Knee pain after running: causes, treatment and prevention
Knee pain after running is common, especially among those who have not previously engaged in active physical activity. The structure of the knee joint is very complex, and every day it experiences a huge load, which increases many times over when running.
Pain after running can occur not only due to pathologies in the joint itself, but also due to damage to the ligamentous apparatus. Also, under load, exacerbations of inflammatory processes in the knee are possible, which you did not even suspect. Therefore, this “warning” from the body should be taken seriously.
Probably many of you are interested in the question, why do your knees not hurt at rest, but only start to bother you after running? This discomfort may occur for the following reasons:
Traumatic damage to the meniscus. The meniscus is the rounded cartilage in the knee joint. It is attached to adjacent cartilages using ligaments. As a result of a sharp turn of the leg or an unsuccessful squat, part of the ligamentous fibers may break - and sharp pain will immediately arise. After some time, the knee area swells, and the patient cannot lean on the injured limb.
Dislocation of the patella (kneecap). This is a common injury among runners and does not cause serious complications. But with repeated similar dislocations, the joint ligaments are stretched, the knee loses stability, and the injury will occur again and again. Then painful sensations after running will become the “norm”. The so-called “runner's knee” (destruction of the patellar tissue - chondromalacia) often occurs and is manifested by dull pain in the patella area and decreased joint mobility.
Sprained or torn articular ligaments. Such consequences often occur due to injury or increased stress. The pain syndrome is acute, there is swelling of the knee area, limited mobility and pain when touched.
Pathologies that can provoke pain after increased stress: arthritis, arthrosis, rheumatism, periarthritis (and other rheumatic lesions of the knee), bursitis, synovitis, tendonitis. We have already discussed these diseases in detail in the article “Diseases of the knee joint.”
Vascular disorders in the circulatory network supplying the knee area. Such pain is intermittent, without clear localization and goes away on its own without taking painkillers. They are typical for adolescents, when, during the period of active growth, blood vessels are inferior in speed to bone growth. Vascular pain is also possible if there are cholesterol plaques in the arteries supplying the knees, which narrow the lumen of the vessel and interfere with normal blood supply to the tissues.
Pain can also occur due to improper movement of the joint. Over time, this can lead to inflammation, sprains, and chronic meniscal injury. What can cause incorrect leg movements when running?
- Running over undulating, rough terrain. Due to the unevenness of the ground, the load on the joint structures is distributed unevenly, resulting in constant microtraumas that lead to chronic inflammatory processes in the knees and pain.
- Incorrect running technique. Pain can occur after running with an emphasis on the heel, when running with the feet turned out, and also when the body is positioned incorrectly during training. This is due to the fact that there is not sufficient shock absorption in the knee, the vertical load increases and constant compression of the articular tissues and structures occurs.
- If the position of the feet is incorrect (for example, with flat feet), the athlete will also experience pain over time. The flat arch of the foot does not allow the leg to spring and thereby further increases the load on the knees.
- Incorrectly selected sports shoes (too loose and do not secure the foot or, on the contrary, tight) force the joint to work incorrectly and can cause joint injury and pain.
- Lack of proper warm-up before running. Muscles that are not prepared for the load are developed unevenly, thereby preventing the joint from moving correctly.
It is very important to choose the right shoes for training
What to do for acute and chronic pain?
For acute pain syndrome:
The joint is relieved of the load. It must be securely fixed with a bandage or elastic bandage.
Applying a cold compress will dull the pain. The source of cold (a heating pad or ice pack) should be wrapped in a cloth to prevent frostbite. Keep the cold for no more than 15 minutes with an hour break. If necessary, repeat the procedure 3-4 times.
Place your leg above body level, giving it a comfortable position.
If the above steps do not help, use painkillers from the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Even if the symptoms subside after some time, you still need to urgently consult a doctor for advice.
Recommendations for chronic pain syndrome:
First of all, consult with your doctor to identify possible causes of pain and receive recommendations on the possibility of continuing and correcting training. Perhaps you should start taking chondroprotectors - products containing glucosamine and chondroitin - to restore joint tissues and ligamentous fibers.
Constant use of a bandage or elastic bandage to immobilize the joint.
The use of warm compresses or warming ointments will speed up metabolic processes in the affected area.
Do a thorough warm-up before starting classes.
If pain worsens during training, you must stop exercising. But you should not stop abruptly, as this can cause additional injury. You should first take a step, and only after a while stop completely.
