soreness on front of knees, right below kneecap

[Special K]

I was running yesterday and at the end of my run, I experienced a very strong soreness in my left knee, right below the kneecap. This has been happening randomly during my runs for the past few weeks. I run 3 days a week, and sometimes it bothers me and sometimes it's fine. I have only been running on treadmills for the past couple years.

The soreness I experienced yesterday was the most intense it's ever been. It was still sore when I had my workout this evening. I do the Bill Starr 5x5 routine which has a lot of squatting, but I never experience this knee pain when squatting; it only happens when I run.

Does anyone know what this could be? Is it tendonitis? I'm not a running n00b; I've been running to varying degrees for years now.

 

[crt1530]

Sounds like it could be patellar tendinitis. Stretching the quadricep regularly helps, but you will likely have to cut way back on any activities that are aggravating it.

Is the tendon below your patella tender?

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: crt1530
Sounds like it could be patellar tendinitis. Stretching the quadricep regularly helps, but you will likely have to cut way back on any activities that are aggravating it.

Is the tendon below your patella tender?

The most tender spot seems to be the spot immediately below the kneecap, and the bottom of the kneecap itself. As I go further down, the tenderness decreases quite a bit.

 

[eits]

how old are you?

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: eits
how old are you?

26

 

[crt1530]

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: crt1530
Sounds like it could be patellar tendinitis. Stretching the quadricep regularly helps, but you will likely have to cut way back on any activities that are aggravating it.

Is the tendon below your patella tender?

The most tender spot seems to be the spot immediately below the kneecap, and the bottom of the kneecap itself. As I go further down, the tenderness decreases quite a bit.

That's patellar tendinitis. I'd switch up to some incline walking instead of running on the treadmill. You can get your heart beating just as fast and it's much less stress on the knees.

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: eits
how old are you?

26

get an x-ray

i'm thinking chondromalacia patellae or patellar tracking problems, which could be causing some tendonitis

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: crt1530

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: crt1530
Sounds like it could be patellar tendinitis. Stretching the quadricep regularly helps, but you will likely have to cut way back on any activities that are aggravating it.

Is the tendon below your patella tender?

The most tender spot seems to be the spot immediately below the kneecap, and the bottom of the kneecap itself. As I go further down, the tenderness decreases quite a bit.

That's patellar tendinitis. I'd switch up to some incline walking instead of running on the treadmill. You can get your heart beating just as fast and it's much less stress on the knees.

What causes the patellar tendinitis? Am I doing something wrong in my running form? Is it just an overuse injury? My running shoes are pretty worn down; I bought them in January. Could they be a culprit? Also I have some custom orthotics that are 8 years old. They are supposed to last for 10 years, but they could be broken down as well.

Could any of this make a difference? Why am I only getting this in my left knee?

 

[eits]

are you pigeon-toed?

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: crt1530

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: crt1530
Sounds like it could be patellar tendinitis. Stretching the quadricep regularly helps, but you will likely have to cut way back on any activities that are aggravating it.

Is the tendon below your patella tender?

The most tender spot seems to be the spot immediately below the kneecap, and the bottom of the kneecap itself. As I go further down, the tenderness decreases quite a bit.

That's patellar tendinitis. I'd switch up to some incline walking instead of running on the treadmill. You can get your heart beating just as fast and it's much less stress on the knees.

What causes the patellar tendinitis? Am I doing something wrong in my running form? Is it just an overuse injury? My running shoes are pretty worn down; I bought them in January. Could they be a culprit? Also I have some custom orthotics that are 8 years old. They are supposed to last for 10 years, but they could be broken down as well.

Could any of this make a difference? Why am I only getting this in my left knee?

does your right hip ever hurt?

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: eits
are you pigeon-toed?

No, at least I don't think so based on the google search I had to do to verify what exactly pigeon toed meant.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: eits

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: crt1530

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: crt1530
Sounds like it could be patellar tendinitis. Stretching the quadricep regularly helps, but you will likely have to cut way back on any activities that are aggravating it.

Is the tendon below your patella tender?

The most tender spot seems to be the spot immediately below the kneecap, and the bottom of the kneecap itself. As I go further down, the tenderness decreases quite a bit.

That's patellar tendinitis. I'd switch up to some incline walking instead of running on the treadmill. You can get your heart beating just as fast and it's much less stress on the knees.

What causes the patellar tendinitis? Am I doing something wrong in my running form? Is it just an overuse injury? My running shoes are pretty worn down; I bought them in January. Could they be a culprit? Also I have some custom orthotics that are 8 years old. They are supposed to last for 10 years, but they could be broken down as well.

