inflammation, chronic meniscus injury, ruptures or sprains.

What to do if your knees hurt after training: causes and best ways to get rid of pain

Strength training, morning jogging, cycling, football, basketball are good for health, help strengthen the muscle corset, and help keep the whole body in good shape. But not the joints. These structural elements of the musculoskeletal system sometimes experience excessive stress during intense training. Short-term pain that quickly disappears after a good stretch is usually provoked by lactic acid. It accumulates in the muscles, but a feeling of discomfort occurs in the joints. If your knees hurt for a long time after training, then a thorough diagnosis is necessary. The examination cannot be postponed, especially if the intensity of the pain syndrome gradually increases. There is a possibility of an inflammatory or degenerative process developing in the knee joint. Then you will have to forget about training until you fully recover. Otherwise, increased physical activity will cause rapid progression of joint pathology. It is the knee joints that most often hurt after training due to the impact of static and dynamic loads on them. When performing exercises, changes occur in the muscular-ligamentous apparatus or osteo-articular elements. For example, when lifting a barbell, a person’s ligaments undergo a certain test of strength and elasticity. They stretch and then take an anatomically correct position. If the nature of the changes is temporary, then pain in the knee joints is considered normal. Under what conditions can discomfort after training be considered natural and does not require seeking medical help:

slight, short-lived painful sensations occur due to an increase in the concentration of lactic acid in the muscle fibers. It is formed during anaerobic glycolysis and is excreted from the body within a few hours. The rate of lactic acid metabolism depends on the athlete’s muscle training. To speed up its elimination, stretching exercises, massage, and short rest are practiced;
There is a dull aching pain that does not last long. It is not localized to a specific point, but spreads to the entire knee. Typically, such sensations are experienced by athletes who lift heavy weights or engage in freestyle wrestling. The dull nature of the pain syndrome is explained by temporary compression of the knee joint. Discomfort also occurs as the body naturally ages. With age, an insufficient amount of collagen is produced, which is responsible for the elasticity of connective joint structures. Their tensile strength decreases, so exposure to previous loads can cause microtrauma to hyaline cartilage. In the future, this can lead to the development of gonarthrosis - a severe pathology that is difficult to treat. If after 40-45 years of age athletes experience knee pain more often and more intensely after training, then it’s time to reconsider their regimen and reduce the load.

Pathological causes of pain
Pain is a protective reaction of the body to the influence of external or internal damaging factors. There are many pathological causes of discomfort and they are very diverse. Experienced sports doctors are able to make a diagnosis based on a person’s complaints and external examination. To confirm it, instrumental studies are prescribed. The most informative are radiography, arthroscopy, MRI, CT. The type of sport the patient is involved in becomes a definite clue for the doctor.

Run

People start running to lose weight, prolong youth, and improve their overall health. After the first lessons, even under the guidance of an experienced instructor, pain occurs in the knees. Over time, they disappear, as the strength and elasticity of ligaments, tendons, and muscles increases significantly. But, if the intensity of uncomfortable sensations increases in a runner, then the development of pathology can be assumed. Why do my knees hurt after training?

traumatic injury to the meniscus. If the loads are distributed incorrectly when jogging, the lower leg may rotate poorly relative to the hip. The nature of the pain that occurs is sharp, acute. The main symptoms of meniscus injury are extensive swelling, increased severity of discomfort during palpation and during movement;
luxation of the patella. Displacement of the kneecap occurs after a fall with the knee resting or a strong blow. The pain is sharp, but disappears quickly. After contacting a doctor, therapy takes only a few days. If an athlete neglects medical care, then a habitual dislocation of the knee joint gradually develops;
Chondromalacia patella is a pathological condition in which the cartilage of the posterior surface of the patella is destroyed. After a run, there is a nagging pain that disappears only after a long rest. It is necessary to urgently consult a doctor to stop the degenerative-dystrophic process.

Runners often go to the emergency room when they have damaged ankle ligaments or partial rupture of the Achilles tendon during a sudden start. But with excessive loads, the ligamentous-tendon apparatus of the knee is also injured. Despite adequate therapy, joint pain sometimes occurs after training.