In order to prevent the development of pain after running, you must follow a number of simple rules:
- Running on flat ground is preferable to running on asphalt or cobblestones.
- Follow the correct running technique: the foot is placed strictly straight, and a smooth roll is made from heel to toe.
- Choose the right shoes that fit properly and are designed for running (flexible toe box, rigid heel counter, arch support). Shoes should not be laced tightly.
- Plan the intensity and volume of your running so that the load increases gradually. If you do not adhere to this rule, intense training will lead to muscle overstrain, and increased running volume will put excessive stress on the joint.
- Do a thorough warm-up before and after training to stretch and warm up your muscles.
It should be remembered that increased running loads will lead to knee injury, even if all running rules are followed. If pain occurs, regardless of its cause, you should immediately consult a doctor. Only a specialist can figure out why this symptom occurs and prescribe adequate treatment.
How legs hurt with varicose veins - forewarned is forearmed
The most significant symptom of varicose veins is pain along the veins, but how do your legs hurt with the disease when it just begins to develop? If you suspect varicose veins, you need to know not only the characteristics of the pain, but also how to deal with it, since the rhythm of life requires movement, and sometimes unpleasant sensations greatly interfere with this.
Like any other disease, varicose veins do not develop on their own; there are a number of prerequisites that provoke its development:
- Heredity . In fact, heredity cannot be considered an independent cause of varicose veins, that is, heredity plays a role only when there are other precedents for the development of the disease. The appearance of pathological symptoms does not happen simply due to heredity.
- Wrong shoes. High heels are just the tip of the iceberg; in fact, varicose veins can be caused by any incorrectly chosen shoes. Constant pressure in the foot area negatively affects the outflow of blood, thereby causing discomfort in the area of compression, or along the veins.
- Constant load on the legs. This affects people whose professions involve constantly being on their feet (hairdressers, surgeons, salespeople, etc.). People employed in such industries face painful sensations every day; fatigue in the legs very often gives way to discomfort, which is quite simple to cope with, you just have to raise your legs above the level of your heart.
- Injuries . Oddly enough, the pathology may well develop in connection with injuries to the vascular wall. Visually, such an injury may be completely invisible, and the patient will pay attention only to subcutaneous manifestations, such as a hematoma. Pain with this development of varicose veins can be confused with unpleasant sensations associated with injury.
- The problem is inside the body . All kinds of infections, endocrine disorders, and intoxications can provoke the development of varicose veins; often the disease does not have any symptoms, they develop only after further progression.
Important! Every disease must be monitored by a doctor, because it is he who must be told even about those symptoms that, it would seem, are not directly related to the disease.
Pain due to varicose veins is a common, but not unambiguous, phenomenon. The presence of a symptom, as well as its nature, can vary significantly in each patient. Anatomical changes are in no way related to the intensity of manifestations.
So here's what you can feel:
- Nothing. Indeed, at times, varicose veins do not bother the patient at all, do not manifest themselves in any way, and do not affect the quality of life.
- Swelling from time to time. In medicine, this symptom is called “episodic edema.” The pain that accompanies such swelling is most often caused not by the pathology itself, but by compression from shoes or clothing. Swelling and pain, which occur sporadically, appear only in the afternoon, and not always every day.
- Fatigue . The sensation is quite close to pain, but nevertheless it is not pain. Patients notice fatigue first in the afternoon, but as the disease progresses, fatigue also increases. Some patients may experience a feeling of fatigue even after minimal exertion.
- Heaviness. The so-called “heavy leg syndrome” is the first truly painful manifestation of the disease. With varicose veins, discomfort in the legs can be bursting, pulling or even sharp. It is possible to combat such pain with the classic technique of raising the legs only in the initial stages of the disease; the rest of the time, the pain requires the use of local pharmacological drugs. Very often, it is at this stage of development that convulsions occur during sleep.
- Constant swelling . Such swelling signals a serious degree of development of varicose veins and may be accompanied by pain along the vein, or discomfort in the lower leg or foot.
- Ulcers and other disorders . Impaired blood flow over time leads to a stable lack of tissue trophism. Because of this, external lesions appear in the form of dermatitis, eczema or ulcers. Thus, the previously described symptoms are joined by symptoms of dermatological diseases, which can also manifest themselves in the form of pain.
Note! Fatigue and heaviness in the legs are sometimes associated not so much with varicose veins, but with the patient’s excess weight; when overlapping, one circumstance strengthens the other, which provokes a more pronounced manifestation of symptoms.
