Knees hurt after and during running: why and what to do? * Crossfit

Running exercises are an integral part of CrossFit. They develop the cardiovascular system, increase the vital capacity of the lungs and at the same time perfectly stimulate endurance. But not every athlete is useful to running. Many have severe leg pain that is almost impossible to stop while running. Why do knees hurt during and after running and what to do about it? You will receive a detailed answer to this question in our article.

Causes of pain

First of all, it is worth considering that knee pains differ both in their sensations and in the foci of inflammation. There are:

knee pain;
pain caused by sprains or damage to the ligaments;
diseases associated with damage to tendons;
systemic diseases.

And this is not a complete list of reasons why knees hurt when running.

First, consider what happens to your knees when you run. By understanding these processes, it is easier to understand the cause of the pain syndrome. While running, the knees are exposed to serious stress. They experience severe compression overload of an impulsive nature. Every step you take while running is a “shock” that is transmitted from the ankle joint to the knee joint and then to the spine.

Note: largely due to this, overweight people are highly discouraged from jogging for weight loss. Instead, it is better to replace them with exercises in which the full body weight will not affect the legs.

If your weight is small, then all this overload will not cause serious complications. Therefore, young athletes rarely suffer from knee pain.

But why exactly the knee, because the ankle joint receives the greatest load? It's all about the attachment point of the bones. While the ankle joint receives an even vertical load along the entire joint, the attachment point of the bones in the knee area creates an unnatural pressure angle. Basically, every step you take is trying to break your knee. Of course, this impulse is not enough to cause really serious injury, but long-term exposure in a constant impulse form can lead to serious complications.

In addition, knee pain can be caused by injury. For example, falls. Do not forget that the knee pain itself may not be caused by the running itself, but, for example, by serious overload that the athlete experiences during a heavy squat, etc.

When can it arise?

When do knees hurt from running? First of all - during the running exercise itself. Secondly, this pain can occur if there was a heavy seat, or even a dead weight, in your training WOD before running.

Sometimes knees hurt not while running, but after. Why is this happening? Everything is very simple. Our body is under stress during training. Any stress injects adrenaline group hormones into our blood. And adrenaline is not only a powerful stimulant, but also a fairly effective pain reliever.

In addition, after running, the body starts recovery processes, which can lead to pain syndromes. Keep in mind that even when you stop running, your legs still take on the lion's share of the load during crossfit exercises or walking. That is, there is no definite answer to the question of why knees hurt after running. But most likely it is overload or injury.

How to stop running pain

If you figure out why your knees hurt while running, you can stop the pain syndrome in time. But what if the pain has already occurred? First, eliminate the main source of pain - the running exercise itself. Then use the correct shoes and knee brace. A knee brace combined with pain relievers will relieve you of knee pain in the short term. However, remember that the device severely limits the range of motion: you are unlikely to be able to reach maximum speed while running.

Important: if you suffer from pain while running, we strongly discourage the use of pain relievers. An exception is a situation when knee pain caught you right during the competition.

What to do with chronic pain syndrome?

Note: This section is for informational purposes only. If you suffer from chronic pain while running, we highly recommend that you see your doctor and undergo a full diagnostic examination to identify the true cause of the pain syndrome.

In case of persistent knee joint pain after running, it is recommended to first determine the type of injury. If this is due to a fall, then give up running for a while. If it is caused by overload, using a knee brace may help.

Often, a knee brace helps not only to relieve symptoms, but also to restore damaged areas over time. In addition, if persistent pain occurs, it is worth taking a course of minerals, in particular calcium. If you use drugs that dry out your ligaments and joint fluid in one way or another, it is recommended that you stop using them.

These drugs include:

diuretics;
thermogenics;
some types of AAS.

In any case, it is necessary to determine the cause of the knee pain before proceeding to radical methods. Sometimes knee pain is indicative of serious injury to the tendons and ligaments. This is a common problem that most professional CrossFit athletes overlook during the competition season.

Prevention

The best prevention for knee pain from running is not running. However, if your program involves a constant load, take precautions.

Preventive measure	How does it help?
Knee brace	It is recommended to wear it not only while running, but also during any exercises with vertical load. It reduces friction in the knee joint and preserves ligaments and tendons.
Shoe-absorbing shoes	Cushioning shoes reduce the momentum associated with running exercise. In fact, the sole absorbs the entire shock impulse, which, in a springy manner, transmits a softer impulse to the entire body. These shoes protect not only the knees, but also the spine.
Taking vitamins and minerals	Often, during drying and taking special medications, the body lacks vitamins and minerals, especially calcium, which affects the condition of the bones. Taking a vitamin and mineral complex solves this problem.
Reducing the intensity of running exercises	jogging is often used as a method of losing weight. At the same time, the intensity and duration of running exercises exceed the permissible norms. If your main specialization is not to achieve maximum speed and endurance in running exercises, it is recommended to reduce your running intensity.
Taking special medications	There are special medical procedures and drugs that increase the strength of joints and ligaments. Talk to your doctor before taking these drugs.
Temporary cessation of running exercises	You shouldn't use jogging as a weight loss tool. In most cases, enough cardio is easy to get through other exercises, be it an elliptical trainer or cycling.
Decrease in own weight	If you are overweight, bring the readings back to normal - this will reduce the load on the knee joint, ligaments and tendons.

Outcome

So, cushioning shoes and compression bandages are:

prevention of knee pain;
treatment of the causes of pain symptoms;
an emergency way to relieve pain.

Always use knee pads and special running shoes, so you will definitely insure yourself against the shock impulse that occurs during running.

It is impossible to unequivocally answer the question of why knees hurt from running. If it's short-term pain, then it's all about shoes or overloading. If chronic, you may be experiencing more serious problems. Remember: if you have just started to suffer from knee pain while running, it is easier to eliminate the cause, and not to start the pathology until it is too late.