Could somebody pleassssse tell me what this is? I am not scheduled to see my ortho until mid Jan and I am curious to possibilities. I love running hills. However, I think going downhill is causing the pain on the outer knee.
After a 6 to 8 mile run with hills, it starts to tighten and hurt. I am trying to quit running if I feel much at all. If I keep running, it becomes painful to even extend my lower leg out. Then after showering, it hurts going up and especially down stairs. Almost like it is pinching on something bad? The pain is so bad, you want to hop down the stairs. Running flats does not aggravate it?? Just longer hilly runs or long regular runs?
I would put money on it being IT band syndrom (IlioTibial Band Syndrom). The IT band is a long tendon the originates from Tenso Facia Latte muscle and runs along the outside of the upper leg. It is used to stableize the knee lateraly. I found that cycling helped the issue. Generally a major cause of ITBS is an imbalance in the quadricept muscles. I would suggest massage of the Tensor Facia Latte (TFL) and strengthening of the medial quads as with leg extensions and the like. High reps low weight. Some massage therapists will want to focus on where the pain is but the key is to actually work on the TFL muscle in the hip.
Also stretching the TFL is good, you might try looking that up online. i could try to attempt to explain how here but it seems pretty daunting at this point.
Anyway, look into ITBS, 90% chance that is your problem.
My ‘guess’ is knee tendinitis. Has happened to me before and going up and down stairs was extremely painful. Orthopedist will probably give you an anti-inflamatory and say take two weeks off. Didn’t work for me, so I went to an Active Release Therapy guy. Two sessions and some new stretches and I was back to normal.
ITB or tendonitis, I’ve had both, I found ART to be more effective (and faster) than orthopedist.
Sounds more like patellar tendinitis than ITB to me - have had both. Worst case of patellar tendinitis came after a week-long 80-mile hike on the AT, up & down hills with a full ruck. The downhill pounding, with my foot everted, put asymmetric pressure on the patellar (knee) tendon. Anti-inflammatories, regular icing and extensive PT resolved it in about two weeks. Haven’t personally tried ART, but a buddy who had the same thing responded well with aART. Worth checking out with your doc.
Hurts on the lower front (not in the knee cap) starts there and then feels a real tightening and the lower leg is in pain when extended?
sounds like your patella tendon (the thing that doctors hit to test your reflexes) - patella tendonitis is a bitch, i’ve got it now, trying to ‘manage’ it as it doesn’t seem to be going away.
i’m not sure if your question about speedwork & plyos was serious, but if it is… DO NOT DO ANY PLYOS right now.
I know what you are talking about with the patellar tendon…good luck with that! It doesn’t feel like it is in that tendon. It seems like it is to the right of that tendon on (my right) knee. Could be the tendon though, if it is referred pain?
It sounds like Patellar Tendonitis. I’ve had it on and off for many years. Walking downstairs is painful. Lots bodyweight squats really help me. I do them all the time. I’ll do 10-20 ever time I get off my office chair. It all adds up.
It sounds like Patellar Tendonitis. I’ve had it on and off for many years. Walking downstairs is painful. Lots bodyweight squats really help me. I do them all the time. I’ll do 10-20 ever time I get off my office chair. It all adds up.
do your officemates know this?
“hey dev, come here for a second.”
(stand up, do 10-20 squats, then start walking over…)
“oh, wait, nevermind.”
(sit back down)
“actually, no, come here for a second…”
Its on the outside of the knee…most likely ITB…see what the orthopedists says…many posts and threads on ST about ITB…Patella Tendinitis can cause knee pain up and down stairs but pattella tendinitis ,its on the FRONT of the knee…additional suggestions: Avoid lying on the affected side at night, it you lay on the other side put a pillow between your legs…
I do think what you are experiencing is patellar tendonitis. The ‘pain going down stairs or hills’ is the give away. Also, I was affected by it on long runs as well, but flats not so much…
I’ve had what you’re describing quite a bit over the last few seasons and had to learn how to treat it. I notice it especially occurs if you are riding a lot of hills or live in a hilly area and your seat height is a little off so the patellar tendon might already be aggrivated a little. Also, if you are running hilly courses a lot. After lots of experimentation, I reccomend really taking some time off running and concentrating on riding/swimming, as long as it doesn’t hurt. In my case, riding didn’t aggrivate my knee at all. Try taking a week off, icing three times a day and taking lots of ibuprofen for the initial week (ie, the prescription dose). If you keep trying to run through it, or try doing things like plyos or squats, it will make it much worse. I tried, believe me, and it turned a small injury into a few months of painful running. You might be able to kick it in a few weeks so do yourself a favor and take is easy on the running during the off season for a bit.
When you do start running, stay away from hills completely. Go to a good rubber track and do a mile or two and then call it a day, gradually build into your volume again (or better yet go to a park with grass). Good luck.
Just remember you get alot of advice of ST…see what the orthopedicst says…pain on the outside of the knee can be ITB, meniscus tear, tendinitis, patella chondromalacia, stress fracture, avn, …you get what you pay for on this site----free advice but not necessarily accurate in your situation…once the orthopedist has a diagnosis then repost for more specific advice from ST
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I had a similar problem a few years ago. I was diagnosed with runner’s knee (can’t remember the medical term). Dr. told me that the problem was my knee cap rubbing due to overstrength of my outer thigh muscles and understrength of my inner thigh muscles. He told me to workout on the machine whereby you sit and essentially due curls with your thigh muscles, sitting somewhat at an angle to focus on strengthening my inner thigh muscles. Two weeks of these exercises and the pain was completely gone and has not returned. Good luck.
Since I can get into my ART quicker than my orthopedist, I usually go there first. If it’s not cleared up in a couple of sessions, I go to the orthopedist. (As long as I don’t think something is torn etc. - then I’d go right to the orthopedist).