Lifting barbells, dumbbells

These are the most traumatic sports for knee joints that experience excessive stress. At the end of their career, professional athletes often experience problems due to microtrauma of hyaline cartilage, leading to the development of gonarthrosis. The leading symptom of this type of osteoarthritis is pain that increases with flexion and extension of the joint. If your joints hurt after training, doctors suspect the following pathologies:

arthrosis of the knee, various forms of arthritis. Their development is indicated by long-lasting discomfort and the appearance of crepitus - a crunching sound during squats;
Osgood-Schlatter disease is an aseptic destruction of the tuberosity and nucleus of the tibia. The disease is usually diagnosed in young athletes.

After lifting heavy objects, pain in the knees occurs due to previous injuries: damage to the meniscus, rupture of one of the cruciate ligaments.
Strands are formed in the connective tissue structures, reducing the functional activity of the joint and causing its instability. Race walking and cycling

When walking and pedaling a bicycle, the knee joints move monotonously, and this is a common cause of damage to any joint. When your knee hurts after a workout, and this condition lasts for at least an hour, this may be a clinical manifestation of the following pathologies:

Osteoarthritis is a recurrent disease accompanied by the gradual destruction of cartilage tissue. To stabilize the joint, the body starts the process of formation of osteophytes (growth of the edges of bone plates). While walking, they compress sensitive nerve roots, causing severe pain. Discomfort in the knees after training is also explained by injury to nearby soft tissues;
gouty, rheumatoid, psoriatic arthritis. Pain after walking or cycling may indicate an inflammatory process developing in the joints. If no treatment was carried out at this stage, then soon you will have to forget about training forever. Destruction of hyaline cartilage will begin, which ends with disability;
osteochondritis dissecans - aseptic necrosis, leading to the separation of a small section of cartilage from the underlying bone and its displacement into the joint cavity. As a result, a loose intra-articular body is formed, causing pain during and after walking.

Acute pain syndrome is a sign of a knee injury, after which any movement becomes impossible.
Discomfort in the joint area of low intensity is felt due to previous injury. For example, if the synovial capsule was damaged after a fall, then during the healing process, areas of fibrous tissue may form on it. With this type of injury, the athlete needs to dose the load on the knee. Basic methods for pain relief

Pain that occurs due to natural causes is easy to eliminate. This is usually done by stroking the knee and then vigorously rubbing it. There is an intense rush of blood to the structural elements of the joint, muscle spasm is eliminated, and the elimination of lactic acid is accelerated. Professional athletes know well what to do if their knees hurt after training:

straighten up, place your hands on your sides, rise up, focusing on the toes of first one, then the other leg. Shake your feet vigorously and roll onto your heels. Perform exercises 20 times in 2-3 approaches;
legs spread wide and slightly bent, arms position is arbitrary. Sway gently from side to side to warm up. Then do shallow lunges, using both knees;
stand up straight, straighten your back, move your legs back one at a time and use your hands to pull your feet towards your buttocks. Perform the exercise 10-15 times in 3 approaches.

Sometimes painful sensations persist even after knee massage and physical therapy. Sports doctors have various types of gels and ointments with a cooling effect. Typically, their main ingredients are menthol and camphor. They act on the receptors of subcutaneous tissue, exhibiting analgesic, distracting, and locally irritating activity. After applying the ointment or gel, a pleasant feeling of coolness occurs, and the discomfort completely disappears. What else can you do if your knee joints hurt after training:

use cold compresses. Cooling helps reduce the intensity of discomfort. A bag of ice cubes wrapped in thick cloth is applied to the knees for 10-15 minutes;
rest for 30-60 minutes. You can simply lie down or sit down and put your feet on a pillow or put them on a low stool;
secure the knee with an elastic bandage. To do this, use a narrow bandage of medium or high stretch, which is wrapped around the knee several times. Pharmacies and medical equipment stores sell sports bandages that are comfortable to wear and do not restrict movement. Sports doctors recommend using them during training to reduce the likelihood of injury.

What to do when joints hurt after training is decided only by a doctor after carrying out diagnostic measures. If the results of instrumental studies do not reveal degenerative tissue degeneration, then wearing soft bandages and a good warm-up before training will help eliminate discomfort in the knees. And if developing articular pathology is detected, long-term therapy with chondroprotectors, analgesics, and NSAIDs is required.

