Long story short-ish:
18 months ago I had a 'crisis' - after 4 years of increasing pain in my knees [and assuming I was just getting old - I've been running for 35years], I was doing a hill rep session with the club and had to stop with a 'panic attack' on the 3rd downhill. The pain was just too intense.
Cue months of physio, starting with the club physio - then moving on to get mri scan that confirmed tendonopathy. I have now been doing another 8 weeks so far with another physio. I have been on a couple of slow jogs [2M, with the dog] during the last two weeks and felt OK, though my right knee occasionally still flares up.
I'm seeing physio tomorrow but I now have so many exercises to do, I have to get up even earlier than usual as I have to walk the dog too, and then get to work. After work, I'm in to housework etc so am finding it increasingly hard to keep it up - 2x a day every single day, for 20-30 minutes each time.
I am feeling that right now, after 18 months of trying to fix it, it will never be fixed and I should revert to 'take a painkiller and just do 3-5M' and be damned. I don't need to do long distances any more as I have done all the usual races you want to tick off your bucket list, so just need to run to maintain my sanity. I certainly don't need to keep paying money to various experts when there isn't an easy fix. I'm no pro runner and I never was a competitive club runner
...hang on - am I talking myself into giving up?! Or is it worth persisting?
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To heal that injury/condition, you have to first stop adding to the damage. So whether you like it or not, you're going to have to stop running and wait. Can't do both.
🙂
Running with painkillers will just mask the damage that you're doing to your knees and you'll end up with very long-term problems. Like it or not, you're going to have to do something else to maintain your sanity - something that you can do pain-free while you wait for your knees to recover. Swimming, cycling, coaching kids, parkrun volunteering.
And stop paying the physios - as you say, there's no quick fix here. They probably don't have anything more to offer beyond the exercises you're already doing.
Cycled to physio this morning. Was honest with her re 2 jogs with the dog. Discussed whether it's worth carrying on treatment.
Upshot is - need to finish this 12 week programme. No running for next 6 weeks. Then I can assess whether it worked or not. Cycling is fine & I have an ebike so I can let battery take over when knees hurt.
Now to steel myself as my desk overlooks the park I watch other runners going round at lunchtime.
You may need a gait analysis to check features of your foot function and a pelvic check to see if the pelvis is twisted leading to a functional leg length quads of course may be involved as well, and it sounds like the Physio is already on to that.
Just ask to see if there are other features, or seek another opinion.
I can't be bothered spending the time and money on different treatments when I'm never going to be competitive anyway [being objective here]. I run for fun and mental health so if I can keep it fun by trying to see how many 1M routes there are round here, that's fine.
She and I agreed that I'd concentrate on power-walking the dog for regular exercise and do the odd 1-3 M run when my knees have a 'good' day. I have since done 3 runs, [2.5M; 1M; 1.2M] and each time it seems to take 3/4 days until my knees settle down again. Frustrating, but maybe this thing just isn't going to go away and I will have to control it by just not running much & walking instead.
I kinda know that, but just can't resist the urge to run!
Keep reading this:
http://physioworks.com.au/injuries-conditions-1/patella-tendonitis-tendinopathy
Also, trail running? If you have a running gait problem / your knee movement is the same for each stride, the uneven ground in trail running may not exacerbate in quite the same way?
She's now talking management not cure. Walking hurts, sitting hurts, cycling hurts. Only 4/10 on pain scale but just not going away. Left physio almost in tears. So frustrated. Been a runner all my adult life. Sad but soon will have to give up.
During the times when the body is in such a injured state it will compensate for it and affect other parts of your body bringing more injuries and a vicious cycle that needs to be broken. So I agree with focusing on the exercises to undo those adaptions by the body.
Mixing up running surfaces, trial running is great, or go with a walk run routine and see if there is any improvement.
I've decided that for now, I have to try to replace the high I get from running, and the days of sore knees post-run, with something else. I don't feel confident on a bike and don't swim well so they are not an option. However, I do get a huge discount on my local gym, which is literally 5 mins away from home and from my office, so have joined up and had a 'rehab' program drawn up that will focus on overall strength and conditioning, and avoid high-impact - both of which should help recovery and I should come out the other side a stronger runner anyway?
I hope that by going to the gym 3x a week, and running the odd 2/3M'r when my knees feel up to it, I can strengthen myself and set myself a long-term aim of a good 5K time by Xmas. I don't think I will ever be able to run longer distances in the future, but I hope I can concentrate my efforts on running shorter distances faster. Does that make sense?!
I have also been advised that an arthroscopy could be the answer to my prayers - does anyone have any advice/experience of whether this would be realistic?
pain goes / build up running / carry on with gym work
try a hard run / feel ok
couple of days later, my knee becomes inflamed
back to square one
I have been in and out of physio; recommended stretching; then strength + conditioning; then gradual build up. Gait analysis so trying to change style, but then my knee flares up - 'built up' to 4km [in 2 lap stages] on running track.
Now I'm at 'do not run; do not walk fast; do not do anything high-impact; until pain goes to zero'. Then start all over again - again.
Added to this the heatwave is not helping as I tend to swell when its humid too! And I'm about to go on holiday, when I'd normally run a lot!
Physio still seems to think a build up to a targetted end of September 10K is 'on' as long as I can break this inflammatory cycle.
Seeing GP next week for a 'positive' diagnosis and possible treatment with anti-inflamm's [used to take naproxen a while ago but all seemed to have settled down and I stopped taking them - my last box, which I found in the kitchen cabinet, was dated 2014]. Still hoping I can run but looking less and less likely.
Can you still run with rheumatoid arthritis?
Now I just hope my healthcare [through work] will pay for it...