Please help! What is this?!

[ThinkGlow]

I run 5k every Saturday, and 10k mid week. I walk a lot, cycle a bit.

Never, ever had any issues with injury/pain.

I hired a PT for tips on how to improve running and get faster. He had me doing squats and resistance training. The next day I noticed a sharp stabbing pain in my knee when I was walking to the shop.

Odd. It's been on/off all week.

A week later (today) I had a Bootcamp fitness class and my knee was twinging but okayish, until I did another squat. Holy shit it hurt. Now it's hurting just walking around the house. I've RICE-d it but it's still twinging.

What the hell is wrong with my knee? I have my first fun run this Sat and a quarter marathon next month, I can't be injured. Please help :(

I’ve recently been diagnosed with “Jumpers Knee” which I think is also known as Patella Tendonopathy though I might be making that up. I’ve had 2 treatment sessions with a chiropractor and am on a 3 month programme of eccentric loading exercises which have just about cured the problem. I wonder if this is what you have? Mine came from nowhere and was incredibley painful. It began in one knee and six months later the other knee joined in.

I've had the same, specifically when I started strength training on top of running. Think I overloaded the knee with too many squats and deadlifts, all with heavy weights.

If you're sensible enough to lay off it completely all week, lots of rest and ice, you may be ok to run on Saturday - as long as you take it as a fun run and not a race.

If you do that, and build back up slowly, you'll be ok for the 10k next month. But if you run hard in Saturday, chances are you'll completely knacker it (been there, done that!)

On the plus side, this demonstrates that you're right to be doing strength work. With a weak knee, strong quads and glutes are essential - just don't do too much too soon!

Ha e you bought new runners recently by any chance? I run regularly and started getting a similar stabbing pain in one of my knees. Thought I had strained it somehow but then realised that the pain coincided with getting a new pair of runners. Switched to a different pair and the pain miraculously disappeared.

Thanks very much for your reply funmummy48. Did you have to stop running (if you run?) That's fantastic that it's improving for you.

I'll have a Google of Jumper's Knee.

I'm just so shocked to be in pain, it's not like I do any significant miles at all and surely I'd have felt something tear/snap if I'd injured myself during that PT session.

Like you say, it's out of no where. So frustrating and frightening.

@Runningonempty84 thank you so much for your advice!

My quads are strong but that's about it; so perhaps the muscle strength imbalance is to blame then? I'm so annoyed but perhaps if/when I increased running miles the issue would have presented eventually?

Okay. I'll continue RICE all week and miss my mid week long run just to be safe. I'd rather get around the quarter next month super slowly than not at all. :(

@Ohmybloomers sadly not, same trusty trainers! Oh I wish it was something like that though.

No, I carried on exercising as the chiropractor said although it was painful, I wouldn’t damage it any more by still exercising. I’d have yours checked out to see if it’s the same thing or a different problem. Mine was so bad that I couldn’t bear to bend my knees when I went downstairs in the morning.

That sounds like it was really painful for you :(

Okay, I'll look into getting seen by a professional - is a chiropractor the best person that can diagnose this sort of pain/injury?

Thank you so much!

I saw a chiropractor purely because I’ve seen him before when I had sciatica and he was really helpful. The other thing he advised me to do was to spend more time doing specific stretches after exercising. He said that it’s really common for people to spend too little time stretching after exercise. Good luck. I hope you’re better soon!

Is it worth checking to see if your kneecap is chipped/flaking? It sounds worse than it is, but you'd need medical expertise to know if that's whats happened - IIRC probably an MRI.

I had this about 15 years ago, for me caused by a tight ITB which was slightly pulling my kneecap out of alignment which in turn caused tiny pieces of cartilage to flake off from the kneecap. Apparently the pain is caused when the pieces move and grate on the kneecap - sometimes I was pain-free, even whilst running, and then suddenly a really sharp intense pain, seemingly not connected to doing exercise. I'd suggest a physio appointment asap - at least to get some form of diagnosis and to know whether you should rest/ignore the pain. I know it's frustrating when you've got a race coming up, but IMHO its not worth risking it.

I hope you manage to get it sorted.

Oh no! I'd definitely rest it for now, but knee pain can be anything. Any chance your form wasn't quite right with the PT?

If it persists, I'd probably try to see a physio.