Mkay....I've decided to add jogging into my exercise stuff. I tried it with hubby before and that didn't work out well, but I've been doing some jogging/walking alone, at night around my neighborhood and I'm *almost* having fun with it! Trouble is my KNEES.

I cracked one just below the kneecap a few years ago, and it's given me trouble here and there ever since...it's not the one giving me the most trouble! My *good* knee is doing that.

Hubby says if it hurts, stop. I think my body just needs time to adjust to this new shock. How long do I go before I need to really stop? Earlier tonight as soon as I got home and cooled down outside and drank a protein shake I hopped in a hot bath with an ice pack, alternating knees in the hot bath/ice pack. They're not hurting awful right know, but I can tell it when I move them.

I suspect I may have arthiritis in them, or at least one...anyone a runner that has arthiritis?

Ugh...guess I should go to the doctor, but we're military and the military docs will see you for a cut off finger and send you home with a cold pack (aches and pains meds). I'm scared they'll tell me 'stay off of it' and that'll just make me sit on my behind and gain it all back and go back to feeling just as bad as before I started this. I've only lost 5-7 lbs but I certainly don't want to get it back or more!

Runners help!!!! Will braces really help? Ice more? Arthiritis OTC meds???? I KNOW I'm not the only one with hurting knees...do you keep running with the pain, knowing it'll go away? Or do you stop?

Kim

You might have burcidus. I have it in my left knee and the pain comes and goes... It's been injured since I was 12 (was a softball catcher). I still run... I wear a brace and take ibuprofen and it helps a lot. If it's in a lot of pain I try to stick to lower impact activities for a few days or weeks until it feels better. Definately go talk to your doctor about it... that way you'll know exactly what's wrong that's bothering you!! Good luck!

P.S. we're military too... just keep demanding that they Xray it and tell you what's wrong and they will!

OK, thanks Val, that's what I wanted to hear...lol. Keep running, just watch it. Why do we listen to others before ourselves??? I think I'll gauge it by my pain upon hitting the floor in the morning...lol.

Ugh, military docs! I had one tell me a few weeks ago that he wasn't going to xray my lungs because *he* didn't think that SPOT was anything...after looking at one xray. Hellooooooo I smoked heavily for 13-14 years, I'd rather not rely on what YOU *think*!!!!

Hawaii, are y'all Navy? Groton here...if you're Navy you'll know exactly where that is...lol.

Reckon I need to make an appt tomorrow for a full physical anyways...getting healthy has opened my eyes to some health problems. I'm not feeling like crap all the time, so I'm weeding out what's bad diet and sedentary lifestyle vs real problems!

Thanks again!

Kim

I have a long-term problem with my knees and was worried when I started running. But it hasn't been too bad. Be sure and get well-fitting running shoes that you buy from a running store that has trained salespeople. You'll pay more, but your knees will thank you. I also got a knee brace--the kind with the hole for the kneecap. Additionally, I work on my legs a lot building the muscles around the knee that will take off stress from the knee. Works well for me, and when my knee starts to hurt, I know it's time for new shoes.

Good luck!

P.S. My daughter is Navy, and gets the weirdest medical advice. She has a little over a year left, and I told her to wait to get regular health insurance and see a non-military doctor for some of the things that are bothering her, particularly GYN stuff. I told her that she and her DH better not get pregnant while she's in the Navy! I'm sure there are some great military doctors, but they're not working with the regular military, IMHO.

Yeah, I gotta get a better pair of shoes! I got a cheap pair the other day, I have no idea what I was thinking really. I know better from working on my feet for a few years! One of those DOH things! That will probably help alot.

Actually, if she got preggo your daughter probably wouldn't see a military doctor. I don't know where she's stationed, but we're in Groton, CT and we're sent to civilian docs for havin babies, thank goodness! I had my last daughter here and I LOVED the care that I got!

Yeah, you do get odd advice...it just seems like they don't want to bother with treating the problem. Honestly, emergency room docs are just as bad these days!

