So back in May when I was ramping up my mileage in preparation for my 10K, my knee started to bug me. At first I didn’t think much of it, just figured it was due to the long run. Then later that week at Body Pump as I was midway through the squat track, I felt a pain from my knee radiate up my thigh. So that’s not normal. OMG, but I have to run this 10K! I took it easy over the next few days and got an appointment with an ortho later that week (my 10k was that weekend).
He determined it was chrondomalacia / patellofemoral pain syndrome. (or Runners Knee if you don’t want to be fancy). He prescribed PT 3 times a week for 6 weeks. I stopped him right there because my copay to see a specialist is $80.
(I know you are all thinking WTF? An $80 copay)
But anywho, the question was “Can I run the 10k doc?” He didn’t recommend it, but said it wouldn’t do any long term damage. WaHooo!
I ended up running the 10K – feeling great, took some deliberate walk breaks and paced way better than I thought I would.
I did go to one PT session after the 10K, explained my copay to the therapist and she said that I didn’t need to come and pay to see her as long as I did the exercises at least 3 times a week. That $80 would be better spent on a new pair of shoes to add to my rotation. Double WaHooo!
So a month later, my knee started acting up again (right after a stupid hilly 5K). I’ve been doing the exercises regularly and I haven’t run more than 3.1 miles at a time since the 10K. I’ve been icing, taping, resting as needed and as I write this, my knee feels fine. It’s felt fine all week. It seems to be coming and going. I’m so afraid of it sidelining me as I increase my mileage over the next several weeks. Is this something that will just come and go and never really go away?
Have you ever dealt with Runners Knee? What did/do you do to help it? How much is your specialist copay?
Sweaty Mess Mama 