#Fitness Friday: Runner's Knee and My New Giveaway!

Hello everyone!

I hit a new milestone with my running this week: 10 miles! I have never ran that far before! So now that I am hitting these farther distances, I am getting alot of knee pain. I have looked up a few articles on Runner's Knee. I think I have figured out what I can do to help it. I wanted to share with you some of the things that I found out about what causes it and how to alleviate the pain this issue causes, since this is a pretty normal issue among runners. 

Symptoms of Runner's Knee:

Pain behind or around the kneecap, especially where the thighbone and the kneecap meet.

Pain when you bend the knee -- when walking, squatting, kneeling, running, or even sitting.

Pain that's worse when walking downstairs or downhill.

Swelling.


Popping or grinding sensations in the knee.

Causes of Runner's Knee:

Overuse. Repeated bending of the knee can irritate the nerves of the kneecap. Overstretched tendons (tendons are the tissues that connect muscles to bones) may also cause the pain of runner's knee.

Direct trauma to the knee, like a fall or blow.

Misalignment. If any of the bones are slightly out of their correct position -- or misaligned -- physical stress won't be evenly distributed through your body. Certain parts of your body may bear too much weight. This can cause pain and damage to the joints. Sometimes, the kneecap itself is slightly out of position.

Problems with the feet. Runner's knee can result from flat feet, also called fallen arches or over-pronation. This is a condition in which the impact of a step causes the arches of your foot to collapse, stretching the muscles and tendons.


Weak thigh muscles.
(http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/knee-pain/runners-knee)

Ways to Treat Runner's Knee:

This first one is really interesting because it gives you a process to strengthen the knee without alot of pain involved:  First, you avoid doing anything, including running, that causes the knee to hurt, but you also do as much running as you can do pain-free. This approach will enable the damaged tissues to restore homeostasis (or their natural equilibrium state of breakdown and regeneration) yet will also keep the knee well-adapted to the stress of running. Many runners with PFPS can do some pain-free running. You might find that you can run for a certain duration (say, 20 minutes) and no longer without pain. In this case, run only that far until your limit increases. Or you might find that you can run every other day, but not every day, without pain. Then run every other day for a while. After a few weeks, try a test run 24 hours after a previous run to see whether the limit remains. Continue to increase your running gradually back toward pre-injury levels as comfort allows, reversing this process briefly whenever soreness emerges anew. (http://running.competitor.com/2014/02/injury-prevention/beating-runners-knee_143)

Other ways include:

Rest the knee. As much as possible, try to avoid putting weight on your knee.

Ice your knee to reduce pain and swelling. Do it for 20-30 minutes every 3-4 hours for 2-3 days, or until the pain is gone.

Compress your knee. Use an elastic bandage, straps, or sleeves to give your knee extra support.

Elevate your knee on a pillow when you're sitting or lying down.

Take anti-inflammatory painkillers. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like Advil, Aleve, or Motrin, will help with pain and swelling. However, these drugs can have side effects, like an increased risk of bleeding and ulcers. They should be used only occasionally, unless your doctor specifically says otherwise.

Practice stretching and strengthening exercises if your doctor recommends them.


Get arch supports for your shoes. These orthotics -- which can be custom-made or bought off the shelf -- may help with flat feet.
(http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/knee-pain/runners-knee)

So after reading these, I have decided that I should get some running shoes that support my feet alot better than the ones I have. These are 20 dollar Walmart running shoes. They weren't fit for my foot and running style. I have a feeling that has alot to do with my knee pain, because I do have flat feet and don't have the support that I should have. I am also going to get some Joint Juice which is Glucosamine Condroitant which helps with joint pain. I am hoping that these little changes will help with my knee pain. I will of course update you on my progress!

It has been 30 days since I started P90X3 and I did my measurements to see where I stood. So here they are:


My previous measurements:
Weight: 172.8
Chest: 37.3"
Bicep: 12.3"
Thighs: 24.8"
Waist: 34.6"
Calf: 17.3"
Hips: 42.3"

My measurements:
Weight: 171.8 
Chest: 36.4
Bicep: 12.1
Thigh: 23.8
Waist: 32.4
Calf: 17.0

Hips: 40.7

I actually weighed more two days ago when I posted them but I weighed myself this morning and I was 171.8. So I did end up losing even if it wasn't much weight. I lost inches and I love that I lost inches in 30 days! 

I have a Beachbody Shakeology & Supplement Giveaway on the Healthy Everyday Lifestyle Podcast page. I also put it in this blog for you to have an easy way to enter without having to navigate away from this blog. How easy am I right? So now you have no reason not to enter! Who doesn't want free stuff? The prizes are: Shakeology Shaker Cup, Samples of Shakeology, and a bottle of Activit (30 day supply). You get this all for free if you win! There are 17 more days in the giveaway and you should enter everyday to win! 

The Healthy Everyday Lifestyle Podcast has a new episode up on iTunes, Stitcher, and Blubrry. Go listen to it! It's a fairly short episode this time. As always we want your feedback, ideas for episodes, and questions you want answered!!

<3

Ang



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