Hello,
This is going to be a bit of an essay so please persevere with it and thanks in advance for any help.
Basically I have a bad knee and am seeking some advice on the best way to go about bringing it back to full fitness. I'll start at the beginning!
In the middle of December last year I decided that I was too fat (approaching 15 stone, 5' 8", BMI of over 30, clinically obese at 23!!!) and too unfit (I'd had minor flertations with jogging, 5 a side football etc) so I decided the time was now and entered a half marathon that was at the end of May.
I went out for my first jog around my estate and was out of the house for less than 15 minutes and that included having to walk home up the hill. I kept at it and gradually increased the distances according to a training plan I downloaded (short run tues & thurs with an increasing distance on a Sunday). I improved quite quickly and lost weight. In March I did a 10k race in 54 minutes and all was looking good.
One week I ran 8 miles on a Thursday, 'felt' my knees a bit, then on the Sunday I did another 8 miles and after about 6 both knees really hurt and I walked home. There was no particular twist or incident.
I was a bit worried but didn't really think much of it, thought that they'd get better with a weeks rest. They didn't so I went to a running shop in Bristol (Easy Runner I think - highly recommended) for some advice. The very helpful guy watched me run and said I was stiff around the waist, I was wearing Asics GT2110's that he said didn't provide enough support, I ran over his pad that showed that I overpronate quite a lot, anyway, he told me to see a physio.
I went to see a physio and he said that I have tight muscles in my thighs that have been pulling on the knee causing the problem. There was also swelling. He gave me some massage and ultrasonic treatment and took my £25 for his 25 minutes. Said that he'd like to see me a couple of times a week and that it could be a long process. He noticed that when I stand my feet point outwards, my worse knee more than the better knee. I showed him my running shoes and he didn't seem to consider anything to do with pronation. I saw him a few more times before it got too expensive.
I then went to the local college for treatment by the trainees (£7 for over an hour). Diagnosis is completed with one of their teachers, and they noticed that my ITBs (muscle between hip and outer knee) were particulary tight and again decided that this was causing the strain on the knee. More massage, heat lamps, parafin wax, suction cups, ultrasound, once a week for about a month until they broke up for summer! I was still exercising at the gym on the bikes / cross trainer but no running. The half marathon was now out of the window.
The knee seemed to get better and I gave it a lot of rest but when I tried the odd mile on the tread mill or played 5 a side football and whilst it didn't hurt I could feel it. In the process of playing football I got some nasty blisters on the inside ball of my feet, this bought back to me my pronating feet so I got some insoles, something that running shop had suggested before.
I tried them with a 3 mile run the other day but after about 2 miles the knee hurt and I had blisters (to be expected!).
The knee hurts at the front in the middle just at the bottom of the knee cap when I use it, but the swelling I get is on the top inside of the knee, and its sore to push.
My ITB's or other thigh muscles aren't tight anymore and I stretch properly.
I don’t really know where to go with it now, its been dragging on. I want to start running again for general fitness (I'm now playing Sunday league football) and I want to complete a half marathon to prove all the **** takers from when I dropped out wrong.
Would there be any mileage in seeing my GP? Something that seems obvious from writing this is that maybe I should go back to the physio as much as I can afford…
I've lost 2 stone and am now about 12' 10".
Any suggestions, info on stretches / exercises or other info would be much appreciated.
This is going to be a bit of an essay so please persevere with it and thanks in advance for any help.
Basically I have a bad knee and am seeking some advice on the best way to go about bringing it back to full fitness. I'll start at the beginning!
In the middle of December last year I decided that I was too fat (approaching 15 stone, 5' 8", BMI of over 30, clinically obese at 23!!!) and too unfit (I'd had minor flertations with jogging, 5 a side football etc) so I decided the time was now and entered a half marathon that was at the end of May.
I went out for my first jog around my estate and was out of the house for less than 15 minutes and that included having to walk home up the hill. I kept at it and gradually increased the distances according to a training plan I downloaded (short run tues & thurs with an increasing distance on a Sunday). I improved quite quickly and lost weight. In March I did a 10k race in 54 minutes and all was looking good.
One week I ran 8 miles on a Thursday, 'felt' my knees a bit, then on the Sunday I did another 8 miles and after about 6 both knees really hurt and I walked home. There was no particular twist or incident.
I was a bit worried but didn't really think much of it, thought that they'd get better with a weeks rest. They didn't so I went to a running shop in Bristol (Easy Runner I think - highly recommended) for some advice. The very helpful guy watched me run and said I was stiff around the waist, I was wearing Asics GT2110's that he said didn't provide enough support, I ran over his pad that showed that I overpronate quite a lot, anyway, he told me to see a physio.
I went to see a physio and he said that I have tight muscles in my thighs that have been pulling on the knee causing the problem. There was also swelling. He gave me some massage and ultrasonic treatment and took my £25 for his 25 minutes. Said that he'd like to see me a couple of times a week and that it could be a long process. He noticed that when I stand my feet point outwards, my worse knee more than the better knee. I showed him my running shoes and he didn't seem to consider anything to do with pronation. I saw him a few more times before it got too expensive.
I then went to the local college for treatment by the trainees (£7 for over an hour). Diagnosis is completed with one of their teachers, and they noticed that my ITBs (muscle between hip and outer knee) were particulary tight and again decided that this was causing the strain on the knee. More massage, heat lamps, parafin wax, suction cups, ultrasound, once a week for about a month until they broke up for summer! I was still exercising at the gym on the bikes / cross trainer but no running. The half marathon was now out of the window.
The knee seemed to get better and I gave it a lot of rest but when I tried the odd mile on the tread mill or played 5 a side football and whilst it didn't hurt I could feel it. In the process of playing football I got some nasty blisters on the inside ball of my feet, this bought back to me my pronating feet so I got some insoles, something that running shop had suggested before.
I tried them with a 3 mile run the other day but after about 2 miles the knee hurt and I had blisters (to be expected!).
The knee hurts at the front in the middle just at the bottom of the knee cap when I use it, but the swelling I get is on the top inside of the knee, and its sore to push.
My ITB's or other thigh muscles aren't tight anymore and I stretch properly.
I don’t really know where to go with it now, its been dragging on. I want to start running again for general fitness (I'm now playing Sunday league football) and I want to complete a half marathon to prove all the **** takers from when I dropped out wrong.
Would there be any mileage in seeing my GP? Something that seems obvious from writing this is that maybe I should go back to the physio as much as I can afford…
I've lost 2 stone and am now about 12' 10".
Any suggestions, info on stretches / exercises or other info would be much appreciated.