The appearance of the first symptoms is a reason to visit a doctor, but in some cases even a specialist needs the results of instrumental and laboratory tests.
It is important to remember that varicose veins have different localizations, and the formation of nodes does not occur symmetrically. If one leg hurts due to varicose veins, the second may not show any symptoms.
The symmetrical appearance of pain or swelling in the lower extremities may be associated not only with the pathology in question, but also with other diseases of the blood and lymphatic vessels, heart or kidneys.
What does it mean to prevent the development of pain?
It would seem that everything is simple, sometimes your legs hurt, sometimes they don’t, but the more the disease progresses, the greater the likelihood of pain. When varicose veins progress to grade 2-3, they are almost inevitable. Therefore, it is important not only to know how to deal with pain, but also to be able to prevent it in time.
So, instructions for healthy people:
- Fight heredity. If you have a predisposition to varicose veins, then it is advisable to visit a doctor at least once every two years to identify even the asymptomatic course of the pathology.
- Walk. An active lifestyle is beneficial regardless of the manifestations of various diseases. Fresh air has a positive effect not only on the cardiovascular system, but also on other body systems.
- To refuse from bad habits. Smoking and alcohol, and all types of drugs cause vasospasm. In the future, the vein wall becomes more vulnerable, gradually developing into varicose veins. Intravenous drug use directly injures the vascular wall, not only at the puncture site, but also along the veins.
- Do not lift heavy objects. If you are used to carrying heavy bags from the store, then it's time to give it up. Excess weight in the arms significantly increases the load on the legs. If lifting weights is associated with a profession (powerlifters, loaders, bodybuilders), then special underwear used for sports will help prevent the development of varicose veins.
- Choose comfort. It is worth choosing the right shoes, because only by choosing comfortable, orthopedic correct shoes can you not worry about the occurrence of the disease. The same applies to socks, they should not only be comfortable, but also not be compressed by an elastic band, since this also interferes with the outflow of blood.
Important! No one is forcing all women to give up high-heeled shoes, since this is practically impossible. It is important for healthy people to carefully choose shoes; you can even choose orthopedic insoles.
The following recommendations apply to those who have already been diagnosed with the pathology. This does not mean that recommendations for healthy people do not apply to patients with varicose veins; preventive measures to prevent the disease also prevent its further development. Thus, treatment of varicose veins includes practical lifestyle recommendations.
- Socks, stockings, tights. All of the above must be purchased at a pharmacy and have compression properties. When choosing, you must rely on the degree of compression recommended by your doctor. It is the use of compression garments that provides significant pain relief at the end of the day.
- Take medications. Depending on the degree of development of the disease, the phlebologist prescribes drugs of local or general action. Venotonics improve blood flow, but do not relieve pain, that is, the pain goes away only with the systemic use of topical drugs.
- Standard painkillers. A number of analgesic drugs are almost powerless in the development of pain in varicose veins, but a group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are quite capable of coping for a relatively short period of time. Ointments with a similar effect will also help cope with constant pain, but again, the duration of action of the drugs is not long enough.
- Physical training. There are some reservations here, since heavy loads on the legs only produce a worsening result. It is necessary to consult a doctor to choose a short course of therapeutic and preventive physical education. As in the case of venotonic drugs, exercise therapy, in relation to pain, will only work with systemic exercise. But the overall effect will be noticeable immediately, that is, the load will not cause a feeling of extreme fatigue in the legs.
- Useful sleep. The simplest advice on how to relieve leg pain due to varicose veins is to keep your legs elevated, but no one can lie all day with their legs elevated. Therefore, it is very effective to compensate for this during sleep and/or evening rest. All kinds of foot pillows recommended for patients can be replaced with a regular blanket while sleeping.
Important! Sometimes the patient needs to take anticoagulants to thin the blood, and sometimes taking such drugs will only worsen the patient's general condition. General anticoagulants are prescribed only by a qualified specialist, under the mandatory supervision of laboratory blood tests.
Get rid of it in one fell swoop
Chronic diseases haunt a person throughout his life, but in our case there is still a solution. If a patient is wondering how to relieve discomfort in legs with varicose veins forever, it means that his quality of life has dropped significantly, or he is simply tired of following an endless number of recommendations.
Surgical interventions for varicose veins are a long-proven method; it is only important to decide to take this step. In fact, by analyzing all types of operations, you can decide what is suitable for a particular person. The decision to perform an operation should be made by a vascular surgeon, since some patients cannot “go under the knife” due to contraindications.