Could any of this make a difference? Why am I only getting this in my left knee?

does your right hip ever hurt?

No. The only pain is right below my left knee.

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: eits

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: crt1530

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: crt1530
Sounds like it could be patellar tendinitis. Stretching the quadricep regularly helps, but you will likely have to cut way back on any activities that are aggravating it.

Is the tendon below your patella tender?

The most tender spot seems to be the spot immediately below the kneecap, and the bottom of the kneecap itself. As I go further down, the tenderness decreases quite a bit.

That's patellar tendinitis. I'd switch up to some incline walking instead of running on the treadmill. You can get your heart beating just as fast and it's much less stress on the knees.

What causes the patellar tendinitis? Am I doing something wrong in my running form? Is it just an overuse injury? My running shoes are pretty worn down; I bought them in January. Could they be a culprit? Also I have some custom orthotics that are 8 years old. They are supposed to last for 10 years, but they could be broken down as well.

Could any of this make a difference? Why am I only getting this in my left knee?

does your right hip ever hurt?

No. The only pain is right below my left knee.

ice your knee.

cross your affected leg (like how a man crosses his legs). with your thumb, push really hard between the inside of your knee and underneath your kneecap. does it hurt?

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: eits

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: eits

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: crt1530

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: crt1530
Sounds like it could be patellar tendinitis. Stretching the quadricep regularly helps, but you will likely have to cut way back on any activities that are aggravating it.

Is the tendon below your patella tender?

The most tender spot seems to be the spot immediately below the kneecap, and the bottom of the kneecap itself. As I go further down, the tenderness decreases quite a bit.

That's patellar tendinitis. I'd switch up to some incline walking instead of running on the treadmill. You can get your heart beating just as fast and it's much less stress on the knees.

What causes the patellar tendinitis? Am I doing something wrong in my running form? Is it just an overuse injury? My running shoes are pretty worn down; I bought them in January. Could they be a culprit? Also I have some custom orthotics that are 8 years old. They are supposed to last for 10 years, but they could be broken down as well.

Could any of this make a difference? Why am I only getting this in my left knee?

does your right hip ever hurt?

No. The only pain is right below my left knee.

ice your knee.

cross your affected leg (like how a man crosses his legs). with your thumb, push really hard between the inside of your knee and underneath your kneecap. does it hurt?

It's pretty sore on the very bottom edge of the kneecap itself, but nowhere else. There's no pain or soreness on the back/inside of the knee.

I did ice it tonight for 20 min, and will continue to do so after my workouts.

 

[eits]

ice = 15 mins on, 15 off, 15 on...

when it starts to feel numb, take it off. don't leave it on if it starts going numb, because it causes something called the hunting response, which is damaging to tissue rather than beneficial.

go see any of these:
- orthopedist
- physical therapist
- sports medicine doctor
- chiropractor


based on what you've said, it shouldn't be tendonitis, unless you've got an awkward gait/stride specifically on your left leg. but, that doesn't mean it isn't.

without any exams or x-rays, it's hard for anyone to tell.

 

[Special K]

So I did some steady walking on 8/13 without pain. I tried to go back into running but immediately stopped when I experienced the same pain I felt on Tuesday. I normally run on Saturday, but took off due to the pain.

I tried running today and although my left knee was a bit sore at the beginning, it eased up toward the middle of the run and was fine by the end. I thought it was very unusual that it would feel better after the run than before, but that's what happened. I did some static quad stretching after the run. The left knee was a bit tight during these stretches, but it wasn't painful and it did loosen up after I was done stretching.

I should also add that I bought new running shoes yesterday and ran in them for the first time today. My old ones had almost zero tread left on the bottom, so I probably should have replaced them earlier. I'm not sure if worn out shoes alone could account for my pain, but that is one thing that changed since last week.

 

[cliftontlin]

Had a similar pain. Figured out I was taking too long of strides and impacting on my heel, which puts a lot of shock onto the knee. After giving your knee a rest, try shorter strides and concentrating on landing gently on your feet. If you're doing it right, you should be really quiet on the treadmill vs stomp stomp stomp. Also inclining the treadmill will help, as a previous poster said.

 

[yelo333]

Originally posted by: eits

What causes the patellar tendinitis? Am I doing something wrong in my running form? Is it just an overuse injury? My running shoes are pretty worn down; I bought them in January. Could they be a culprit? Also I have some custom orthotics that are 8 years old. They are supposed to last for 10 years, but they could be broken down as well.

Could any of this make a difference? Why am I only getting this in my left knee?

does your right hip ever hurt?

