As I alluded to in a previous post, it looks like I am currently suffering from patellofemoral syndrome (or -> PFS or -> Runner's Knee) since early August. I've now gone through a few physical therapy sessions to strengthen & stretch various muscles and tendons along my leg that could be causing this. In addition to the PT, my mileage has gone way down from about 50-70 miles/week, to about 20-30 currently. But hey, at least I can still run. I just can't do it very well (not that I ever could). The pain almost always flares up around mile 3 (or sooner) and just lingers until I stop, thus making going long not only difficult but stupid lest I want this problem to stick around forever.
Probably the biggest hit for me personally was the admonishment to stay off trails until further notice. Since the onset could be traced to downhill running (or overuse...or a combo of both) I was told if I had to run, I needed to stick to flat hard man-made surfaces. Ugh. Running on city streets and city streets alone has not been easy. I've been longing for car/traffic light/pedestrian/exhaust fume free runs high atop the city with nothing but a pair of shoes, shorts, water bottle and miles of dirt trails to keep me going. But if the alternative is no running at all, trust me - I'm happy to take morsels and scraps anywhere and anyway I can.
With that in mind, I'm focusing on primarily on road races this Fall/Winter. Figure now's a good a time as any to work on gaining a little more speed and in lowering some of my pathetic PRs a bit. We'll see how that goes and how long my knee can tolerate it.
15 comments:
What exercises did your PT recommend?
My doctor said both my knees are going in when I run but my left knee is worse - and that's where I'm feeling the pain on the inside of my knee.
What he did was loop my left thigh through an elastic band and he actually pulled in the same direction my knee was going and told me to repeat the exercise. Instead of moving further inwards, my knee eventually started to resist and after a few iterations, it was noticeably straighter. He suggested I do this exercise once a day to reprogram my leg.
I'm trying to do this with an elastic tube at home but I'm struggling - I think I need something with more resistance perhaps.
Good luck, Billy. ::hugs::
I hope your knee heales quickly! Surface streets suck!
hey, i'm no expert on this stuff, but have you thought about taking up cycling as an alt for the time being. will help keep u moving, build up the supporting leg muscles, and not put too much stress on the kneee. it's been working for me.
Flat trails/paths can be nice, too. Maybe there are some parks or natural areas over on your side of town that can keep you off the pavement. If you find yourself out in the Pasadena area the Arroyo Seco (north and south of the Rose Bowl) has some nice trails that are nearly flat. Good luck with your recovery.
ugg this is just frustrating. i hope you heel up very soon billy, but am looking forward to seeing you on the road this fall :)
Heal that knee, dude. But kick some butt in road races!
injury sucks, but you're doing a good job of addressing the problem. Hope it heals up quickly!
What about your plica band? Only saying it cause I just discovered this part of the knee and that one can indeed injure it. I'm sure the diagnosis/running prescription would be the same as with PFS. Anyway kinda ironic that they recommend training on hard surface vs dirt. Usually it's the other way around. Get better and grow your hair out so I can call you Anton Jr.
Sorry to hear about this. I can't believe that you have to run on pavement, seems like that would be much harder on the knees than trails. What about flat trails? I have a mental block against pavement right now.
Wishing you a quick recovery.
Time to sign up for the Orange Curtain 100k...I am thinking about it.
Wow neat! This is a really great site! I am wondering if anyone else has come across something
similar in the past? Keep up the great work!
Sorry to hear that Billy. Hills are tough on PF syndrome so seek out the flat and easy... Same boat here, left knee has been iffy for weeks now, two orthos later and still no good recommendations for fixing it. Lower mileage seems to be doing the trick.
So sorry to hear this, Billy. Also agree with Lauren that it seems strange that flat pavement pounding was what was recommended. Flat trail, or grassy trail, or rubber/man-made track appeals to me a little better than streets, as I wouldn't want to risk the pounding. Good luck!! Hope the knees start to feel better soon!
i'm sure your PT has given you all kinds of good advice. Just thought I'd let you know I had this 2 years ago and by keeping up doing jsut leg lifts while I brush my teeth I've kept it from coming back
Injuries really suck man. Good luck with your recovery
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