In our beautiful sport of running, things are not always going to go as perfectly as we want them to go. We will try new approaches and technology and make decisions on how to tackle things (workouts, events, races, etc.) versus the other alternatives.  Sometimes, we push it close to the limits, and unfortunately, sometimes, we push it just a tad past the limit, which can start causing trouble.

We are humans and make mistakes, not necessarily ones that cost us the course record and/or 1st place on an event, but perhaps ones that set us back or put us down a bit. For example, I have been tackling a left knee issue since 1st week in May. After a decent Umstead 100 followed by a Tarheel Double Down Challenge, I believe I tried to do too much too fast before I could decently recover to tackle the effort. I soon started to feel sharp pain going up and down the stairs on my left knee.

I kept the weekly mileage high as during runs, it seemed that there were no issues while running, and with an upcoming vacation, I thought it would be enough to recover from whatever issue I was having. Anyway, it is now September, and I am still not close to recovering. Here are a few things that I have tried in somewhat the order that I have been adding them. Now, I must mention that most of it comes from spending hours listening, researching, and talking to runners and professionals. One last disclaimer: I am not perfect, and I know I could have been doing things slightly differently, but here we are today, getting ready for what is going to be an interesting fall running season.

Ice – I spend a couple of weeks icing the knee every day. Relaxing with an elevated leg, putting this wrap with a special iced clay that kept the knee cold for about an hour. I do not think this made any difference.

Rest – Taking three days of no running and coming back with a very slow mileage. Now, remember that there is no pain or issue during the runs as long as there is no steep up/downhill. Gradual rolling hills are no problem. I reduced the weekly mileage from 55-60 miles a week to just 20-25 miles with just one long run of 13-14 miles versus the 16-18 mile long run in back-to-back days.

Foam Rolling and Strech – Adding to the already planned stretching and rolling sessions, I increased the duration and focus of the sessions to target more quads and hip flexors as it seemed that every time I targetted those, the pain was alleviated a little bit during going up and down the stairs.

Antiinflammatory – Now, this one is on and off. It is not necessarily due to pain, given that the only time that hurts is going up or down steps higher than 6 inches. Once in a while, I will take Advil, but I must say sometimes I go days without taking it.

SWORD – I was very fortunate that my employer covered the SWORD Health services. SWORD is a virtual app with a health/PT available for consultation. They will send you sensors, depending on your need, that will track your movements while doing your routine. These sensors will track whether you are doing them right, count the reps, and provide feedback to you and your health/PT advisor so they can track progress and adjust the program. You meet via chat or video conference with your PT consultant to determine the best approach. In the 1st couple of weeks, they will prescribe simple movements and progressively increase the difficulty or variety. Very convenient and I found myself following a routine every day of doing the right exercises to address my knee issues. After a few weeks, there were some initial incremental benefits, but a bit of that pesky sharp pain going up and down persists. There were some good days and some not-so-good, so after a few weeks of improving and finding myself at a plateau, I decided to move to in-person PT.

CBD Balm – There are some anti-inflammatory benefits with this topical balm. Not much benefit to me, but I still use it until I run out.

Diclofenac Sodium Topical Cream – This cream is mostly used to relieve joint pain. When I went to my doctor for a routine check-up (I know, I know, I should have gone specifically for my knee pain, but I did not.), he recommended the cream to see if it alleviated the sharp pain.

Backward Uphill Running – A runner friend recommended I add to my research the Kneesovertoes, who has a different perspective on approaching knee and leg strength for running and sport. There are few runners that have followed his approach with success. He has a few theories based on his journey dealing with a few knee issues. Although I am not necessarily following his regimen, I found interesting his backward uphill running mini treadmill. I decided that during my short weekday runs, I would add some of that backward uphill running. I have to say that the first few times, it was difficult and a little bit painful. But as the week passed by, it was easier, and there was no pain during the uphill runs section.

Physical Therapy – I have been visiting Pivot PT for some time now. They were recommended by a few athletes we know. They analyzed the problem well, enhancing some of the routines I was already doing for the pain and slowly increasing the variety and sets to address the issue. They believe the issue might not be structural, and although lessening the running load (Weekly mileage) would be wise, they do not want me to stop running given that the pain is mostly at certain angles, going up and down the stairs but not during the runs. Although I have had better days and bad ones in the past four weeks, I still have not gotten a full good day.

Mid Support Patella Strap – After a few weeks of trying multiple things, the PT recommended giving it a try. The compression patella strap provides support to the patellar tendon to improve stability and tracking, helping to reduce pain during activity. I bought the CEP brand, which had high reviews. Although still progressing to give more support to the knee during runs and going up and down the stairs. They mentioned that it works for some, but not everyone. It did not do much for me during the runs or going up and down.

Orthopedic – This is my next step.