So, I have been wanting to get back into running lately and hopefully to run in my first half marathon in 2 months. I used to be a very active runner but have not ran seriously in the past 4 months, with an occasional 2 miles run. I decided to get active and more involved in local running groups and have joined USA FIT Orlando as a member and a sponsor. 2 weeks ago I committed to running a 9 mile run with a patient of mine and with the group. What was I thinking? At 1 week, I attempted to run 6 miles after a few small pain free runs, and experienced an acute flare up of left knee pain. 3 days later, I was able to run 9 miles pain free!
This case shows the importance of addressing your running pain early and to solve the problem of your pain, not to treat the pain. So what caused the left knee pain? Eventhough, I had knee pain, I did not have a knee problem. My problem, or the true cause of my pain, was left hip muscle weakness. My whole left leg is weaker when compared to my right leg. My left hip muscle weakness was causing altered knee biomechanics at my knee, thus resulting in patellar tendon pain, during, after, and for 2 days after my run. Below is a picture that shows an example of what occurs with hip muscle weakness and its result at the knee.
I also had trigger points in my left quad and lateral leg. The cause of trigger points is a topic for another blog posts, but when overloading a weak muscle, trigger points occur, and can have an affect on my knee pain. Many people attempt stretching, but stretch of my IT band was not my problem. My bigger problem was that I was scheduled to run 9 miles in 2 days but I was having left knee pain still, even 2 days after my run. So what did I do to get pain free in 2 days and be able to run 9 miles pain free?
1) 2 days of rest
I did not continue to run in pain and just hope that the pain would go away. Another thing is, DO NOT TAKE A PAIN RELIEVER OR ADVIL AND RUN. This is a definite DO NOT DO for all of my runners. There are numerous side effects of taking anti-inflammatories when running. If I would have ran in pain I would have just exacerbated my pain and then I probably would have not been able to run my 9 miles in 2 days.
2) Avoid over training
Simply stated. No need to train in pain.
3) Addressed the cause of my pain
I immediately started foam rolling to my lateral left leg and left quad to resolve the trigger points. I started to address my left hip muscle weakness with exercises at home and in the clinic. I also added some eccentric training to my left quad in a pain free range of motion. This was correcting the cause of my pain.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsZiCStiJqg&list=PLwLS88Fgo0BkQ0Yre4XbsnOymp9NDC0yx&index=2
On Saturday morning, 3 days after my injury, I was pain free but I did not want to re-aggravate my injury. My goal was just to complete the 9 mile run pain free since I have just started running and was not trained. I was not concerned with my time but just wanted to complete the distance and workload. I ran a 4 minute run, 1 minute walk for 9 miles. I completed the run pain free and had no complaints!
At Pursuit Physical Therapy we specialize in the treatment of running injuries and we understand what it takes and the importance of training for a race. There is no need to run in pain, and if addressed early, you can solve the problem that is causing your pain and get back to pain free running in just a few days. We have also designed a proven Running Injury Program specifically for runners! Feel free to call us at 407-494-8835 to schedule a consultation or visit us at PursuitTherapy.com today! Get back to pain free running now!
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