Knee owies - runner advice

Do you have low arches? If so, do your shoes have good arch supports? It's pretty common for people to wear running shoes that are not ideal for their foot/ankle structure and not even know it until pain flares up. You can wear the top running shoes on the market, but if they don't suit your specific needs, quality means nothing.

I run quite a bit, and if I don't have shoes specifically made for overpronators - the Asics Gel Foundation 8 and the New Balance 993 are wonderful - my ankles and knees kill me.

If you don't know about your arch condition, any good running shop should be able to analyze your arches and stride, and tell you what shoes will correct anything that's askew.

If you don't have access to a nicely equipped running shop, try to look at your stride in your current shoes. If your foot isn't hitting the pavement squarely in the middle of the heel and leaving the pavement off the middle of the top of the shoe, something is wrong. Overpronators' feet will hit at the outside of the heel and lift off at the inside of the toe area, meaning that your whole ankle is leaning to the inside, which is bad news all around. A good shoe, beyond just being comfy, needs to line everything up.

It's also possible to have high arches - supination - but this is a lot less common and doesn't require as much correction.

I'm not an expert. I do play a lot of football (soccer), a couple of times a week, and found that taking glucosamine + chondroitin (the pills I take contain both in one)supplements really helped with my knee joint aches that I used to get the next day after a game. I haven't done much study, but found an article which may help with a little understanding. http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/supp...lucosamine.htm

Hopefully someone with better knowledge can contribute...

Oh geeze.

Quit running. Go back to the cycle. And try these to get rid of jelly belly:http://exercise.about.com/od/abs/ss/abexercises.htm

I agree with LiveJazz, Mattie and Taolady.
Proper shoes make all the difference.
Running is so damned HARD on the body and it doesn't get easier on the joints as you get older. I ran every day till I had to give up due to piriformis injury and there were days I couldn't even come down 4 steps ( when not injured at all but had a really long long run ) without looking like a really old lady and I was only 30 at the time .
Glucosamine etc helps a lot.
Yes, get back on the cycle - much easier on the joints. Your body will thank you for it.

That may be the best course of action. Some people just shouldn't run, and ALL running should be done in moderation AND with the supplements matthewfoo mentions AND with proper shoes. You have to experiment and see what works.

I'd like to add - be aware that core exercises won't get rid of the belly fat alone, though they are certainly good for you. Cardio and nutrition are key. If you don't take up running, further increase your cycling or find some other form of cardio you enjoy, like roller blading or swimming or something.

Yes, seems you hit a plateau with weight - so you need to change up , change your routine somewhat. Agreed with Livejazz about cardio and diet - those will tackle the belly fat with a change up of routine. Cycling works your core more than you think as well.
Also - congrats on losing 3 stone !!!!!!!!! Well done !

For cycling- if you could try intervals- short bursts of higher intensity and then back down to lower intensity . That will help and longer periods on the cycle - 45 mins - 1 hour.

You've done so well Badir !
For your knees - you need to rest them up abit and they'll be OK.

That reminds me, I've been reading about using intervals with running as a way to reduce joint damage and increase positive effects. People tend to think of intervals as high-intensity sprinter training, but if you just run normally or slightly above normal intensity, and follow a patter of 3-4 minutes run, 1 minute walk, or something close to that, you can maintain a higher intensity longer, avoid plateauing, and your joints get needed recovery/replentishment time instead of being pounded endlessly.

Generally, high-intensity intervals are a very good thing. Like Mimi, I like it best for biking, as there is no impact. People don't generally use their muscles to their fullest capacity, ever. By occasionally pushing yourself to the limit, you can increase you lactic threshold, built fat-burning muscle and vastly improve your overall performance. Try sprinting on your bike up that hill you mentioned.

Get some good professionally fit orthodics before you ruin your knees. These have helped my entire body. I have flat feet & pronate. Most people have imperfect feet. You will be glad you have these in about ten years. I have some friends in their 50-60's who can barely walk now because of problems that could have been prevented with proper arch supports. I got mine from my chiropractor. He has a laser-type photo device that you stand on. It measures how much pressure you put on your feet when you walk across it. This is more accurate than the old-fashioned way of wrapping the foot in plaster to take an impression. Also it was 1/2 the price. My new orthodics were $200 instead of $400. It sounds like a lot, but it is about the cost of glasses and you will be free of knee pain. (Also hip & back pain).

First of all, congratulations for losing all that weight. It's quite an accomplishment.

Everyone chiming in has given such sound advice. But I do have something to add. I have known many people who run regularly and still have "jelly bellies." A few began weight training (by using weights or by using their own bodies as resistance (i.e. Pilates-type core training)) and, because of the increase in muscle mass from doing these activities, their metabolism increased and body fat decreased, thereby reducing or all together eliminating the "jelly du belly." Alternating the aforementioned with biking may be your solution.
Now if only I could do the same.
Just a thought.

Is your patellar tendon tender? Is your IT band tender? Is the pain constant, or only when you use the knee? Can you straighten your leg and bend it normally?

Running is fine, just don't do it on concrete, especially not uphill concrete. That's probably the main reason, without knowing anything about your form, the mechanics of your feet, etc. Stick to the trails.

Any sudden intense change, as you've read, will mess your joints up a little. Build your way into it. You haven't increased speed or distance, but you haven't been running, you've been cycling. Running on concrete all of a sudden, your knees aren't used to the impact and you probably have knee tendonitis from it. It's fine, and totally recoverable. Just ice it, and don't run for a while. Ibuprofen helps, or anything with an anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).

Ab exercises will not burn your belly fat, sorry to say. The advice lindy hop gave above is good. And for your joints, it might be beneficial to look into this:

http://www.jiayo.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=12251

I haven't taken this before so I don't know, but I trust my fellow wushu practitioners.

If your knee problem doesn't calm down (or heal at all) within a couple weeks, time for the sports med office.

Oh crap, I edited this with a lot more info but there was a database crash. Basically, ice it and rest it and take ibuprofen or some other NSAID. If your condition gets worse soon, see sports med. Look up proper icing techniques. Bag of frozen peas = the best, just don't eat the peas ever. I'm pretty sure it's tendonitis given the change and where you're running. Use a tennis ball to roll it on your IT band (look this up), most knee tendonitis is a result of IT band being messed up, as well as patellar tendon. Knee tendonitis can take a while to go away completely. I've had it from wushu. If you train through it you will screw yourself up, so rest it and make it happy again.

Also, cardio is not the end-all-be-all of losing weight. Don't worry about not being able to run, you'll be fine. And "diet" generally doesn't matter, just don't eat gross stuff.

http://www.jiayo.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=10094
http://www.polariswushu.net/diet.html

I think 'runners knee' is generally thought of as an overuse/wear type of injury - nothing you'd get after just a couple weeks.

The advice here is pretty good. Shoes are SO important - wearing a pair that isn't appropriate for you is very likely to result in pain, enough to make you think it's a serious injury, pretty much like you describe. Check out runners world online or even some good running shoe brand web sites about fit, how to choose. At first, buy from a running shop, not a general purpose shoe store. They will help; it is worth the smallish extra cost.

Ice and big doses of advil will help in the meantime...and then ease back into it, running on grass or sand at first, avoiding hills. Hope it's better soon.

Go get them !
PS. I spin and do intervals on my own - no spinning classes for me !

Just to clarify, orthodic inserts are meant to be worn in all of your shoes, not just for running. They will support your arches and prevent future damage to your knees. I highly recommend them just for walking around in absolute comfort and ordinary exercise.