Just six weeks after coming back from a break because of ITBS, I think I might have runner's knee in my other knee.

It just started hurting pretty good yesterday and the symptoms seem to be what I read online.

Pain on the kneecap and to the inside of the knee. Hurts most when bent at a certain angle (between 90 degrees and extended for me), hurts more when you have been sitting for a while, and hurts for first few minutes of run before going away (ran 3 this morning and felt fine).

So...what happens know? Ice, ibuprofen, cutback. Is it a problem to keep running? How long should this last?

For what it's worth, no sudden big increase in mileage, shoes only have about 100 miles on them.

Thanks.

I was just diagnosed with this.

Told to take 3 Advil or Aleve in the morning and 3 at night (seems a bit excessive to me - I'll probably just take 1 twice a day). Ice after running.

And I was told to do two exercises at least once, if not twice a day:

1. Sit with your legs stretched out in front of you, keeping your toes flexed. Flex your quadriceps and hold it for 5 seconds. Repeat 25 times per leg.

2. Lay down with one leg bent (knee facing up), the other leg stretched out. Lift the stretched leg up to where the knees are at the same height, then bring it back down. Repeat 50 times. Do another 50 lifts while propped up on your elbows, and then another 50 while propped up on your hands. Repeat with the other leg.

This is actually much harder than it sounds - I can only do it about 25 times. I'll have to work up to 50.

This should strengthen the quadriceps and the muscles around your kneecap, and hopefully will help support your knee and reduce the pain. So far it really seems to be working for me!

Oh, and my doc said it was OK to keep on running. Just don't overdo it, and try to keep on flat ground as much as possible - nothing rocky or uneven, and not too much downhill.

That sh*t sucks. Expect to be out for three weeks if you decide to still keep running (you can)

For me, I was fine for 3-4 miles then just a horrible pain in my knee. Then I walked for a half mile then could run two more and then it started again. After that it was was walk .5 mile, run 1 mile.

I was like that for three weeks. Supposedly, if you stop running entirely it should go away in about ten days but who can wait that long?

Try to run as level as you can. Padded tracks are awesome. Running downhill will set it off quicker. I healed 100% in about three weeks and it hasn't come back since (Since March)

[This message has been edited by CoolaidWade (edited 8/25/2008 11:44a).]