My knees hurt after running. What is the reason and what to do?

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Running exercises are an integral part of CrossFit. They develop the cardiovascular system, increase the vital capacity of the lungs and at the same time perfectly stimulate endurance. But not every athlete benefits from running. Many people experience severe pain in their legs, which is almost impossible to relieve while running. Why do my knees hurt during and after running and what can I do about it? You will receive a detailed answer to this question in our article.

Runner's Knee, Jumper's Knee, and Cyclist's Knee

“Runner's knee” is a collective term that covers a variety of conditions. This is not a medical diagnosis. Most often, runner's knee refers to patellofemoral syndrome. Runner's knee is also sometimes called IT Band syndrome or iliotibial tract syndrome.

Several other very common conditions that occur among runners are jumper's knee, or tendinitis of the patellar tendon, and cyclist's knee, or pes anserine tendonitis. It is these diseases that runners most often contact for pain in the knee joint.

Symptoms

With patellofemoral syndrome, pain occurs in the area of ​​the kneecap and under it. Not from below, but inside it - “from below from the inside.” Sometimes it happens just a little along the outer or inner edge of the kneecap. The pain, quite acute, begins while running, usually right at the very beginning of the workout.

If we are talking about the problem of the patellar ligament, or “jumper’s knee,” this is also pain in the area of ​​the anterior part of the knee joint, but not in the cup itself, but immediately below it, from below. There is the so-called patellar ligament, almost a continuation of the quadriceps tendon. And she will hurt under the kneecap, there will be pain during training and the next day. They become quite intense when accelerating, running downhill, and the next day when walking down stairs.

The typical location of pain in iliotibial tract syndrome is in the middle of the knee joint on the outside. The pain (it is not even in the knee itself) occurs due to friction of the so-called iliotibial tract on the lateral condyle of the femur. The pain will be on the side. Very characteristic pain sensations that appear towards the end of the workout. The pain increases with acceleration. It is important that the next day it will hurt to walk down the stairs.

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Similar symptoms for inflammation of the crow's foot ("cyclist's knee"): especially noticeable pain the next day; strengthening towards the end of the workout.

Sometimes pain occurs at the beginning of a run, after warming up it decreases - but towards the end of the workout it still returns. It will also be painful to walk the next day. But the pain is localized from within. That is, the place of pain with “cyclist’s knee” is the inner surface of the knee joint. And it happens both at the level of the knee joint and slightly below it on the inner surface, because the attachment of the goose foot extends about another 5 centimeters below the level of flexion in the knee joint.

My knees hurt after running. What is the reason and what to do?

If running is your life, even rain and icy wind won't stop you from giving it your all! But it happens that suddenly there is pain in the knee! Listen to your body, when exactly does it appear: during or after running?

Common knee injuries

Runner's knee

The underlying factor in the development of this pain syndrome (runner's knee) is lateral displacement relative to the groove of the femur. As a result, when the knee flexes and extends, its trajectory of movement is disrupted. This leads to overstretching of the ligamentous structures supporting the patella, increased pressure on the articular surfaces, loss of elasticity of the cartilage and the occurrence of pain.

Runner's knee

The underlying factor in the development of this pain syndrome (runner's knee) is lateral displacement relative to the groove of the femur. As a result, when the knee flexes and extends, its trajectory of movement is disrupted. This leads to overstretching of the ligamentous structures supporting the patella, increased pressure on the articular surfaces, loss of elasticity of the cartilage and the occurrence of pain.

Knee tendonitis

Pain in the front or below the knee often indicates inflammation of the patellar ligament. Tendinitis is often triggered by jumping and is considered an occupational disease of athletes involved in volleyball, tennis, basketball, athletics, and football. In sports medicine, there is a term called “jumper’s knee.”

Knee tendonitis

Pain in the front or below the knee often indicates inflammation of the patellar ligament. Tendinitis is often triggered by jumping and is considered an occupational disease of athletes involved in volleyball, tennis, basketball, athletics, and football. In sports medicine, there is a term called “jumper’s knee.”