Thanks for the advice...I'm actually able to walk today without limping, although I'm taking stairs very slowly. I think I'll do a brisk walk tonight and just double my laps instead of jogging. Get my knees straight, spend $100 bucks or so on a pair of shoes and cross my fingers in a week and try it again!

Kim

I run on a treadmill, which alleviates a lot of the pain problems. For a while I was running on pavement and I had a lot of pain in my hip (to the point of limping, as you describe), rather than my knees. I read that shoes are really important and that you should go to a store with knowledgeable sales people who can evaluate your stride and get you the correct shoe (which hopefully won't be the most expensive one in the store!). I never did this, instead I just switched to the treadmill, so I can't say for sure that it would work.

Rather than spending a lot of money on shoes, another option might be to have your stride evaluated by a orthopedist (if this is an option with military doctors). My partner as bowed legs and has a little plastic orthotic that he wears inside all of his shoes to correct his stride; I would guess that you don't have to have bowed legs for an orthotic to be helpful. My partner's orthotic has lasted 20 or so years now and it saves him from having to buy expensive shoes.

- Barbara

Barbara,

thank you! When I go in for my physical, if the shoes haven't helped I'll definately say something! Our docs are usually pretty good about referring you out to a civilian doc if need be, I think they just wanna lighten their work load!

I say I *wish* I had a treadmill, but the truth is I probably wouldn't use it! I have an elliptical that I only use when I absolutely have to due to time constraints or weather. I used it alot at first, but as I've gotten a little more fit I don't feel so bad about people seeing me and I hate using it now...lol. I'd much rather be outside where I can zone out rather than hearing the TV, watch the 3 yr old to make sure she doesn't decide to grab the machine while I'm on it and cut off a finger or something, and just general noise in a house with 3 kids...lol.

A treadmill probably would help though! Just no use for me I ran tonight in a different pair of shoes and I'm in nowhere near as much pain as I was last night!!!! It's amazing what a difference that is! I also didn't push myself as hard. I'm gonna find a good pair tomorrow I think!

Thanks for the advice! I'm glad to hear that your hip pain stopped with the treadmill! You know, I was reading last night about this stuff and I found out that roads are built in a slight dome shape, so your stride is always off if you're running on the road, so you're probably right and the treadmill helped!

Kim

I totally understand about enjoying the outdoor experience and I do miss that. The problem with all exercise equipment is it is just so dull sometimes! When I ran outside, I would often see the same people every day and we would wave to each other. Now I wonder if they miss me, do they think I've given up? So I wasn't trying to suggest that you give up running outdoors. It can be a great experience, so I definitely think you should try to stick with it. I did find that my hip pain came and went. Some days it was terrible, some days I was fine.

In fact, if hip pain had been my only problem, I probably would have eventually gotten better shoes or gone to an orthopedist and stuck with running outside. It wasn't actually the hip pain that drove me to the treadmill, however, that was just a nice additional benefit. I started to develop side cramps when I ran. It got to the point where I could not get through a run without really painful cramping in my side. I trying eating before running, not eating before running, drinking water, not drinking water, changing my stride, changing my breathing pattern...nothing seemed to help. It was particularly frustrating because I didn't have them at first; the cramps didn't start until several months after I started running (when I thought I was in better shape). I've always had a tendency towards side cramps, even as a kid, I'm not sure why.

For whatever reason, the side cramps are much less of a problem when I run on the treadmill. Now they are almost gone. Also, I like to exercise in the middle of the day, and with running outside I had to wait until evening when the sun wasn't as much of a problem. Now I'm addicted to the treadmill. I like that I can control the incline and the speed setting. And I belong to a gym, so I have lots of exercise equipment at my disposal, which was certainly another factor in my decision.

- Barbara

I have arthritis in my knees from too many years of being overweight. And jogging would tend to cause them pain from time-to-time. I simply got a pair of really good running shoes with nice cushoning and a couple knee support bands. I wear the supports when running. It minimizes the impact on the knees. When I don't use them, I can sometimes feel twinges later. When I do use them, I never have any problems from my knees.