When is pain after running normal?

After a variety of sports activities, so-called “normal” soreness may appear in the knees. It occurs as a reaction to changes in bone and joint tissues, muscles and tendons. There is no need to worry if:

1. The discomfort is not severe and lasts a short period of time. Usually the muscles of the thighs and ankles are also bothered. This is the same “soreness” that occurs due to the production of lactic acid in the tissues. Such pain goes away in a maximum of 3-4 days or less, depending on the degree of training of the runner: the more athletic he is, the weaker the soreness manifests itself and the faster it goes away.

2. Rapidly passing aching pain without a specific localization. It is felt when pressed, does not have a specific point.

However, this only applies to pain that is not intense and passes quickly, as well as pain in beginners in sports - muscles and diarthrosis, out of habit, always ache after training.

Determining the cause of a painful spasm by its location

Different diseases cause discomfort in different parts of the leg.

If after running the knee hurts on the outside
, this may indicate damage to the meniscus or collateral ligament or incorrect placement of the limb due to lower back disease.
If your knees hurt on the inside after running
, this may indicate a pathology, problems with the veins, or a complication in the form of a Baker's cyst.
Baker's cyst is a serious disease that requires the intervention of an orthopedic doctor
, in which excess fluid accumulates in the joint capsule. Untimely treatment or rupture of a cyst can result in unpleasant consequences and even purulent processes in the tissues or lateral ligament.
Why do your legs hurt below the knees after running?
Discomfort in this part will be felt with inflammation of the tendons, atherosclerosis, thrombosis, arthritis and arthrosis, periostopathy and poliomyelitis. Between the knee and heel is a part called the tibia, consisting of two tibia bones and three muscle groups. Sometimes the lower leg may feel discomfort after a long break from training. Muscles that are unaccustomed to stress respond with aching, painful sensations due to the accumulation of lactic acid. With ruptures and sprains of the ligaments, pain in the lower leg will also be felt. And, naturally, the lower leg will hurt if there is a crack or fracture of the bone.

Where to look for the problem: the main causes of pain

Why do my knees hurt while running?
No doctor will give a definite answer to this question without preliminary diagnosis. This is the case when it is difficult to make a diagnosis remotely: an examination is required. If your knee hurts after running once, then you can assume that the joint has received increased load. It is better not to repeat such “feats” so as not to encounter more serious problems. However, most runners complain of regular pain, which can occur at different times and with varying intensity. One of the common reasons for visiting a doctor is patellofemoral syndrome, or more simply, “runner’s knee.” The problem arises with regular exercise. Pain occurs behind the kneecap and spreads from below from the inside. Usually the pain is quite intense and can occur at the beginning of training and after it. However, runner's knee is not a medical diagnosis; it is merely a collective name for a disorder experienced by athletes. An examination is required to identify the true causes. There are similarities between “cyclist’s knee” and “jumper’s knee”. These disorders differ in the nature of the pain syndrome and also occur in runners. True causes of pain:

Excessive load. If your joints hurt after running, the reason may be the high load in each session or in a specific workout. Sometimes a doctor is consulted after major races or competitions. The main reason is microtrauma of the ligaments and tendons, as well as the associated inflammatory process.
Weak joints. They can be weakened due to lack of exercise or age, poor diet, or lack of important microelements. The load on such joints leads to injury. If your knee joints hurt after running, it is recommended to tidy up your diet and start taking vitamin and mineral complexes.
Old injuries. Knee pain after running can be associated with injuries to the pelvis, joints, spine, and meniscus. Perhaps the athlete requires treatment of the spine and joints in a specialized clinic.
Mistakes in choosing shoes and running places. Any sneakers are not suitable for classes; they are selected taking into account individual characteristics. And running on an uneven road with potholes can throw even a professional runner off balance.
Errors in running technique. How to run if your knees hurt? You can seek advice from a trainer - it’s safer and cheaper than later being treated for the consequences of improper running.
Serious illnesses. The problem may also be an illness; you should not completely exclude the possibility of this.

It will be quite difficult to independently identify the source of the problem if the pain does not appear for obvious reasons: overtraining, bad road, old injuries. Sometimes you don’t have to rush to the clinic - if you overtrain, the pain may go away in a few days. The main thing is not to let this happen again.