Foot bursitis of the knee joint

Anserine bursitis occurs in runners with pain and inflammation on the inside of the middle part of the knee joint. This is an inflammatory disease of the joint tendon bursa of the gracilis, sartorius and semitendinosus muscles.

Foot bursitis of the knee joint

Anserine bursitis occurs in runners with pain and inflammation on the inside of the middle part of the knee joint. This is an inflammatory disease of the joint tendon bursa of the gracilis, sartorius and semitendinosus muscles.

Pain behind the knee

Sudden sharp pain behind the knee occurs when the hamstring is damaged. Such injuries are often observed in tennis, football and basketball players. Any nagging pain under the knee when bending is a reason to consult a doctor, since the range of diseases with such a symptom is quite wide, and it is quite difficult to understand them yourself.

Pain behind the knee

Sudden sharp pain behind the knee occurs when the hamstring is damaged. Such injuries are often observed in tennis, football and basketball players. Any nagging pain under the knee when bending is a reason to consult a doctor, since the range of diseases with such a symptom is quite wide, and it is quite difficult to understand them yourself.

“To improve your performance and push your limits, you need a regular training plan at varying intensities. Never forget that recovery is just as important as the workout itself. It is through the recovery process that you will become a better person. This way you will restore strength to your muscles and prevent injury.”

Anna and Lisa Haner, German track and field athletes, marathon participants

"Ambulance" for knees

If running causes knee pain, the first two things that help are rest and cooling. Try to apply ice or a compress to the area of ​​pain and surrounding tissue. It is best to wrap the ice in a towel to avoid harm. Do not cool your knee for too long - it is recommended several times a day for no more than 20 minutes. If possible, elevate your knee and try to strain it as little as possible. Sports braces and knee braces can also help, as they stabilize the knee and improve metabolism in the joint. If the pain persists, see your doctor to find out the cause.

Why does my knee hurt when I run?

In addition to sports injuries, knee pain can be caused by many factors. Some of them you can influence on your own, while others will require the help of a specialist. Among the main reasons are:

Terrain.

Hilly trails promise a varied and challenging running workout, but they can also be a real test for your knees. When you run downhill, the load increases significantly than on a flat surface. Lateral inclination is also harmful to the joints. If you have knee problems, you should avoid trails with varying inclines. In the event that part of your route is still downhill, it is better if you change running to walking - this will reduce the load on your knees.

Finding balance.

It is absolutely normal to consider your record race time as a temporary result and strive to improve it. But be careful! If you demand too much from your body, then at some point it will not be able to keep up. You should also remember that your condition may be affected by stress at work, the effects of a cold and other processes. You can prevent fatigue by adjusting your workout plan to suit your fitness level. Increase the difficulty of your workouts gradually. For healthy athletes, increasing your training by ten percent each week is the golden rule. Most importantly, listen to your body and take warning signs seriously! Your muscles, tendons and ligaments will thank you.

Can I run again after meniscus surgery?

The two menisci in the knee joint, the inner (medial) and the outer (lateral), act as load absorbers on the articular cartilage and provide some stabilization of the knee joint. After a break from running due to illness or injury, the knee will feel a little unstable because the muscles, tendons and ligaments have become weaker due to immobilization and lack of exercise. Start exercising cautiously so you can gradually get back into shape. Just in case, consult with the orthopedic specialist who is treating you.

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Causes of knee pain after running

The vast majority of running injuries are overuse injuries. Normal tissues, which are not anatomically altered, react with an inflammatory process to a load that they cannot cope with. Most often, the pain will come from the tendons and ligaments, and it will always behave in approximately the same way.

Painful sensations from “overuse” will initially appear only at long distances or during acceleration, but the next day everything will go away. If the situation worsens, the pain will appear at earlier stages and linger after training for 2–3 hours.

And the next period - pain appears at the very beginning of training and lasts 3-5 days. The most extreme stage is when the pain no longer goes away at all; it can last up to one and a half to two weeks, even with a complete refusal of training. The nature of the pain is the inflammatory process of the ligament, microtrauma.

