Runners knees

[Canuck_25]

I have a condition called runners knees at the moment. I was wondering if any servering member or former serving member has had or has this condition. I do not experience pain in my knees very often during physical activity. I am currently trying to rehabilitate myself before i apply to the reserves. i also have partially flat feet, which contributed to my knee condition. I know have custom insoles (work great.)

I am an avid outdoorsman (fishing, hiking, hunting, constructing trails, canoeing, camping, ect) who enjoys a good challenge. When i do these activities, i experience almost no pain. I am worried if my condition isnt corrected by this summer, i will miss out for basic training while in university this september. I ride a shitty bike at the moment, and ill be buying a nice one ($1100) soon. Also, ill try and get back into swimming, it help out a lot.


        Any past experiences or suggestions will be happily be accepted.

 

[Stomper]

I'm in pretty much the same situation. I have a bad knee from running and I really want to heal it before summer.  I've had the same problem before and just stayed away from running for the fall, winter and most of spring and it was good by the next summer (then I just had to go and mess it up again). Basically, I'm not running this winter (with the exception of getting the 2.4km) and doing lots of long walks.  I hope it works. It seemed to work for me once before.

 

[Bert]

"Runners' knees" is rather ambiguous and may describe many symptoms.  Is the pain above,
below, or to the side of the knee?  Depending on the cause, a change of activity, stretching
(hamstrings, calves, quads, Illiotibial band), strengthening, and cushioning running shoes are
good things to consider.

I had illiotibial band inflamation on the side of my right knee during training.  I took extra
time on some nights to stretch the hams, the quads, the illiotibial bands and the calves.
By reducing the intensity of my runs for a few weeks and using cushioning running shoes,
the condition went away. 

 

[shaboing]

a couple years ago i had (i'm not even gonna try to type it out, haha) syndrom, basically where my femur was rubbing against my patella(knee cap) and grinding causeing pain. i went to physio therapy for 6 weeks 2 times a week and got treatment done and an excersise routine to strengthin the muscles around the knee to keep the knee parts away from each other. i would suggest seeing your doctor and hope your on some sort of plan that covers physio, cause i assume its not cheap. lucky for me i was covered on my dads ontario hydro plan. hope that helps

 

[Canuck_25]

Yes, i spoke to a doctor already. He told me some interesting information. He is a former British Army doctor and he said Runners knees was common for infantry, mostly because of running, which focuses on your outside muscle on your thigh and thus, the inside muscle gets weak and your knees (knee) shift. The main problem im concerned about is recouvering before i apply and the rate of my recouvery. If it took you 6 months, then maby ill get lucky.

 

[Armymedic]

Runners knee (Also Patellar Femoral Syndrome) is cause be the rubbing of the interior of the knee cap on the lateral condyle of the femur....

2 causes: both mentioned above:

1. flat feet or over pronation/supernation during gait,

2. inbalace in the quadriceps , usually inside weak cause by too specific training.

What we do for you Canuck, in the CF, is we have you see physio for strengthening exercises, get you good insoles and ensure you are using the proper running shoes. (I can't remember the proper type but I believe they are motion control vs stability or cushioning, see physio to confirm)

Patellofemoral Pain
(Runner's Knee)
Patellofemoral pain is caused by patella alta (a congenitally high-riding patella); plicae (fibrous bands attached to the patella); tight hamstrings; tight heel cords; tightness of the vastus lateralis, iliotibial tract, and lateral retinaculum; weakness of the vastus medialis; and Q angle (between the patella tendon and the long axis of the thigh) > 15 °.

During pronation, the lower leg twists medially, while the three quadriceps pull the patella laterally and the vastus medialis pulls the patella medially.

The most common treatable cause is a combination of excessive pronation and lateral pulling of the patella, which causes the patella to rub against the lateral condyle of the femur (see Fig. 62-1).

Symptoms, Signs, and Diagnosis
Pain is often anteromedial and anterolateral to, and behind, the patella. It usually presents when the patient runs downhill but later occurs during all running and eventually even when the patient is not running (especially when walking down steps).

If the patella faces upward when the patient sits with the knee bent at 90 °, patella alta is usually present.

Treatment
Running should be stopped until it can be performed without pain; riding a bicycle is acceptable if it does not cause pain. Stretching the hamstrings and quadriceps, using arch supports (if the pain continues, custom-made orthotics may be necessary), and exercising to strengthen the vastus medialis help.




This is common.

 

[wern32]

orthodics worked wonders for me

 

[Canuck_25]

This is common.

That is one statement he repeated to me multiple times.

The problem with physiotherapy (i was in physiotherapy 2 years earlier for tthe same condition) is that i can only attend once every 2 weeks because of the huge amount of people attending physio. I left after 5 months of treatment because it became once a month. My condition deteriotated over the summer because of the activities i was doing (fishing and hiking.) I am visiting the same doctor again and he is going to suggest physio again for me. I hope it works out better this time.

 

[Newt]

Apologies for the necropost.

I've recently been diagnosed with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) and would like some input from CF members on their experiences with it; specifically regarding recurrence.

My physiotherapist is starting me on a rehabilitation program that will take several months and will use up the physio benefits and health care spending benefits provided by my civilian employer, and I'll probably end up paying some out of pocket too. I'm very concerned that as a PRes member I will re-aggravate this condition and will end up having to redo physio. 

From a service perspective I'm already going to have to delay taking one course, which will in turn delay when I can take subsequent courses. If I re-aggravate while on course and end up being RTU'd I'm worried that I will become an administrative burden on my regiment and waste valuable training funds during a time of fiscal restraint.

So, has recurrence of PFPS been something you've had to deal with?

 

[Chilme]

Runners knee, jumpers knee, pfps, and Iliotibial Band friction syndrome are all chronic (overuse) knee injuries.  They are generally caused by a training stimulus that outweighs the recovery.  Muscle imbalances and over tight muscle predipose individuals to the previously mentioned conditions.  Physio will help counteract the imbalances and tightness, but if you continue to do the activities that cause the issue (running, hicking, jumping) you will certainly prolong the injury.

If you want to heal, you wil HAVE to substitute other similar activities to allow for healing while still maintaining aerobic fitness. (ex: biking or swimming vs running)

 

[Strike]

Newt,

I've got a slight muscle imbalance in my left leg.  I've had PFS.  I've had it really bother me to the point of not being able to train exactly 4 times in the last 16 years.  Each time that happened it was the "knee swelling to the size of a balloon" kind of occurrence.

The trick is to listen to physio, do the exercises they give you to balance your quads out and learn to tape.

Don't stress too much on it.

 

[Jebus]

You know, full deep squats will help strengthen your knees more than any other exercise. I read the posts rather quickly so, not sure if this has been said before.