Knee Problems

Hi everyone,

I started running from scratch this summer and enjoyed it - after a couple of weeks I had worked myself up to 5km and was thinking about finding a 10km to work towards.

However I started noticing pain on the insides of my knee joints whilst running - this was only an annoyance at first but began to worsen. Eventually it was also noticeable when just walking around - even taking a few days off wouldn't really help.

I stopped running entirely and the problem went away. Having done some reading it's clear that I overpronate heavily - even just walking I move almost entirely on the insides of my feet and this is the case when running also, which may be a cause of the problem. However I don't have flat feet and actually have quite high arches.

I don't want to risk buying expensive tailored shoes or orthotics if there's a decent chance they won't help me - I'm also a bit hesitant to seek a GP's advice as I'm not sure how au fait they will be with running injuries and how to solve them whilst continuing running.

Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks

The only shoes I really wore to run were some Nike Air trainers (Nike Air FTE I believe they are called), I think they're general sports trainers rather than running specific and being Nike Air they have quite a bit of cushioning.

Hi all,

I took Slowkoala's advice and went to my nearest Sweatshop today, I showed them the trainers I've been wearing and they told me they're for a neutral runner and did the analysis on my feet/running.

As I thought I overpronate quite badly. They produced me some custom orthotics and also recommended me some trainers - however the combined cost of these was £135 so I thought I'd shop around a bit before committing. Can anyone recommend some proven trainers for over-pronators that they know to be effective?

Thanks

Thanks ingy.

Am I basically looking for anything which includes in the description 'suitable for moderate/severe overpronators' or something similar? I've found some New Balance / Adidas which say something similar to that and are more reasonably priced (at about £40).

I found these (which I think are one of the trainers recommended for me at the shop) - can anyone vouch for them? (Adidas Supernova Sequence 4).

http://www.runnersneed.com/adidas-men%27s-supernova-sequence-4/road-running-shoes/running-specialists/fcp-product/3220

The description says they should prevent overpronation. The RW review only gave them 3/5 but the user reviews gave 4.5/5.

unusual to get anything as cheap as £40....

If they were custom made orthotics and neutral shoes for £135.thats a bargain..you usually pay a lot more than that for the custom made orthotics on there own.usually about £300..

 asics 2170s were recommended for my son whp overpronates a lot.might be another one for you to take a look at

 good luck

Hi everyone,

Just an update on the knee problems I wrote about last year.

Basically, to recap, I came across aching knees after starting running last year (after only about 7 runs). I went to Sweatshop who said I overpronated and recommended some special shoes. I went away and bought these (online), and finally got back to running again last week.

The initial signs were good. I had my fourth run yesterday (5km) after also running 3km, 4 km and 5km over about 12 days, and today I'm experiencing the same aching of the insides of the knees. It would be pretty uncomfortable to go out and run right now.

I'm disappointed that the shoes I was recommended by Sweatshop didn't seem to have any effect (they tried to charge me £90 for these - I picked them up for about £40 elsewhere), and am not really sure where to go next except maybe a physio appointment which may not be anytime soon and could be expensive.

Starting to think maybe my knees are just not built for running? Especially if this is happening after only a handful of runs each time.

Can anyone help me out at all?

The trainers you wear are only a part of the 'big-picture' of your running.  Do you feel comfortable running in the new trainers (before knee started hurting)?  If they did then i 'd look else for the problem - possibly your running gait, maybe an issue with your calves/thighs/hips/back being tight/weak.  Knees joints can be the 'weak link in the chain', but doesnt mean they are not built for running.

Feet are supposed to pronate, more so when you run - it is a natural suspension mechanism to absorb shock.   Current scientifc thought is there is NO such thing as over-pronation (doesnt seem to have filtered thru to most running shops yet) - more likely the speed at which your foot pronates is too quick or they dont supinate (come out of pronation) quickly enough when you are running. 

Id always reccommned you bit bullet and to see a sports physio who has experience with running injuries.  At very least i would try stretching - calfs/quads/hamstrings/gluts and I would also try some calf and hip muscle strengthening exercies - but dont quote me on that because i havent seen you!