Pain on the Inside of My Right Knee

by Sherri
(Monticello, NY (USA))

In June I ran a 10K race and about a week after the race I started to experience a lot of pain in my knee.
I tried to run for the next 2 months and I couldn't. I couldn't even walk.

After getting new sneakers and icing and heating my knee for the past two months I am seeing some progress. I can run a slow jog on the treadmill for 2 miles but there is still pain in the right side. I can not do a stretch where you stand on your left leg and pull your right foot towards your bottom without it hurting.

If I sit to long the knee feels like it is freezing in that position and it hurts to stretch it out. At night lying in bed is when it hurts the most. I want to get back to my running and I don't know what to do to get my knee better.

Answer by Dominique:
Hi Sherri,
Thanks for your question about your knee pain.

The knee is a pretty complicated part of your body. We runners often get issues with our knees because our legs are not fully straight, not fully aligned. Somebody once used the comparison of a train that is not quite running on the track. If you do that for long, you get injuries.

When I was a teenager I was a fanatical soccer player and I had some knee problems as well, sounding quite like the issues you have. My team doctor at the time told me to strengthen my upper legs (quadriceps) with the simple explanation that my knee was a bit dodgy and to compensate for that I needed to strengthen everything around it. So you may want to give that a try.

However, depending on whether the pain is a few inches to the left, to the right or to the side, your pain can be named something completely else than what I think it may be.

Therefore, especially if the pain does not go away with a bit of rest and ice, it is really the best to go get medical advice. When you go see a doctor, make sure you make clear that you have already rested, that you have applied ice, that you have bought new shoes, etc.

There are certain conditions that may even require surgery to make sure "the train can run on the tracks". I am not saying you will have to go down that route, but it is really best to go have it looked at by a professional and get the right treatment to make your knee injury go away.