Started Jogging - Muscle/Knee pain

[750XL]

Hi all, hoping for a bit of advice from those in the know.

After 10 years of doing literally no exercise except walking, I decided to attempt the BBC 'Couch to 5km' challenge to improve my overall fitness but also lose some weight.

Week 1 = "brisk 5-minute warm-up walk, then you will alternate 60 seconds of running, with 90 seconds of walking, for a total of 20 minutes."

I completed this 3 times.

Week 2 = "a brisk 5-minute warm-up walk then you will alternate 90 seconds of running, with 2 minutes of walking, for a total of 20 minutes."

I completed this twice.

I could already tell within the space of the first week that it was getting far easier to run the time/distances required but my knees and upper right thigh muscle have other ideas.

After my last run I was in absolute agony with both of my knees, although admittedly mostly my right knee - and also my upper right thigh muscle. It wasn't too bad when jogging but after slowing down to walk it was quite painful to do without limping.

I was hoping it'd go away after a few days but the problem still persists. Very sore knees if I ascend or descend the stairs and a constant aching in my thigh muscle, even if I'm just lay in bed. It's been 4 days since I last ran.

Could it purely be down to the fact I've done no exercise for the past 10 years and have just put a lot of strain on my muscles/joints? I'm carrying probably 90kg or so of weight at the moment!

Thanks

[Bee Rexit]

I found the same when I started jogging. Just make sure you have a good rest between jogs. (I am over 90kgs)
For me it was the movement of the knee that caused the pain, so I got one of those knee straps (with the hole ) and after a few weeks of using it when running the pain was gone and never had to use one since. Now run 5k's, 10k's half marathons etc and apart from the odd muscle pull here and there its all good.

[Buster15]

Firstly very well done for taking a very big step in starting to run. I can assure you that the initial problems will pass but you need to be patient. Based upon my experiences (I started running when I was 50) I recommend the following:
1. It may be obvious but you really do need to use a good quality running trainer with both cushioning and stability control. The latter will stabilise the way your foot lands
2. You will probably need to build up the strength of the muscles around the knees. Squats will help.
3. Really important is to include a good stretching routine before and after the run. I now do this daily as the effect of running is to cause the muscles to tighten. In particular stretching the quad muscle will prevent the knee cap from rubbing tightly on the femur.
4. Your weight increases 2fold on landing at the knee and as we get older the knee cartridges wear out (osteoarthritis). I am a firm believer in using a good quality glucosamine suppliment, preferably one with chondroitin and MSM. I get mine from healthspan.
Even though I am quite light I used to suffer bad knee pain. Using these basics I can run almost pain free (there is no such thing as pain free running) and other things will cause pain such as breathing and fatigue.
I really do hope this helps and keep on running.

[RatherBeFlying]

You are putting new demands on your knees and need to work your way up gradually. I did one episode of a long (mostly unpaved) mountain trail and my knees were complaining for years:{ Still do the quad exercises prescribed by the chiropractor.

Cartilage and ligaments take a loooooong time to heal :ouch:

My daily walk now takes me over stretches of steep ground. At first I found it challenging on ordinary paths, but as my balance improved I took to more challenging routes. Where I was once tentative with my footing I can now jog.

I go down into the local river valley and get plenty of cardio on the way back up.

[gbotley]

The body will only develop to the point it needs to and as such chucking it in the deep it it'll be like "Oh crap; what's going on?" especially after so long. I ended up with quite a fair bit of pain in my right knee from it. It also didn't help I'd not long started walking upwards of 10km a day during my stint at a ground handling agent. I took a trip to the my doctor got a referral to see a podiatrist (foot / posture etc) and had an insole made to support my foot. Failing that; the off the shelf gel based insoles can cushion the constant impact too. In my case my right knee / foot had become lazy and my gait was out. I was told this can happen naturally and it's a case of training your body to behave. After a year or so of insoles I no longer need them and that pain subsided. It's the same with weight lifting too; I thought I'd give it a go and over did it. One of my wrists ached for weeks. The symptoms were similar to that of carpal tunnel. Take care of yourself :)

[Centaurus]

A true story. I live in Australia. After open heart surgery 15 months ago and successful recovery, part of rehab was supervised walking 3 kms every day. My left knee was getting a bit painful after a while. It certainly slowed me down and I walked less. A friend of mine has a farm with horses and animals and recommended I use a gel called Rapigel to rub daily on the knee. It says for horses and dogs treatment only.
I checked with my doctor who said it was widely used in the community with no perceived after effects. The gel is available at some chemists under the counter. Further, my doctor recently attended a medical conference where this Rapigel was discussed. The consensus there was it worked surprisingly well at reducing muscle and joint pain and no reported after effects.

