New runner - knees hurt

[pugletgirl]

I am on Week 3 of C25K and have had zero aches and pains up until two days ago - the first time I ran on a treadmill. I felt fine after I finished, but awoke the next morning with sore knees... like they were over extended or something. I took the day off and resumed today - again on the treadmill. Nothing hurt at all while I was running, but when I stopped - boy howdy... they ached. I put ice on them and took some Advil.

I do plan to do most of my training outdoors on the road, but the weather outside may not agree with me for every run. Does anyone know why this would happen on the treadmill and not on the road?

Any advice?

PS - I got analyzed for fancy running shoes, so those should not be the problem.

Thanks,
Lisa

 

[glss1/2fll]

I'm sorry your knees hurt. I don't have any answers for ya. I'm no expert. I did C25K this spring--loved it. My only advice would be to make sure you have excellent shoes--but you did that. So as to why your knees hurt after the treadmill and not outside

Good luck!

 

[cewait]

Soory to hear that you are having knee issues

It may not be the treadmill, rather the onset of a chronic injury. Thoughts are that the injury just manifested itself just this week after three weeks of running. Of, you may have shortened or otherwise changed you stride on the mill what pushed your knees over the edge.

Rest for 2-5 more days and then head back out for a run. Continue with icing a couple times a day and taking NSAIDs as conditions warrant. If it does not clear up, then head to a doctor for a visit. You may get a wide variety of opinions and guesses on a forum.

Once you are back running, you may want to shorten your stride just a bit. Look at your feet every once in a while. If your toes are pointing outward, practice pulling the feet so they are landing with toes pointed straight. In addition, you may want to consider strength workouts. For the legs, focis on squats, lunges and a few others. If you have gym access, look for a trainer to help with form. Finally, make sure to stretch after each run. Quads, hams, hip flexors and IT band. Chances are there is a slight form issue that you may need to adjust so that you can be a little more injury proof.

 

[pugletgirl]

Thanks so much for the responses! I will rest and attend to the things you mentioned. I appreciate your help!

 

[LovinPooh]

I was just coming on here to ask the same thing!!! I have been running on a treadmill for about 3 months now. Want to do a 5K at Disney in Feb. It started out with my ankle. Bought a brace and thats fine. Now my knee!!! OMG my knee!!! it feels loose is the best way to describe it! Last night I went to stretch and it hyperflexed itself and snapped. Hurt like you wouldnt believe. Today its in an ACE and iced. This is not good for the 5K. I too have running shoes that are special for my feet. Had the whole foot analysis and everything.
FRUSTRATED!
Gonna take some time off this next week. Gonna go for it Monday after thanksgiving hopefully.
Good luck to you OP

 

[loislane]

Couple of factors that could be at play.....

1. You're probably running further/longer now and that will impact your knees a bit. Try icing them for 20 minutes after a run.

2. You're not taking enough rest days.

3. You have the treadmill incline set at 0 degrees. It seems to me that 0 should simulate flat ground, but to me, it seems like a slight downhill - which stresses the knees more. Try bumping the incline up to 1.5 or 2 degrees.

4. Weak/tight muscles in the legs and especially around the knees. As soon as your start to get a little distance under your feet, your legs will tell you exactly where they need work. Stretches after a run and strength training (squats, lunges, etc. done with proper form) on non-running days are an important part of any running program.

Keep up the good work. C25K is a good program and running is a great workout.

 

[hvivona]

If you're not doing so already, add a glucosamine supplement to your diet. it will make a big difference in your joints healing on rest days. You also may want to have a running coach take a look at the way you run. your stides or landing patterns and body positioning may be off a bit. Many specialty running stores should be able to give you the name of a coach in your area.
Good luck and keep going!

 

[timmac]

I know I'm late offering this response, but wanted to offer a few thoughts I noticed early on in my running a few years ago...

When you're running outside, there are natural variances in your terrain, slope, etc, hence your running speed, stride and the like have a bit of variance as well. You probably don't even think about it, but it's likely that every now and again a step or two will be slightly off-pace as your body naturally adjusts itself.

On a treadmill, you're running/walking at a dreadfully consistent pace in which every single pace is exactly the same; so, while I have no proof of this, I suspect that treadmill running tends to exacerbate the issue of repetitive motion stress in some cases. At least, I am fairly sure it does for me, as I've experienced similar issues, during treadmill runs that are far shorter than what I can easily do on a normal outdoor run.

 

[JJSWDW]

Also, try switching up the shoes that you wear when you're not running. I used to think my work shoes were fine, but when I wore them after running I found that they caused me pain. The pain wasnt immediate so i didnt attribute it to the shoes right away. I bought some dr scholls inserts for them and that helped a lot, plus I try to wear gym shoes more often.