What to do if your knees start to hurt

We do not recommend self-medication; it is better to seek medical help as quickly as possible. If an injury occurs and the acute pain does not go away, the following measures can be taken before being examined by a doctor:

• stop training and rest the injured knee;
• apply a cold compress or ice;
• if swelling of the knee appears, raise your leg;
• if there are no contraindications, paracetamol or a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug is allowed;
• If possible, apply a tight fixation bandage.

When the pain is chronic, the doctor makes a diagnosis and then prescribes comprehensive treatment. It includes rehabilitation exercises for joints, warm compresses, wearing a bandage, taking medications, and physical therapy. A rheumatologist or traumatologist will tell you what to apply to your sore knee. These can be warming gels, ointments with analgesics, etc.

What mistakes lead to knee pain?

The first mistake is running in the wrong shoes. A fairly common situation: a person who runs goes on vacation, to the country or somewhere else and goes for a run in what he has - sandals or something else completely inappropriate.

The second point is an incorrectly selected load plan. People, for example, prepare for competitions according to a training plan, but violate it with some unplanned races.

For example, you are preparing for a marathon, there is a certain weekly volume; it is carried out and, for example, from above a person participates in “Running Hearts”. It would seem, why not run 10 km? But it turns out that people completely fulfill the volume of their training plan and add 10–15–20 km of additional races on top, which in the end become redundant. It turns out “overuse”.

The next mistake is insufficient recovery. Amateurs are especially guilty of this. Professionals all warm up very well, knead, stretch, and go for massages.

Non-professionals like to run and do not like recovery activities: stretching, foam rolling, massage, recovery swimming. Thus, the muscles remain clogged longer, and in this state they are more susceptible to injury.

Prevention measures

It is easier to prevent a problem than to treat its consequences later. To avoid injury and reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases, follow these simple rules:

• Increase your running volume gradually, each week by no more than 10% compared to the previous one. Make a detailed lesson plan.
• Before starting your workout, take 5-10 minutes to warm up your muscles.
• Watch your running technique and correct foot placement.
• Run on a flat surface, avoid rough terrain with obstacles. It is ideal if there is a special path with a soft rubber coating in the park or square.
• Buy sports sneakers with a firm heel, flexible toe, and projection. Shoes should support your foot, but don’t overdo it with tight lacing.
• Use knee pads to avoid damaging your kneecap. This is especially important if there has been a history of trauma.
• After finishing your run, cool down. These are light physical exercises that smoothly bring the body into a state of rest.

Treat your knees with care, do not immediately take on heavy loads, then your workouts will bring benefits and positive emotions.

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"Risk zones"

The first is people with high weight, more than 90 kilograms.

The second is people without any sports background who start running too quickly (or they had a sports past, but several years passed between the last physical activity and return to sports). All office employees who suddenly decide to run a marathon are at risk.

A much rosier picture is for someone who, for example, went to the gym, ran there as a warm-up, but at some point decided to make running the main load.

At risk are people with orthopedic problems - with longitudinal, transverse flat feet. Also at risk are runners who have a history of musculoskeletal problems, including people with fractures or knee surgery.

I haven't noticed that knee injuries affect people of a certain gender. According to my observations, if a man comes to an appointment, it means that he already has an advanced case.

Men are more inclined to self-medicate, to be patient, to run away. Women are more sensitive to their health. And a woman with a not very pronounced injury is more likely to come than a man. Therefore, in general, it may seem that women are more susceptible to knee problems.

Running and the hip joint

The hip joints are also subject to increased stress when running. However, the main impact falls on the knee areas. The rules that apply to running also apply to the hips. It is difficult to fix the pelvis with a bandage. It is recommended to keep your back straight and not lean to one side, back or forward.

Weak muscle tissue, not prepared for increased load, cannot withstand it and transfers it to the joint, thereby provoking inflammation and active destruction. To prevent this, it is recommended to monitor your posture, strengthen your back muscles and gluteal group - this will help minimize damage to the hip area while running.

If pain occurs during training or competition

If pain occurs during a competition, then the most reasonable thing is to leave the race.