I found that within three weeks of starting the treatment, knee pain disappeared. I am at loss to explain this but it worked miraculously for me and I am 85 years of age. Apart from the expected lack of spring in my step at my age, my once painful knee is cured. Certainly worth a go as it certainly fixed my knee problems. Twelve months since the heart operation and the knee is fine again. Sure, maybe just a coincidence but I don't think so.

[Buster15]

What is Raphael made from?

[Bee Rexit]

750XL,
just adding, take short steps too, no large stride. concentrate on keeping to small steps and over time increase your step rate.

[Radgirl]

Menthol, camphor and isopropyl alcohol. Plus a large dose of placebo....

[obgraham]

So it's a "counterirritant", pretty much the same as Ben-Gay, that favorite of jocks everywhere.

Use whichever is cheaper!

[Loose rivets]

Despite bending and lifting a thousand times a day, when I got back to the UK the walks were much more demanding. No running due to back pain but gradually up to 10 miles a week over Naze cliff paths etc.

At first it felt as though I was walking on two bendy twigs. A totally new experience for me as for most of my life I'd just waked or run as needed. 6 miles on Walton's Naze was nothing. Now, in my 70's, it was a different ballgame.

I used to work on my houses and then do weightlifting before my shower. Slowly, slowly things started to go wrong and at 62ish back pain became the norm.

There's one thing about keeping fit, and that's to no wreck one's body. It's a tad counterproductive.


This is me in me 70's happy as a lark, but really having to mind my back and other bits that just were not willing to do what they used to.

Back surgery has transformed my life, but I still don't lift much. 15miles a week and major diet has got me down to 13 stone from 15. It was 12, but people started trying to help me across the road, so put some puppy fat back on to keep them at bay.

You can never tell what you might do to your body. When I was the great age of 33 I was still doing 3 nights a week at judo. I was running like I'd never run in my life and one day, after pulling my 15 stone up a steep hill, I really let loose on the flat. I felt something wrong in my right knee. Not much, just something. It never got really better though would not be an issue 80% of the time. Finally, during one of the not right periods, a surgeon took off the lining of the lower left femur - it had been flapping and doubling up occasionally for 30 years. The scuffed up surface scars and acts as a lining. Who'd have thought that? Anyway, it's worked well until I find myself on the downhill slope to 80. Have to be careful with it now. In fact, being careful, and listening to the feedback your body gives you is just about the most important thing you can do.

Judo was always, Red line, and then some! But it was not place to be old in. To this day I'm not sure if that kind of treatment is a good thing in the long term.

[Homsap]

Z50HL ... You don't say what age you are. From my experience alot of people I have known with bad knee joints are ex amataur footballers. In your case it might just be in your genes as your weight seems fine.

As previously mentioned running on a softer surface such as grass might be better, but that is not always easy and check if your trainers have shock assorbant matterial. You could try a running machine which might be softer. I have to say I have always wondered what the long term effects of running marathons, because of the long term shock loading on the joints. I have to say I had a friend who was a GP and rower and was always banging on about the health benefits of rowing, and then I pointed how many people in her rowing club ended up with back problems including her! Likewise Steve Redgrave ended up with diabetes in his thirties, I put that down, the excessive calorie intake he required and his pancreas could cope.

I like to concept of the BBC couch to 5km, but I think if your having problems with your knees you might consider cycling, or swimming. However I would stick with the walking as apart from the load bearing it maintains bone density, it might strengthen up your knees. I say that as last year I had a knee problem and minor back pain, and completely resolved it through regular walking.

Finally one other thing I was once tod that knees are not designed for kneeling on, so always use kneeling mats or knee pads when doing DIY, gardening jobs that require kneeling, that migh improve things