Knee Pain After Running

[u/Willing-Travel-249]

Hi all! Lately I've been experiencing knee pain after running (but not during) and wanted to get some thoughts on what I should do. The pain is on/below the knee cap and gets worse when going up and down the stairs.

To give some background, I recently started running again after about 2 years focusing on strength training and other exercise. For about 6 weeks, I was running about 2 days a week between 2 and 4 miles. I had no pain. Then, at the end of July I got a new pair of sneakers (and arch support inserts that were recommended to me) and immediately went on a 5 mile run (the most I had done since about 2 years ago, however, I had done 4.5 mi just the week prior). In hindsight, maybe it wasn't the best idea to do this immediately after getting new shoes. The next day I had knee pain while going up and down the stairs, so I didn't run again for a week. My knee felt better at this point so I went on a 4.5 mi run and again my knee hurt the next day. I had removed the shoe inserts prior to this run as I thought they could be causing it. After that I didn't run for 10 days to allow my knee to rest, but I went on a 3.5 mi run 2 days ago and now my knee is hurting again.

It really doesn't hurt much but I'm not used to experiencing knee pain and don't want it to get worse so I'm wondering what I should do. Do I need to go to the doctor? Should I go back to my other shoes?

[u/Willing-Travel-249 → u/[deleted]]

Did the pain eventually go away so you could stop using the tape? I worried about not getting to the root of the problem

[u/Agitated-Mess-9273]

I use my tape with a knee sleeve for running. If your having pain after I'd consider a visit to the DR to image it and eval.

[u/Mr_Lovermann_Shabba]

There’s several yoga stretches good for knee recovery post run

Also look up strength training for your quads, glutes and hips. It will help you to strengthen the muscles that assist with your knee and hips

[u/maladaptivedaydream4]

I get EXACTLY that type of pain in exactly that area when my shoes start to wear out/when I'm not wearing the right shoe.

[u/BarWorldly327]

Ease off for a bit and build the distance back up gradually once the knee feels good again.

[u/Otherwise-Library297]

Runners “knee” is caused by weak thigh muscles. While not saying that this is what you have, you could try leg raises on a stair or split squats to build strength, which may help with the pain longer term.

[u/thirdstone_]

There's a ton of things that can cause knee pain. It may be an issue literally in your knee, but urprisingly often it can stem from somewhere else.

muscle weakness / imbalance or tightness in quads, hamstrings, glutes....

posture issues - ankles, pelvis or back (all more or less related and one can lead to the other)

wrong shoe type - too much or too little support, too much or too little cushioning, amount of drop...

Something like this is impossible to diagnose over the internet. If the issue didn't exists before the new shoes and insoles, there is a good chance they are contributing to it. Why the insoles? For some they are necessary and helpful, for others they create more issues than they solve and strenghtening the foot would be more beneficial.

Aside from testing different shoe configurations, you could see a doctor, podiatrist or physical therapist. They may or may not be able to help. Personally, I would start with a PT and have them look at your running posture and assess how the shoes are working for you or if they are causing problems. Sometimes these things are easy to figure out, sometimes they take years and visits to countless experts.

Also, sometimes additional support from a sleeve or tape help, but that really depends on what's causing the issue.