A more subtle point is what to do if your knee hurts before a competition or you just know you have knee problems. First, it is advisable to consult a doctor to make sure that it is not some kind of creepy thing. If the pain is mild, then it is permissible to take some NSAID tablet and run, for example, on ibuprofen.

This is relatively permissible: nevertheless, first the doctor must exclude the possibility of serious pathologies. Most likely, you will then have to recover longer, take a longer break, or undergo treatment for longer, but if this is a competition for which you have been preparing for a whole year, then taking a pill is acceptable. But if this is some kind of serious pathology, if the pain is intense enough, then it is advisable to quit the race.

I very often see people who endure until the finish line, limp, and then undergo treatment for six months, a year. Therefore, if you get sick right on the course, then you shouldn’t continue the race.

What can you do immediately after the competition? To mitigate the effects of running injuries, I always recommend icing the painful area. Apply ice wrapped in a thin cloth three times for five minutes.

Should I tolerate knee pain?

Pain can be different: there is good pain, there is bad pain. Good pain is muscle pain, and many people are familiar with it. Muscle pain associated with lactic acid “runs away”, your condition improves from workout to workout - in this case, the pain can be tolerated.

There are also adaptation pains that occur in people who are just starting to run or mastering new volumes. How to recognize this type of pain?

It doesn't have to be in any specific place. The pain should be “smeared” over the entire knee - and always on both sides. Should take place no more than 2 days after training. Better - within 24 hours. This kind of pain can and should be tolerated - it’s just an adaptation of the joints.

But if the pain is one-sided, there is a pronounced point of pain, then it cannot be tolerated. There is a high probability of pathology. Most likely, you won’t be able to run across, but it’s easy to make the situation worse. And then you will have to undergo treatment for a long time.

What is the treatment

90% of treatment lies in identifying the problem. If your knees hurt after running, it's not just about finding the inflamed ligament - it's important to understand why it's inflamed.

How often does it happen? The doctor sees inflammation - and all therapy is aimed at relieving it. We have pain and inflammation. Here's a pill for pain, here's for inflammation.

But the most important thing I’m trying to do is understand why this situation happened. And then the treatment will be individual.

For some it will be enough to adjust the training schedule, for others it will be enough to correct the technique. Some will be advised to choose the right sneakers, others - to make insoles. And for some, exercises will be selected that strengthen the muscles, the weakness of which puts stress on the inflamed ligament.

Or maybe the problem is that some of the patient’s muscles are shortened and not stretched - then stretching exercises will be selected to relax specific muscles. In general, you need to analyze what is happening, understand why it is happening and continue to work with the cause.

But treatment of the pain zone itself comes last. Focusing on treating the area that hurts, usually relieving the inflammatory process, leads to the resumption of pain when returning to running.

What safer way can you replace running?

• Swimming in the pool is not only safe for joints, but also helps treat osteochondrosis, arthrosis, poor posture and a host of other diseases.
• An exercise bike is a good replacement for running if you have back problems. If your knees hurt, then cycling can also cause harm.
• Rowing machine - allows you to pump not only your legs and back, but also your shoulder girdle. Contraindicated for back and knee problems.
• An elliptical trainer is a good replacement for running, it does not put a shock load on the joints, and allows you to use your arms in training.

Restrictions for knee pain after running

If things are really bad, then I try to limit running or physical activity in general for a while.

If things are going mediocre, and a person clearly has a running injury, then I ask him to switch for some time to cyclic types of activity that are not associated with impact loads: cycling, swimming, elliptical. It often happens that the knee hurts a lot when running, but it doesn’t hurt at all when playing other sports. Such a change in physical activity will allow you not to lose your heart and maintain a good “beater”.

When a person is recovering, my most common recommendation is to remove acceleration and hill running in the early stages of recovery from running. You should start running at about 30% of your normal volume. In general, I try to return a person to the training process as quickly as possible, I try to limit his physical activity as little as possible.

Why do my joints hurt after running or while running?

A joint is a fluid-filled space between bones, assembled into a capsule and ligaments. The lining contains synovial fluid. It is she who is responsible for depreciation.

