UKC

Ive not had any of these symptoms in a while, and im not massively concerned having been able to hobble to the end of a 75 miler this weekend, i mean, its not exactly an everyday thing to do. But Ive already got another even hillier ultra coming up in a month so some advice would be welcomed.

Pain over the front of the knee when descending, ive done a googly and it seems to be patellofemoral pain, but ive not found much advice on it so Im hoping you can help.

I use a foam roller fairly often, but hardly ever stretch after reading about it being harmful. I do squats, cycling and running as my main exercises.

In reply to Pesda potato: Well that happens to a lot of people, and I'm sure most runners get sore knees at some point in time. You've done a 75 miler so something is going to hurt.

A foam roller is not a magic wand. If you really want to try to relieve the symptoms of excessive use of the patella you can investigate getting stronger so as to relieve the strain on the tendons by supporting it muscularly.

In reply to wbo:
any suggestions what muscles to target? Im planning on doing more running down hills for longer so that will help I hope but if theres something I can do at home that would be handy too. Thats how I sorted out my ITB problems anyway.

In reply to Pesda potato:

I've been out 4 months now with tendonitis which presents pretty much as you say. I'd suggest resting until the pain goes. I wouldn't be unduly concerned for a few weeks as you've just done a big run, but if it persists seek help early. Don't do what I did and keep running through it. Generally speaking, if it hurts before you start, probably best not to go for a run.

Keep the hamstrings, quads and glutes loose to help. Stretching is NOT harmful when done sensibly. It's hugely beneficial for injury prevention and recuperation.

In reply to XXXX:

Thanks irk, any suggestions on stretches? I could google it but id rather know what works for you

In reply to Pesda potato:

They are quite simple and a youtube video is much better than my descriptions. These aren't going to fix your problem (rest probably will, and ice) but you should get into the habit of stretching after runs or on rest days to maintain flexibility.

Pull foot to bum for quads. (I do it lieing on my side with my front knee bent at 90 degrees for a deeper stretch)
Hamstrings. Put stretching leg forward, keep it straight. Bend back leg and KEEP BACK STRAIGHT as you bend forward. You don't need a step.
Glutes, hold onto a post or door frame and lean back. Put one leg over the knee of the other and 'sit' as you go backwards.

In reply to XXXX:

thats what i do during a run if it feels tight, makes sense, I was put off static stretches for cold muscles by stuff Id read recently.

In reply to Pesda potato:

It's best if they're warm.

I have tight muscles and for quads I put my foot on a cushion on the end of a sofa and then sit on it/lean into it with the other foot on the floor. I find I can't get enough leverage pulling up my quad with my hands on my foot (not saying it's wrong, just doesnt work for me!). Try and stretch when you're warmed up and do each muscle at least twice for 30 seconds. If you want to increase the length try and do this 2 or 3 times a day and you should get results in 2 weeks.

Yoga once a week is worthwhile if you're not flexible.

For injuries I'd always recommend a physio as I've mis-diagnosed things with google in the past and even one physio session is worthwhile because once it's correctly diagnosed it's easy to look up the fix.