Woah, that happens to me: left hip, right knee are sometimes slightly sore after running farther than about 5 miles. Care to elaborate?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: yelo333

Originally posted by: eits

What causes the patellar tendinitis? Am I doing something wrong in my running form? Is it just an overuse injury? My running shoes are pretty worn down; I bought them in January. Could they be a culprit? Also I have some custom orthotics that are 8 years old. They are supposed to last for 10 years, but they could be broken down as well.

Could any of this make a difference? Why am I only getting this in my left knee?

does your right hip ever hurt?

Woah, that happens to me: left hip, right knee are sometimes slightly sore after running farther than about 5 miles. Care to elaborate?

It's accommodation in one leg for the other. It may be a result of weakness or injury. It stems from the kinetic chain.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: crt1530

Originally posted by: Special K

Originally posted by: crt1530
Sounds like it could be patellar tendinitis. Stretching the quadricep regularly helps, but you will likely have to cut way back on any activities that are aggravating it.

Is the tendon below your patella tender?

The most tender spot seems to be the spot immediately below the kneecap, and the bottom of the kneecap itself. As I go further down, the tenderness decreases quite a bit.

That's patellar tendinitis. I'd switch up to some incline walking instead of running on the treadmill. You can get your heart beating just as fast and it's much less stress on the knees.

crt is right.

If this is a newish problem despite a history of running, it's probably safe to say it won't get better by itself, which means you don't want to run through it, as it can progress to become a serious long term tendon problem. Cut your running back for now. There are a lot of different things you could look at such as shoes (most people go to them as a first course of resolution, which is wrong, they do this because it's easy and just costs a few bucks and you're done, but it's probably not going to solve the problem), technique, flexibility, but I would first recommend in addition to cutting back miles, doing a lot of leg strengthening, particularly one-legged leg strengthening, which forces you to balance in ways squatting with a bar does not.

If you already have strong legs, are they even; do you skip out on halms? If your legs are still strong, do look at flexibility and form problems. Maybe you are heel striking severely, for example. Or maybe your left leg is functionally shorter than the right due to a tight hip on one side.

All this said, in my experience tendon pain for the knee is kind of a dull thing that can gradually come on and get worse and leaves the leg feeling "hot" and/or stiff, but it's not initially a sharp pain, though sharp pains can be a part of it.

Woah, that happens to me: left hip, right knee are sometimes slightly sore after running farther than about 5 miles. Care to elaborate?

Me, too. I have right knee pain due to a functional leg length shortness in that side, but if I get pain on my hips it's on my left hip at the hip flexor and my left lower back.

 

[Bobalude]

Originally posted by: eits

does your right hip ever hurt?

I have encountered the soreness just below the knees and occasionally after a long day sitting at the office, my right hip will hurt. Is this a possible sign of some specific issue?

 

[Special K]

I changed from running to swimming last week and the pain is now completely gone. I will keep swimming for the next few weeks just to be sure, plus I like to switch up my cardio every so often anyway.

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: Bobalude

Originally posted by: eits

does your right hip ever hurt?

I have encountered the soreness just below the knees and occasionally after a long day sitting at the office, my right hip will hurt. Is this a possible sign of some specific issue?

pelvic torquing causing different muscle tensions in your quads, which causes pain in the knee

get your pelvis adjusted and the knee pain will likely go away

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: eits

Originally posted by: Bobalude

Originally posted by: eits

does your right hip ever hurt?

I have encountered the soreness just below the knees and occasionally after a long day sitting at the office, my right hip will hurt. Is this a possible sign of some specific issue?

pelvic torquing causing different muscle tensions in your quads, which causes pain in the knee

get your pelvis adjusted and the knee pain will likely go away

Or if he is a heel-striker, then it's all his running form. Back adjustments don't fix everything. It's likely a form problem.

OP: Check out POSE form.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: eits

Originally posted by: Bobalude

Originally posted by: eits

does your right hip ever hurt?

I have encountered the soreness just below the knees and occasionally after a long day sitting at the office, my right hip will hurt. Is this a possible sign of some specific issue?

pelvic torquing causing different muscle tensions in your quads, which causes pain in the knee

get your pelvis adjusted and the knee pain will likely go away

Or if he is a heel-striker, then it's all his running form. Back adjustments don't fix everything. It's likely a form problem.

OP: Check out POSE form.

That's contributing, but running form is not the reason he has the pain on only one side. I think a change in form is a good thing for a lot of people. In my case it helps my bad knee quite a bit, but the reason I have one bad knee and one good is due to a pelvic imbalance left unresolved for too long; even with the "bad" running form my left knee hardly ever bothered me.