Acute Pain – Outside of Knee – Adjacent to Knee Cap (Sudden)
I have had different opinions on what this could be…
I went for my usual 10km run this morning. I run 3 times a week regularly 10km each time. I have never had much problems with this training regime.
I ran no more than 100m when I felt a sharp localised pain on the outside of my left knee. I tried to run it off but the pain was overwhelming after a few more steps. It disappeared immediately when I stopped running.
I tried running again after a few minutes but the pain radiated downwards to the bottom centre of the kneecap.
In applying the R.I.C.E rule, I poked around the kneecap and found that the the nook on the outer left knee was tender to the touch (but not swollen). I iced it but after several hours, there was a dull pain there (and it could be felt very obviously when I walked)
I had achy pains (not sharp stabs) in the same area a year back when I trained for the full marathon. I have never experienced it at this acute level so suddenly before.
I suspect I have runner’s knee but I’m not sure…please share if you have had similar experiences…running is a very important part of my career…
2 comments
runningellen
Thanks for the reply!
Yes, it turns out that it is the IT band…thanks for helping out!
I’m now doing those stretches to loosen that band before running. Basically, put one foot over the other (standing) and bend down and try to touch the foot (the foot that’s under).
For anybody else who has experienced this, there are diagrams on this webbo shows diagrams on how to do this stretch
http://www.howtostretch.com
hughdoc
Your problem could be ITB syndrome, the Iliotibial band passes over a bony protruberance on the outer side of your knee. Simple test lie on your side on a firm surface which is elevated above the ground, table top, a bed if nothing else, stack your hips on top of each other the painful leg being the top one. Keeping your top leg extended (straight) let it drop behind the lower leg, if the heel on the bad leg fails to go below the level of the table etc it can be an indication of a tight ITB.
You should test the other leg in the same way first. If the test is positive see a therapist who does sports massage.
Good luck.