UKC

I don't run seriously, but head out on road/pavement 2 or 3 times a week. Recently my knees have started aching after about 10minutes of running, and are particularly bad on hard surfaces or when running downhill. I'm guessing it is something to do with the impact? I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas to get rid of this as it means it starts to be quite painful to run after a short time - and at 15 years old random aches aren't expected! If it helps I used to also get pain inside my hip (which mostly went when I stopped running for a month and got new shoes), I also sometimes get a sort of crampy pain in my calf (which I discovered I can get rid of by stretching every day). Any help would be much appreciated!

In reply to ClimberGirl:

I would have at least a week's rest, then follow a protocol of walking 5 mins after stretching to warm up, then run less than 10 mins, maybe 2 x 5 mins with a 2 min walk in between. Do this for 3 sessions (so a week for you) then add 2 mins to your run time each week until you feel you're over it.

If it persists it could be to do with your running style, your age and growing issues, or it might just be because you're under the weather and it would clear up anyway. Following the above protocol will set you up with the structural integrity to help avoid the same or other injury problems. Hard to have the discipline when you're 45 though, let alone 15! I can't stressenough how important it is to build up slowly with running to have some longevity and enjoy it without being constantly injured. I wish I'd followed that advice when I was 21!

A book called "Healthy Running Step by Step" is worth getting.

In reply to ClimberGirl:

Oh, and given your age, check this out:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osgood–Schlatter_disease

Hopefully a physio will be along to give more specialist advice.

In reply to ClimberGirl:

In addition to the above advice, I would get off road as much as possible, seek out footpaths, moorland, parkland anywhere with a softer surface.

In reply to ClimberGirl:

I'm not a runner, and don't know if this does apply to you. But just thought its worth mentioning, that knee pain doesn't actually have to be caused by a problem in your knee joint. Tight hamstrings or quads can pull on the knee.

You some times hear people complaining about tennis or golf elbow right? and this is the pain of the bicep pulling off the bone at the elbow.
Well you can get a similar thing with your knees.

So you might want to make sure you stay flexible and maybe some foam rollering etc might help.

In reply to ClimberGirl:
Where abouts in your knee is the pain?