Knee Pain in the Older Runner
I have been having a bit of knee pain from time to time after a run, which is a new thing for me.
Dave has always had knee pain…but it is honestly better than when he was younger and didn’t run, so I feel like he is a testament to the fact that running will NOT ruin your knees.
Studies have actually proved that.
Runners Knee
You may still have to deal with runners knee, however. And if you are a woman, because of our hip structure, we may be more prone to knee issues.
Beginning runners have the most tendency to get runners knee.
The motion of running when your body isn’t used to it can irritate the area under the kneecap and cause pain.
Interestingly, going up stairs and feeling pain is a good indication of that, rather than just feeling pain on a run.
The causes of runners knee could be that your body is off balance or even overpronation…which is when your foot rolls inward.
The way our feet pronate used to be a very big deal with runners and what shoes we should pick, but the latest science doesn’t put as much stock in that as it once did. But, pronation issues can still cause problems that need to be corrected.
What to Do for Pain
The best thing to do if you are having pain in your knee, is to see your doctor. There are various things he or she may have you do to try and alleviate the pain.
If your knees don’t bother you when running…and some injuries and irritations seem to do that…but cause pain when you aren’t running, you should still take some extra rest days and reduce your mileage.
Avoiding running downhill can help too, believe it or not. I’ve found now that I am older that going up hill is easier on my body! I love a gentle slope, but if there are a lot of downhills on my run I start to cringe when I see them.
If any kind of pain causes you to change how you run because you are compensating for it, you need to stop and take off a few days.
If the pain you are experiencing happens when you run, take a break from running and go for a swim or do the elliptical if you have access to one until you can find out what is going on from your doctor.
When you do try again, do some easy running at a slower pace.
Previous knee injuries, or a previous tear in your ACL with or without subsequent surgery can cause pain if you start to run. Again, talking to your doctor can help.
Causes of Knee Pain
In the older runner, there are 3 things that can contribute to knee pain. The first being osteoarthritis. The breakdown of the cartilage just from living life. Gravity keeps us on the ground, but it can also be a literal pain.
Obesity, which is also a contributing factor to whether you get osteoarthritis or not, is also something we have to consider with our knees. As we age, we tend to gain weight and it is harder to get it off.
Women tend to gain belly fat after menopause (of course, because WHY NOT add one more thing to that joyous time of life), and having that extra weight in our core area tends to impact the load on the knees.
Men tend to gain belly fat as they age, too, but I chalk that up to beer.
Number 3 is the muscle changes that our body goes through as we age. Your muscles can shrink by up to 40% by the time you hit 60 (that really shocked me). That makes the hips and other muscles in your legs have to work all the harder to get from point A to point B.
What Can I Do?
The good news is studies have shown that runners do not have more arthritis than non-runners. In fact, runners had to have less knee surgery than non-runners for knee issues.
One of the things you can do to help your knees is to exercise them. Which I know can be difficult to be consistent with strength training, but those muscles need to be active.
Some exercise to try are squats, a lateral band walk, clams and there is a routine to try as well put out by a physical therapist.
The lateral band walk is an exercise that strengthens the hips and glutes. Problems with hips can translate to problems with knees. Nothing in our bodies works or breaks down on its own. Part of the benefit of staying fit all around is doing everything we can to have the different parts of our bodies work well together.
I’ll link to those with this caution…don’t just blindly do exercises and things off the internet and try to power through them if they are causing you intense pain or you feel like they are making you worse.
Going in person to a PT or sports doc can help you get back on the road safely and stronger. Of course, always check with your doctor before trying anything new. Your doctor knows you (or should…make those yearly check-ups a thing you do) and your limitations. If you do have knee pain already, a doctor can help!
