Anyone else have runners knee?

[Brent.ff]

Knees flared up last week.. figured it was from biking so much, so have laid off the bike but didnt curb running... Now curbing running as apparently i have 'runners knee'..anyone else been through this, how long, any at home exercises to fix it... I'm on vacation for next 10 days so hopefully that will help it out a bunch

[CLiVE]

No, but I've helped several athletes that have it. Often related to IT bands tightness; so start by stretching/rolling/massaging here.
Also may need to address hip and quad strength - but given how much you bike I'm doubtful?!?

During heavy training periods I makes sure I warm up correctly before hard work. Proper cool down and stretching. I also stretch before bed every evening.

Also - are you tracking your shoe mileage, and how often are you replacing them?

[Brent.ff]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

No, but I've helped several athletes that have it. Often related to IT bands tightness; so start by stretching/rolling/massaging here.
Also may need to address hip and quad strength - but given how much you bike I'm doubtful?!?

During heavy training periods I makes sure I warm up correctly before hard work. Proper cool down and stretching. I also stretch before bed every evening.

Also - are you tracking your shoe mileage, and how often are you replacing them?

Shoes only have 145 km on them (how often do i gotta replace?). I'm pretty new to running other then playing soccer twice a week so maybe its just volume catching up to me.

[CLiVE]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Shoes only have 145 km on them (how often do i gotta replace?). I'm pretty new to running other then playing soccer twice a week so maybe its just volume catching up to me.

My guess would be its just the increase in volume catching up. Start with the stretching and rolling religiously. Also - physio if it doesn't get better.

Replacement - The general rule is 300 - 500 miles; but not that simple.
- Look for signs of wear on the tread (heel / midfoot, etc worn out). I find certain shoes (Saucony's for me....I tend to just burn through the tread quickly).
- Do the "S" test by twisting the shoe.
- Look for compression lines
- I also push on the sole with my thumb and see if I can feel it in the inside.

Also - ever had your running form analyzed?

[klumsy_tumbler]

I agree with CLiVE in that it's probably stemming from over-use, especially if you're relatively new to running and piling on too many miles too fast. I find a lot of people (myself included) get themselves some sort of overuse injury when they're starting out, because you focus on how far/fast/often you can go from a physical fitness perspective as opposed to what your joints have built up a sort of tolerance for.

I had chronic Osgoods when I was in my teens and competing in gym. Different name, slightly different root cause, same approach/remedy. Unfortunately, there's no "as long as I do XYZ exercise twice a day, the pain will disappear by the end of the week" - it's one of those infuriating things that you have to give time to heal, just like shin splints.

Now, if you CAN'T take a break for any reason (upcoming race or something I suppose), there is a taping technique that you can use to reduce the pain - any decent physio should be able to show you how to do it. There's also a variety of braces that replicate this, but I always prefer taping.

As far as avoiding future flare-ups, I would do as CLiVE suggested and have your running form analyzed to see if there's some adjustments you could make to your strides, make sure your runners aren't near EOL, and focus on the stretching and strengthening of your auxiliary muscles