Running is putting strain on knees, suggestions?

I've been doing a lot of running the past year or so, but its beginning to take a toll on my knees. I notice sometimes when walking around that I'm not in pain, but it almost feels like my knees are about to give out. Its hard to explain.

Anyone have any suggestions as to what I can do to avoid straining my knees while still running? I know that I could start biking to ease up on them, but I don't have time to do biking outdoors and I hate stationary bikes in gyms.

Thanks.
 
Lift weights, preferrably heavy ones. More strength in the muscles around the knee joint helps to stabalize the joint. I don't know how many miles you run during a typical week, but most people make the mistake of running the same or a similar distance every day. Try sprints/HIIT a couple of days a week and at most one long slow run a week. That way you get the same cardio-vascular and endurance benefits without pounding out many continuous miles a week without enough rest and recovery time in between.
 
I'll do six miles a day, 3-4 days a week.

I tried doing HIIT for a while, but I wasn't able to keep it up. Its a bit too intense for me.

Can you recommend any good knee braces to wear while running? I was looking around and saw a lot of them today, and some get fairly expensive. I'm not sure which to use.
 
Hey, hows your running techinique? when you run do you land on your heels or the balls of your feet, the latter is preferable.

sometimes people with flat feet transfer most of the impact the the knees and therefore get pain in the knees.

You cuold also change your setting, is there a beach that you could use, the sand will soften your impact.
 
What worked for me: build/strengthen the quads; avoid running on hills.

Check out this page for info about knee exercises--you'll want to read the section titled "Main Muscle Groups Affecting Knee Stability." .
 
I'll do six miles a day, 3-4 days a week.

I tried doing HIIT for a while, but I wasn't able to keep it up. Its a bit too intense for me.

Can you recommend any good knee braces to wear while running? I was looking around and saw a lot of them today, and some get fairly expensive. I'm not sure which to use.

I would try to avoid knee braces unless perscribed by a doctor. As said above your knee already has a support system and when you use a brace the support system is no longer needed therfore could actualy cause your knee to become weaker. Have you tried biking?
 
After I injured my knee and after the initial recovery period, I noticed that I could run only 3 miles before it started to bug me. However, if I wore a neoprene brace, I could go for much longer. (I could run forever and ran marathons and did marathon training with it.) When I first realized it, I went to a sports orthopedist, who couldn't find anything wrong with my knee. He said that sometimes, you need a bit more stability and the brace was providing that. My main concern was that I wasn't masking some more-serious problem--covering it up with the brace. He couldn't find any problems and suggested that the brace would be okay. That was >10 years ago and so far, so good.
 
I agree with Matt182. Your running technique is probably the best place to start. I see many runners who experience knee pain and the majority are heel-strikers. Try to 'soften' your ankles when you run so your foot can drop forward very slightly before it comes back to the ground. Obviously there is alot more you can do to improve your technique but start with the ankles and see what happens.
 
Another consideration is your shoes. Do you use your running shoes only for running? Do they have more than 500 miles on them? How do you dry them out? What's the cushioning like?

Check the wear patterns and the condition of the cushioning. Visit this Web site for more info: .

It might be hard to find the right model, but finding it is important. The first type of running shoes that I bought worked well for me for short-distance running but it wasn't right for me for longer distances. It took some research, but I found the right model and stuck with it for several years, getting new shoes every few months.
 
Hi, I am Andy from where do you have this pain? inside outside of knee. Have you increased your training? Have you changed running surfaces etc. Go on to my site, propose this questing on my forum, i will discuss this issue and hopefully fix your problem
 
Hi, this is Andy from have you considered looking at New Balance shoes. We sell them on our site, they fit feet of different widths, there is different types i.e. support etc. Here is a link to the New balance shop
 
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