Outer knee pain on race day - Health + Injury

Jane Neale

02/11/2012 at 19:32

I trained and trained for a half marathon without pain (even ran over 13 miles) however on race day at mile 8 I had real pain running down my outer leg from the knee (so bad I cryed!!). Is there any exercises I could do to prevent this?

Jane Neale

02/11/2012 at 19:42

Are there any exercises to prevent this? please x

Jane Neale

02/11/2012 at 20:12

And how the hell do I compress a photo to add to my profile from 104 kb to 12????

Jane Neale

02/11/2012 at 22:28

ok, so how does this work? I've had 39 views and no responses to either help with leg pain or how to compress my photos........someone please enlighten me on the etiquette...)

Black And Tabby

02/11/2012 at 23:56

I suspect no one knows the answers! Sorry about the pain - sounds awful.

To compress your photo try scaling the image size down rather than just compressing it.

Hope that helps?

PSC

pirate

03/11/2012 at 07:38

Jane, sounds like a tight ITB. Were you racing on road with heavy camber? And do you train on the flat? It doesn't sound like an over use triggered injury otherwise you would have had this in training unless your training was flat or much much slower than the race. And did the race have some fast downhils in it. Which would also lead me down a ITB route.

Sports massage will help. There are stretches for ITB but they are hard to get right. If it is ITB then get a foam roller and prepare for some pain.

As for people looking there are lots of lurkers and not that many contributors on the forum. Don't worry about it, it kind of works. Please don't take forum advice as the best advice. We are all enthusiastic amateurs. Nothing will replace a proper diagnosis from a Physio/doctor/specialist. Although some of them know nothing about running so get all advice and then make your own mind up!

Good luck.

runs-with-dogs

03/11/2012 at 12:49

I guess a lot of people (myself included!) don't know all that much about injuries and prevention and don't want to give too much advice in case it's the wrong advice and it makes you worse!

That said, you really can't go wrong with a foam roller.

Millsy1977

03/11/2012 at 13:00

Maybe many people view it because they may have the same injury and as there was a response was interested to see what had been suggested. As the response was from the OP and there was no solution just clicked away again. That's what I did anyway. No offence meant.

Zoe Windsor

03/11/2012 at 22:53

It does sound like ITB, I would go on your tube and look at techniques for stretching this part properly and using a foam roller

buder

04/11/2012 at 08:52

Hi Jane,

As above sounds like an IT band prob.

Please accept the fact I'm no expert but as a fellow sufferer have done some research on the subject to aid in being able to run pain free.

First off stretching your IT band in useless its like an old piece of leather so has very little stretching abilities.

The problem is not with your knee it's with your hip abductor muscles, a muscle imbalance in this area or just weak hip abductors.

I spent a few weeks doing some side leg lifts and other strengthening excersises aswell as stretching of my glutes and hip abductors and for the first time feel as though ive got this under control.

There is debate as to whether you should actually foam roll the IT band I'd say not go higher but people do say it helps.

Read this http://runningwritings.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/injury-series-biomechanical-solutions.html

Spoke to an ultra at work and he said exactly the same thing after suffering previously weak hip abductors it's not a problem with your knee.

Edited: 04/11/2012 at 08:55

Max's Mum

05/11/2012 at 09:34

does sound like ITB, ditto the foam roller

Jamie Farmer

12/11/2012 at 11:19

Hi Jane,

I myself have been having similar problems and agree with everyone else that it does sound like ITBS (IT Band Syndrome). I have been running for a couple of years with no injuries and niggles, and then all of a sudden I started getting the pain on the outside of my right knee whilst cycling. This then started causing me problems during my runs. Not being able to cycle I could deal with, but not running has proved to be a nightmare!

I'm not medically trained but from what I've read, this is related to weak hips, as mentioned by buder above. The IT Band runs up the outer side of the leg from the hip down to the knee, which is why we experience the pain at the knee.

I bought a foam roller a few weeks ago and have been using pretty much every night, albeit it's quite uncomfortable in places at the moment, apparently it should help. Many people also suggest a deep tissue sports massage from a physio, which I had for the first time last week. Be prepared for a bruised and tender leg afterwards as the massage is pretty intense!! Having said that, the physio did say that my IT Band felt a little less tight afterwards. I've now got another one booked for later this week.

As for stretching, there seems to be mixed responses. Some people say to stretch it where as others, including my physio, say not to bother. The IT Band is very thick and naturally tight, so stretching will not actually benefit it that much. I personally like to think that I can try and stretch it and have been doing some alongside my foam rolling.

Hopefully you get yours sorted soon.

Jamie

* As for compressing your profile image, Photoshop or another similar program will do this for you. God luck!

Iklebutn Miles

12/11/2012 at 22:34

Yes to ITB. Me too. I think leg strengthening is where it's at. Plus go to a physio. More helpful than doctors, as they won't just say 'don't run'. Apparently that big muscle - the ITB kind of takes over, so it's about making the littler muscles that run down the inside of your leg do the work too. Single and double leg squats are good.

I think the first reply you got is very interesting and useful. Some things in there I've not considered before myself. My ITB is ongoing at the moment, but I'm still hopeful that I can deal with it. I am tempted to think that incorrect or wonky running is to blame - so want to try to correct/improve my form. I'm going to go have a running school gait analysis soon...

mingo_the_flamingo

13/11/2012 at 11:02

I had almost the exact same thing happen to me last year, except the pain came on very suddenly at mile 6 in a half marathon, and after run walking a further half a mile I had to walk the rest of the way as running was too painful. I'd had no pain during training....I assumed it was ITB and tried to treat myself, but the problem kept returning. In the end I went to a physio, and it wasn't ITB at all, although all the symptoms seemed that way through the good old method of diagnosing myself over the internet. After about 6 weeks of doing what the physio told me to do, the pain got a lot better, and if I'd gone to see him straight away I'd have been back to running sooner.

Jamie Farmer

13/11/2012 at 11:18

Hi mingo_the_flamingo,

What did your physio say was the problem then and what did they get you to do?

Do you suffer with any problems now?

We'd love you to add a comment! Please login or take half a minute to register as a free member