If it sounds to good to be true…. Well this time I’m totally not kidding, it happened!!! This is kind of long, but if you have ever had knee or IT Band problems, I want to make sure I give you all the details because I know how frustrating it is and how many hours I have spent testing out different things to find what would work for me! We are all different, listen to your body. Let’s get the backstory and then the moves and details on what I am doing. You might remember back in July my knee swelled up like a basketball {ok maybe a grapefruit} right as I was heading to Ireland for the Race to Kinvara. Being that it was a once in a lifetime event, I ran anyways and to my great fortune didn’t appear to do any major damage {plus hey I was the only injury so they had to capture the moment}. Unfortunately since JULY I’ve continued to battle knee tightness and pain…a timeline for you: Hip pain in France in June Lots of chiro, felt better Ran Ireland with knee swelling up Stopped running for a few weeks, started biking to cross train Knee pain actually getting worse Playing it smart, I booked an apt with a Sports Medicine Dr He said week hips were causing runner’s knee and my biking was making it worse Stop biking, start running Continue doing daily PT exercises, foam roll, get massages, epsom salt The sharp pain left and it’s just been an ongoing ache…annoying but not debilitating Saw another PT and got more exercises to add to the others Acupuncture, acupressure, meditation Ran Honolulu marathon feeling pretty much the same Found knee extension video (AH HA no 1) Came home and focused on Ultra Feeling burned out I decided to try taking time off again After a week off found IT band pain had appeared and pain for whole run Everyone kept telling me I just needed to rest my knee; I knew intrinsically that something else was going on, I just couldn’t for the life of me figure out what the heck it was!!! Until yesterday… KNEE EXTENSION Ah ha number one!! This move worked the first time I tried it. All these doctors and not a darn one of them recommended or even looked at this, which makes me crazy!!! For months I kept telling David it seemed really bizarre to me that I could move my right leg in to hyper-extension, but had 0 extension with my left leg. I didn’t know what to call it or why it mattered since when I pointed it out the PT they all just said, hmm that’s weird. The acupuncture guy said tight IT Band, but even I knew that didn’t make sense. So I texted the best doctor on Earth Dr Lorenzo and he said the popliteus muscle needed to be stretched. Which lead me to this stretch for something called “terminal knee extension” and immediately I knew I was heading in the right direction because it finally described what I felt. I recognize that this issue is probably not one most of you have, but in case someone else out there is banging their head against a wall I had to share it. I have been doing this and a couple others for the last 2 weeks and have regained almost complete range of motion…that’s right 5 months of no answers and it 2 weeks almost back to normal just doing something for free at home! INWARD KNEE DRIFT After talking with my chiropractor, we agreed that my hips are pretty much always a little off even after adjustment. My right leg is shorter and I’ve heard this from many chiro’s, so we agreed that was probably not an issue. Then he looked down at my foot and said, umm just standing up “look how your foot is falling inward”. Below is an image of me running to help you understand what falling in means (i.e. pronation). One of the more common thing pointed out is either pronation at the feet or what’s called knee valgus, particularly in women runners, which results in runner’s knee, IT Band pain and other issues. The knee drift could be caused by foot pronation, weak hips or misaligned hips. DOHHHHH — When I switched to the Kinvara’s around 2009 they seemed to resolve my IT Band pain, so I have resolutely stuck to them through thick and thin. But it’s highly logical that after 5 more years of running some things have changed. What to do when you see pronation or knee drift that strength workouts aren’t fixing: – Get orthotics – not my personal favorite as I do think there is something to be said for allowing your body to control it’s own movement. They are a great solution for many though! – Get stability control shoes – same as above, plus my right leg is actually perfect so I don’t want to create an issue there. – Try an insert with a little arch: For $20 I was open to doing this immediately and to only running in my shoes that had more arch support like the Cortana and Zealot (coming out this spring). Next up understanding knee drift, which is the other thing that the PT was pointing out, but without ever helping me to find out the root cause which is HUGE. Ways to find the cause of your knee drift: 1. See a chiro about leg length discrepancy. They have always told me my right leg is a little shorter, it’s usually back after an adjustment, so I don’t think this is the cause of new pain as it’s not a new thing. 2. Weak glutes/external rotators – Yes this I have also known is an issue, but all the squats and lunges weren’t isolating that glute which meant all my PT has been a bit wasted. I’ve just continued to compensate with other muscles making everything hurt worse. Following is the best exercises I have found to truly activate these muscles (particularly the way he describes doing the bridge): 3. Running Shoes – While the Kinvara’s served me well for a long time at the moment just standing in them you can see my ankle collapse in which means every time I take a stride my hip, knee and ankle are horribly out of alignment. Options include trying a stability shoe or putting in an insert. 4. See a physical therapists or masseuse to work a little more manually with muscles. 5. Do ALL THE PT, before during and after the injury. Clamshells do a body good….so do little birdie dips. MY OVERNIGHT CHANGE I left the chiro to walk home {yeah I walk everywhere} and my IT Band hurt to even walk at that point. All of which was new because previously it had mostly been knee pain, a little IT Band flare up but nothing like this which made me want to stop walking even. I stopped and bought insoles from the grocery store. Seriously I wanted to test this theory immediately. Popped them in and noticed right away my foot no longer falling in which means everything was back in appropriate alignment. Tried running, it hurt, I stopped and then started doing the glute exercise video linked above. The next morning I got up and put on my Kinvara’s with the insert and started running…no pain until mile 2.75, which was a 2.75 mile improvement! I stopped and walked, not wanting to push my luck. I came home and did the above video again. Then in the afternoon I ran another 2.5 miles without so much as a twinge of pain anywhere and probably could have kept going if I had time {that’s why I like morning runs!} I hope this was helpful to anyone having issues, I know how frustrating it can be to try and find answers! Please do share with your running friends, I want us all to figure out what works for us individually to stay running as long and healthy as we can. Complete details on how to resolve knee and IT Band issues from @runtothefinish #runchat The rest of my forever maintenance plan: My IT Band routine My hip strength workouts Anti-inflammatory eating Moral of the story, you know your body…keep looking for answers. And YES it’s only been a couple of days, but this feels 100% different than it has in months, so I’ll keep you updated but I think I’ve finally found the right combo. Have you ever realized your favorite shoe might not be best for you anymore? How often do you work those hips?? Other ways to connect with Amanda Instagram: RunToTheFinish Facebook: RunToTheFinish Get new posts via BlogLovin Original article and pictures take http://www.runtothefinish.com/2015/01/fix-runners-knee-and-it-band-pain-quickly.html site
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