When a person runs, synovial fluid is used up faster. Its lack provokes active friction, which causes inflammation and destruction. The more powerful the load, the higher the risk of joint diseases. The synovial membrane becomes injured and inflamed, causing the joints to begin to ache, their functionality decreases, and wear accelerates.

Take care of yourself and run correctly!

Bandage for knee pain

In some cases, bandages can be useful. But, firstly, it must be selected by a sports doctor. Secondly, the bandage should be solely a means of aiding recovery, and not a permanent element.

If you use it constantly, the muscles begin to weaken very quickly, addiction occurs and, unfortunately, people begin to run only in a bandage. Therefore, the bandage is worn only while recovery is ongoing and only if it is really necessary.

Let's just say that if we take 100% of the people who come to me with a knee joint, then I will recommend a bandage in 2-3% of cases.

For whom running is generally contraindicated?

There are several categories of people for whom running as a healing technique is contraindicated. These include:

• People with sore leg joints.
• Overweight people.
• Pregnant and new mothers.
• All patients with “back problems” (scoliosis, osteochondrosis, etc.) should personally consult their doctor.

If you follow all these tips, you can protect yourself as much as possible and minimize the risk of injury. Then your wellness activities will actually bring benefits, and not injury. But it may turn out that it is not possible to comply with all the conditions for safe running. In this case, it is better to replace running with less traumatic exercises.

What muscles should you train to prevent knee pain when running?

The most important muscle groups here are the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and quadriceps. These muscles need to be pumped. There are also muscles that need to be stretched - these are also the quadriceps and calf muscles. The short gastrocnemius muscle greatly affects knee pain.

Other preventative measures include cool-downs, warm-ups, and the use of a foam roller. It is important not to overload, follow the coach’s plan, and, in principle, work out with the coach. You need to listen to your body. If you feel that the fabrics cannot stand it, then you need to be able to stop in time. Run in good, proper shoes and change them regularly.

Prevention and risk reduction when running

Almost every athlete can encounter a situation where their knee hurts after a run. However, if you approach the organization of training with caution, you can avoid such problems. Professionals recommend:

1. Get tested in advance. You can consult a doctor for disease prevention if you plan to run. The specialist will prescribe the necessary tests and give recommendations. If diseases are observed, the doctor will prescribe treatment, after which it will be possible to start running after a while. In rare cases, you will have to forget about running.
2. Contact your coach. He will help you choose sports shoes and create an exercise plan. Periodization and level of loads must be thoughtful. Otherwise, overtraining and inflammation cannot be avoided.
3. Choose a suitable place to run. A road with many potholes and uneven spots is clearly not suitable for a beginner. If there is no suitable place for running, then it is better to exercise on a treadmill.

Beginners can start at a sports club on a treadmill under the supervision of an experienced trainer. If you experience problems with your knees during such exercises, you should definitely consult a doctor. Diseases of this kind are best treated in the early stages, because at a later stage they are difficult to treat. Sometimes advanced diseases have to be treated with radical methods.

How long might it take for therapy? It depends on the severity of the disease, the individual characteristics of the patient, and heredity. The doctor will indicate more precise dates after the diagnosis.

If it's not runner's knee, then what?

Knee pain can be due to a meniscal injury, there could be problems with the cruciate ligaments, medial ligaments, whatever.

Recently, people often come with marching injuries - these are intraosseous fractures of the tibia. There were 6 patients this season. In heavy people who run incorrectly, an intraosseous fracture of the tibial plateau occurs (this is next to the knee joint). Such an injury lasts for a very long time.

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The effects of running on joints

Tissue destruction. One common problem is arthrosis, in which the cartilage becomes thinner. Inflammatory processes. We are not always talking about arthritis, since it has a deeper origin, but inflammation can also occur after running due to the increased impact on the tissue.

How to solve the problem of knee pain if you already have it due to running:

• use ointments that have an anti-inflammatory effect;
• drink more clean water;
• minimize the load on your legs for several days;
• breathe more fresh air;
• wear safety shoes;
• wear knee and ankle braces;
• strengthen your muscles;
• Taping also helps to recover from injuries.