Knee pain running but not cycling?

Hi all,
I'm currently a cyclist in his first year of racing. I routinely put in between 200-300 miles a week if you include the races on the weekend. In the past few weeks I've noticed a serious problem with my knee. I decided to switch it up one day and go for a short run, 6-8 miles. Earlier, during the winter, I could accomplish this without much difficulty. However, around mile 3-4 the outside of my left knee began to have a dull ache. I slowed down, but the pain intensified as I continued. I eventually was forced to walk my way home. The next few days I had serious trouble going up or down stairs and often times even walking. The sensation was of a shooting pain running along the outside of my knee. However during that time I could cycle with no pain in that knee. After a week or so, it felt much much better and to test it, I went for a short jog around my campus. The pain returned quickly and I stopped and walked back before I let it worsen anymore. Again, I felt the same symptoms climbing up or down stairs, but not when cycling. Since then, I've stayed away from running altogether and have only been putting in hard weeks on the bike.

Does anyone have any idea what this pain could be from?

I've done a little bit of my own research, and feel like it could be ITB, Illiotibial band syndrome. What do you guys think?

I started Du/Tri's last year and found out when my knees started to ache it was time to replace my shoes. The bad part is the shoes look ok but when I replace them the pain goes away.

Josh

Sounds like what I had once. I could cycle a lot, no problem except sometimes when standing on the pedals while climbing. Running was a no, no. I think mine was ITB brought on or made worse by a misaligned cleat.

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Hi,
In Many ways running is different to cycling, running has the ecentric contractions which is very tough on the musculotendinous junction around the knee, this is the jarring.

Maybe, your quads/ITB is close to the pain threshold and running just trips it over, maybe your shoes need replacing.

Do you pronate/supinate when you run? eg does your foot roll out or in. A good chiro/physio should be able to tell you straight away whats going on.

Good luck.

Ian

I am dealing with the same issue. Cycling is fine but I get pretty signifcant knee pain running. I get the pain in my left knee, more on the front and interior. I don't even feel it while cycling, but running and even walking hurts. If I don't run, then the pain goes away.

Go see a specialist or stop running. Just be careful with the knees as you don't want develop any long term problems or chronic pain.

As many have stated have your running form analyzed to see if you have an over pronounced eversion or inversion. Additionally, the muscles of the body react in a synergistic relationship to one another. The ITB/Vastus Lateralis is in a tug of war so to speak with the Vastus Medialis and the object of desire is the knee cap or so my ortho surgeon is telling me. I suffer from ITB Syndrome and I am doing everything I can to avoid another surgery.

~A

Hope this info helps someone.

Inversion (Supination)

Turning the foot medially resulting in the sole moving inward.

• Tibialis anterior
• Tibialis posterior

Eversion (Pronation)

Turning the foot latererally resulting ing the sole moving outward.

• Peroneus longus
• Peroneus brevis
• Peroneus tertius

Sounds very much like ITB inflammation. It can be incredibly painful and stop you in your tracks during a run. Stretch the ITB and quads, including using a foam rollar on the outside of the thight. If it gets inflammedn running, you have to just lay off it, ice it, and take advil.

I do cycling from last 8 years. First 5 to six year I didn’t have any but in 2003 I had quite similar problems. I had advised by my friend to have some Glucosamine. It’s a supplement really useful for this type of problem. I know some companies sell them cheap one of them you may order where they cleanly explain its benefits and cheap as well. The company called Simply supplements(http://www.simplysupplements.co.uk)

This is exactly what I would say. It may be related to your cleats when you cycle, but I think it would be more related to your running shoes. Also worth considering...the terrian you run on. Hills and running ON the road (as opposed to the shoulder or sidewalk) will aggrivate the IT band. On top of the stretching, massaging, and NSAIDS like Advil/motril/Aleve, you may want to try to avoid hills. Try running on a track or treadmill that is flat. I know it will be bring, but if the pain stops, it's an option for you. As an athletic trainer, we see this (IT band Syndrome) a lot in distance runners and cyclists that do not have their cleats aligned properly. The best cure for this is some NSAIDs, stretching, stregthening and adapting whatever it is that is aggrivating you.

i so wish i was you, i have the opposite problem... i can run, but i can't cycle... my pain is medial above the knee.... hope by now you've solve your problem!

The other thing you have to thing about is your glut med strength. When your glut med is weak, the TFL tends to do all the work. TFL is attached to the ITB -> ITB tightness -> possible lateral knee iritation.

My experience as a physio with muscles (for this example, i'm including the ITB since its attached tothe ITB), one muscle is tight for a reason, namely because another is not doing its job!!