So a little while ago, I hurt my knee running. And it's bounced between it feeling okay, to somewhat achy, to me seriously considering learning levitation as an alternative to having to move my knee, back to feeling okay again, and so on. It's... decent right now. My chiropractor told me that I could take up swimming, biking, or use ellipticals instead, which are all good suggestions. B-but I like running (which is easier to just do than the other options - I always have my legs with me, the bike is another story). It annoys me that I hurt myself before I reached my twelve-minute mile goal. =( I'm wondering if my shoes weren't part of the problem. They were running shoes, but I'd also had them since high school, they were falling apart, and they had no cush left. I bought new shoes the other day and I felt like I was wearing a pair of moon jumpers by comparison. Could old crappy shoes have caused the injury in the first place? I go to the chiropractor any time it gets particularly annoying, but it costs me $50 each visit, so I'm trying to avoid going so often if I can avoid it. How likely is it to flare up again if I just give it another few weeks to heal and start the running again? Is there anything else I can do to help it heal and get back on my routine? I don't want to blow out my knees by the time I'm 30, but... Dangit, I've never really been sporty and I'm only just now learning to enjoy it and I don't wanna waste that. D: Surely the two can coexist! Thanks y'all. <3
I wish I had a better answer to your question, but I had a problem with my ankles several months after I started taking martial arts classes. There was a lot of bouncing involved, and my right ankle eventually said, ":***: you." It would get really sore during and after class. So I took the advice of my doctor and instructor and bought a brace for it, which really helped once I returned to class. Eventually, I had to get a brace for my left ankle as well.
the elliptical, healthwise, is the better option. you have less impact on a elliptical as your feet are not hitting the ground. I started a intense cardio core conditioning class at my college, and we do alot of running, and I had knee pain in my right knee on the inner portion of my lower kneecap. my teacher told me to rotate my toes slightly outward when i walk to put a little stretch on the area, and it helped. I don't know what your situation is, but running is harder on your body. At least until you can strengthen what is troubling you, the elliptical is your safest bet.
I'm no expert, but I'll give you what I know from my brother running cross-country in high school. Shoes are important. They have to be the right shoes for your foot too, or else they're just going to cause damage. If you really want to get serious about running, find a running-shoe store in your area and go talk to them. They might even map your feet and posture to find the right shoes. Your shoes are at least 4 years old! Get new ones! You're basically running on a piece of tire right now, if your shoes have been wearing out this entire time.
I'm not an expert myself as I can't run, but my brother and my father does. Well my father did, until he hurt his boths knees and had to stop. Shoes are essential. You should run with good appropriate shoes or you're going to hurt yourself and it seems that knees are one of the first part of the body that can be injured when you're running. My brother always pays very much attention to run with good shoes and on soft ground like clay or running track and he avoids to run on asphalt. I think that if you want to give running another try, you should think about buying better shoes and wait until your knee be completly mend.
Ellipticals do take a while to get used to but once you do their great, you can watch a movie while you run! I can only run on some surfaces to, and if my knee is even a little achy I use an elliptical trainer, its just not worth the pain. Oh, yeah knee braces are great to I wear one for actual running.
It quite possibly might be flat arches on your feet, if so then as you walk, run etc you put a lot of pressure on your knee
It could very well be your shoes. I messed up my knees in martial arts...and it just hasn't been the same since. But, if you find a pair of shoes with a good arch, it'll help with your knees, along with a lot of other knee/ankle issues you may have. Also, elliptical machines are nice, because they don't jog the knee too much, but you can get a pace going on them. Good luck, hope they feel better soon
^^This. Plus you may find that you like Ellipticals. You can go forward and backward, using arms, or just your legs (holding onto the stationary bars) and go super fast. Although I do agree. If I had the choice, I'd choose cross country running on nature paths. ^_^
I've had a bad knee for over 6 years now, thanks to an incident in a Kick-Boxing tourney. I fully sympathise with your aggrevation towards the sports you can and cannot do. I used to be a competative cross-country runner in my county, and all that had to stop. The one piece of advice I can give, is don't take any risks. I've been foolish enough every now and again to go running (and other 'impact' sports, which further damage my knee) and I've well and truly paid for it for weeks afterwards. If you have access to a gym, I've found that doing things like leg-presses and squats have helped strengthen my knee back up to a stage where I can more or less be on my feet for four hours at a time without too much pain to show at the end of it.
