Little niggle in my knee, hasn’t amounted to much but I don’t run on it when it’s full-on sore. Just finished my first time foam rolling, and the side of that leg (IT band?) smarted for the first bit. I’m not sure if that’s just coincidence or if it’s part of the problem (did a speed interval run today). No pain, but some “sensation” I guess when doing regular stuff. Want to keep any potential real injury at bay. What say you, STers? How to manage and mitigate? Ice? Heat? More foam rolling?
Ice!
My vote is for more foam rolling.
Alrighty, did more foam rolling and currently have an ice wrap on. I’m starting to realize that foam rolling isn’t comfortable even on those parts of your body that aren’t injured. 
Yeah, foam rolling is never pleasant. Give yourself breaks between the foam rolling sessions, and do not do it right after icing. After heat might be good, though.
If it is the IT band, foam roll once or twice a day on it (don’t start with all of your weight on the roller - that will be a new level of torture). Good luck and make sure you are recovering enough. Injuries suck!
Cheers!
I sit in the hot tub for 20 minutes before I foam roll. Works wonders.
The pain is from inflammation. Inflammation creates heat. Adding more heat is a no go. So ice it. Foam rolling may be OK but be careful, too much pressure can aggravate the already injured tissue. So be gentle with it. Those intervals didn’t help either. If it the outside of your leg, knee high, it may be the IT band. Stretch glut med and massage it plus the length of the IT band.
It’s funny, I have had pain in that knee before (which is why I’m trying to avoid injuring it), but I’d describe what I’m feeling now as more a weakness or just being a little “off” or uncomfortable. I foam rolled again this morning before swimming, and didn’t use that leg to push off from my flip turns. About to put the ice pack in the freezer at work. Also, I’ve been making a point of getting a solid 8 hrs sleep lately – hoping this helps in recovery.
Tricky balance, this whole training/recovery thing… I need to get some time in on the bike (I’ve got a 70km ride on May 4), but I’m hesitant to spend more than an easy 1/2 hr on the trainer this evening. If I had actual pain, for sure I’d skip it. For for my current status, I’m not sure if I’m better to skip it altogether or just do an easy workout. I should mention, I’m a relative newbie (it’s my second year of tri) so I’m probably not at the point where “junk miles” exist yet.
I had a similar situation myself last week. There was this slight discomfort on the inside left knee just near the kneecap. I iced immediately after each workout and did some extra stretching (new stretches I didn’t have in my regiment). I also froze a bottle of water and used it to roll out the area. 1 week later and the sensation is completely gone.
hot ice
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