Preventing knee pain when running

To avoid unpleasant pain after your favorite run, you should adhere to a number of rules:

Run only on level ground
. You can also run on asphalt, but this is less preferable. But running on paving stones is not recommended at all;
Choose suitable shoes
that will tightly “envelop” and carefully fix your foot. Sneakers with a rigid back, shock-absorbing inserts and a flexible toe are suitable. The thickness of the sole should be the same over its entire surface. The shoes are not laced tightly, but the foot should not “walk” in the sneaker;
Run with proper technique
. You cannot direct all the tension of the step to the heel; you should place your foot straight or with support on its front part; a smooth roll is made from heel to toe. The supporting leg should be slightly bent at the knee so as not to overload the joint. Your arms should be bent at 90 degrees, with your fists raised above your chest. You should run silently and easily;
The duration and intensity of the workout
must be planned so that the difficulty increases gradually. You cannot immediately run continuously for half an hour if the person has not previously exercised at all. This approach will only do harm;
Before jogging, there must
be a warm-up for all muscle groups.

Active running loads can lead to knee injury, even if all the rules are followed. In this case, you need to see a doctor who can determine the cause of the pain and prescribe the appropriate course of treatment and supportive procedures.

Traditional medicine against knee pain

Traditional methods of treating knees can be either an independent means of overcoming pain or one of the components of complex treatment. The easiest way to treat a knee is to use all kinds of compresses: 1. Mix chestnut, lilac and dandelion flowers in equal parts and compact tightly into a jar, then pour in vodka and keep in a dark place for 14 days. Soak a gauze cloth with the prepared tincture and wrap it around the disturbing part of the leg overnight. After just two or three times, such a compress will significantly relieve pain. 2. Yellow clay masks have proven themselves well. Yellow clay is mixed with water to a thick paste and applied to the sore spot under a film and a warm bandage. This compress is also kept overnight. The course should be at least 7 procedures, after which it can be done twice a week as a preventive measure. Another popular method of treatment at home is all kinds of ointments prepared with your own hands based on such active ingredients as: mumiyo, honey, celandine, St. John's wort, mustard powder.

When the body responds with unpleasant sensations when playing sports, this is a motivating signal to make changes to your workouts, reduce their intensity or give the body a period of rest. Loads during exercise must be adequate and consistent with the capabilities, health and physical fitness of the person. You need to pay attention to the correct jogging technique and the position of your legs during it. You should only run in comfortable, suitable special shoes. Under no circumstances should you run in sneakers or, especially, in completely non-athletic shoes. The foot in the sneaker should be well fixed, the sneaker should fit “like a glove,” but at the same time the foot should feel natural. If knee pain does not go away within three days after the race, you need to consult a doctor and describe to him the whole picture: when the injury was received, what the nature of the sensations was, what treatment has already been carried out, etc. Perhaps spasms are an indicator of the onset of joint disease. Treatment at its early stage will be much simpler and more effective than in an advanced situation. Self-medication for an injured knee can not only not help, but also cause harm and delay the start of treatment, thereby delaying recovery and reducing a favorable prognosis.

. After completion of treatment and complete restoration of the joint, it is possible to return to training with the permission of your attending physician, starting with minimal loads and gradually carefully increasing them to the desired level.

Stretching

Many people confuse it with yoga and Pilates, but this is not true. Yoga and Pilates are complete sets of exercises that contain both beneficial and unacceptable movements for the joints. If you want to do these types of gymnastics, then you need to choose a complex specifically for the knees, and not just any set of exercises and asanas.

As for stretching, all leg extensions that relieve stress on the knee joint are useful. However, in no case should you press on the knee area with your hands to straighten it. In general, do not force your legs to be completely straight - this is not possible for everyone. Keep your knee slightly bent and relaxed.

Whatever you decide to do, stop immediately if you experience even mild pain. At the same time, it is not a fact that you will have to give up certain exercises forever - it is quite possible that you will be able to easily perform it next time, for example, when you are less tired. And be sure to try to discuss all the exercises with your doctor or get a referral for physical therapy - you can then do its complexes at home yourself.