Persuade me not to give up - Can't run due to recurrent knee issue - what do I do now?

ftm42

Yet again i have knee issues - this time it's the patellar tendon that's damaged, due to ITB being too tight.

That seems to have happened because of gym work I've been doing to strengthen my quads due to my knee tracking incorrectly; which was due to my adductors atrophying for some reason; which was due to an injury to my knee; which was due to...

i am so desparately sad, angry and frustrated. Yet again, I can't run until this knee issue is under control; then I have to start all over again. I can't swim [literally] / I can't bike as I have no time to do the 2-3hour bike rides that might keep me fit - and it hurts my knee] / row [unless on a low load and for ages [boring] / go to the gym [I am now very confused about what machines I ought to be using and what for].

i have been a runner for >35 years [all my adult life] and am now despairing of ever being able to run again. I had been doing so well and had completed a sub 57-minute 10K in very hot conditions 10 days ago, which seems to have set me back. I can't see how I can cut back running any further as my training diary shows for the previous 4 weeks [running 3x pw on average]:

last week - 2.5km [since the 10K race]
week before - 15.2km
week before - 19.1km
week before - 18.6 km

The months before that I was doing between 25 - 35km pw, so I am hardly pushing myself. Nor as my husband says am I 'obsessed'. I'd have to be running far more than I currently am.

Can you please help me to find some sort of balance, as I am actually weeping tears of frustration. I know things could be worse, but as it's my only hobby and I've been running for so long, it's part of my life and I don't want to turn into an overweight unfit person, as it just won't be 'me' any more.

Pewpewpew

Sounds like you've been given some very questionable advice in the past.  The patellar tendon will heal, give it some time.  Welcome to getting old, tendons stiffen as we age.

Andy B6

Can you go and see a physiotherapist?  A good one will help fix your current injury and give advice on the best form of exercise to keep you fit until you can get back to running.

ftm42

Andyb6 - a what?

ftm42

Been seeing regular physio off and on for last 4 years. Seems that I follow advice to fix an issue + then come up against another.

The only other thing I've considered is my shoes. Recently I've been using neutral shoes, thinking that the exercises I've been doing to straighten me out equate to neutral shoes, but maybe that's naive and I need to invest in shoes for pronators as I did before. Seems too simple?

ftm42

Sitting in park outside office watching loads of runners go by is not helping either 

ftm42

What's with the bean flicking? Is that a Northern term or are you much younger than me?! 

xink1982

FTM - First of all ignore Andy - He's being crude.
Secondly I'm 36 and sadly had to quit running 5 months ago, My knee was badly damaged way back in 2004 playing football and after 5 knee surgeries my meniscus is totally shot.
I ran over 100 times for my club and running was my life for 5 years.
The point I'm getting at, is that there is life after running ( even when you do reach that stage)

In regards to your re-occurring injuries - It's your body telling you to cut down on your mileage or stop all together for a while.
Physio's can easily diagnose " bad-tracking" "over-pronation" "Tight ITB" - But there can often be an underlying problem.
You mention you cant run but don't say why (Pain/Swelling). If you have swelling I would personally try and get a referral from your GP to a Knee Specialist and try and get a scan done to rule out a more serious issue.

I tore my meniscus in 2014 and only had minor swelling and so managed another 300 miles before an eventual diagnosis in Summer 2015.- Those 300 miles sadly resulted in 50% of the meniscus being cut away and basically finished me. -
If you cant run pain and swelling free then my advice would be stop for now altogether until you can get a scan arranged

ftm42

Can't run simply because when I do I get stabbing pain under the kneecap, which is why I went to physio. Haven't run now for 2 weeks. Had an MRI 2 years ago that showed that my knees themselves are spot on. Indeed they were surprised my knees were in such good condition, considering that I have been a runner for >35 years. No arthritis.

That's why the diagnosis of tendon damage. Just frustrating that I was having treatment to straighten my kneecaps as they weren't tracking correctly, which caused scraping against the tibia. Now that I have successfully treated that, there seems to be another issue in that I seem to have tightened up [might have been due to excessive walking [sic] - up to 16miles a day - whilst on holiday at the start of May!

I have several runs planned - esp the Race For Life that I do every year at the end of this month [I had breast cancer myself 13 years ago and my aunt has now been diagnosed as terminally ill so I want to do it for her this year] - and am disappointed as it seems to have been the last 4-5 years that I can run fine for a while and then something happens [a fall on my left knee 4 years ago; go on holiday and walk too much; etc].

ftm42

xink1982 / Andy B6 - OK, I get it now! I asked one of my adult sons who giggled a bit and then explained!   I AM getting old!