Mild Joint Pain -- Keep running!? More greens?!

[Eva]

I just posted this elsewhere too, but I'm really hoping to find good advice! I am in the habit of running on most days. I don't have a particular agenda, just make sure it happens and run as long as feels good from 15-45 minutes usually. I stretch well afterwards and have good shoes (got them from one of those running stores where they watch you run and all that jazz)...

But -- for the first time in my life -- I've been having some pain in my right knee and ankle. It's not bad, but I'm worried. Any ideas, guys?? It's not sharp pain, just dull and like it's in my joints. For the last couple days, I have done no-impact muscle-building exercises in my apartment instead of running. But I LOVE the way running make me feel!...

Ah, I should mention that I have also been walking A LOT because I don't have a car where I am, just a metro pass and my feet. This *may* have started right after I decided to wear heels one day. Ha! Like a crazy person (I guess I don't really follow the grid), I realized I was running one or two minutes late and decided to run for a couple minutes even though I was in heels. Got some looks, but I shaved the two minutes off and was on time. Haha.

And I broke my right leg a few years back. I haven't run this regularly since that accident.

Anyways -- Any ideas?? Particular stretches? Food to eat? Stay off it? :( I'm at a loss here because I ran cross-country and logged lots of miles for about 5 years, was training for a marathon when I was in the leg-breaking accident... and never once was injured [other than from the motorcyle -- but not from my exercise!]...

[Eva]

Anyone have any ideas? I'm playing it safe today... but I hope someone has experience with this!

[Blazin'Jane]

Most of those running injuries are from overuse. After you run a certain number of miles, your body starts feeling all its little imbalances. My answer is to go to a chiropractor and see what he/she finds. It could well take more than one visit, but I really believe in the art.
I'm 67 now and don't run anymore, but I do bike alot, and if I'm doing alot of long, long miles and many hills, I supplement with glucasamine, which lubricates the joints. I also visit my chiropractor once a month and eat all raw foods. My stuff these days is mild but more arthritic in nature. My guess is that yours is more muscular and/or structural. You may have to back off your mileage a little, too, until you get straightened out, but continuing to run on an injury will only get it worse. Not fun. Good luck!

[Eva]

Jane! You are a godsend, although I am not going to follow any of your advice at the moment! LOL! I'll explain:

You suggested glucosamine. I don't take supplements. I just don't -- now. I don't know if I never will, but right now, they're not for me. So, I looked it up online to find the natural sources. Only shellfish and chicken BONES etc -- it's not really natural. It's made by combining glucose + amine (like amino acids)...

Soooo, I looked up glucose (of course, GLYCEMIC index, that's measuring glucose!). I have been CRAVING bananas like CRAZY for about a week. I had made a commitment to local food, and I had been avoiding food that has been imported for ethical/environmental reasons. I didn't buy the bananas even though I really wanted them. But food wasn't tasting as good as usual.

For me, nothing is set in stone. But I had made an unofficial commitment. So, as I said I started craving BANANAS like crazy. Like never before. All I could think about was bananas. Pretty ridiculous. And honey. I kept drinking hot tea because I really wanted the honey for the sweets. I decided at first to limit it, don't know why. I wasn't worried about calories or any of that nonsense, just about a sugar addiction. This was almost exactly the same time my aches and pains started in my ankle and knee!!!

I actually had some sugar cookies the other day. I really wanted them. It wasn't emotional. I REALLY felt a craving for them. And nothing happened. Something ALWAYS happens if I make the decision to partake in something that is not raw. That's why I just don't do it. But I actually sort of felt better. That was what told me to just get the bananas. So I did. My first green smoothie with the bananas SERIOUSLY felt like the best thing I ever had! (My green smoothie = Glucose + Amino acids = Glucosamine!).

Moral of the story? Listen to my body!!! It knows EXACTLY what I need!

Another thought -- with my racing team, we would have "pasta parties" to load up on the carbs. This is a good reminder that -- as long as my body is asking for them -- I should really not limit my carbs or sugar. I HAVE been eating a lot more fruit than usual lately, just what I've been wanting.

Ah, and I've suddenly been wanting more coconut oil. I bet that's good for the joints or something.

:) :) Now that I am in Hungary, ice is a lot harder to come by. I can't just buy a bag of ice, but just before I got home, I went to a restaurant to ask for ice. They were so nice, and that helped too. So, lots of bananas in my green smoothies, plus ice, take it easy. Listen to my body. I'm good!

Thanks again!!!

[gs4life]

i would also suggest rubbing the sore areas with castor oil if you have access to it. castor oil always seems to help my sore muscles and joints after running.

[Eva]

Yay! I have that! I got it for the "oil cleansing method". GREAT. I'll add that to my mix. This is exactly the sort of help I was hoping to find that I thought might be too tough to sort through with a google search. :)

[Aleesha Sattva]

Add 1 tablespoon of MSM to your morning routine. I get mine here (http://www.bio-alternatives.net/).

Takes the pain out of joints!

[Eva]

Thanks for the suggestion Aleesha! I personally do not take supplements at the moment and look to get the ingredients in whole foods only -- but maybe someone else having a similar problem will be interested. :)

[Aleesha Sattva]

You can get MSM in whole foods. You need to only buy veggies which are grown outside, organic and watered by the rain. That's how it happens naturally in our foods.

:)
Aleesha

[Eva]

Yay! I eat my veggies! :)

[pinkkpanthur]

That's interesting. I have noticed that when I train harder or longer than usual (like last night I danced for 2.5 hours after not really working out for four days, or when I run more than my body's used to) I crave breads and bananas and other sweet fruits like melon.

Now I'm still in my transition to raw and I actually intend to continue eating grains I consider relatively healthy (like uncooked oatmeal and bran) for a while because they make me feel good, full, and grounded if that makes any sense. But basically, half an hour out from my workout, I want sugar. I didn't realize that amino acids combined with glucose make glucosamine! Cool!

Is there anything you consume post-workout that really satiates you?

[Eva]

Post workout (within 20 minutes), I always have some water and then have 1-2 pieces of fruit. When I ran competitively, the coach was a biologist and very specific about our needs. He said the fruit, combined with the stretching, would help our body to recover and to push the lactic acid buildup through very quickly.

[Eva]

And yes, it makes total sense. For me, having ground flax has the same "feeling" of being grounded and like I'm getting my whole grains. I find that I crave more flax when I am working out heavily, until my body is accustomed to it. Then I go back to just craving a normal amount.

[carolg]

Slowly recovering from hamstring, knee out of wack and seems to pop it each visit (ouch), out of wack hip, tight tendons, etc. that chiro diagosed via xrays. 2x week visit too. So dr. orders no running even on treadmill, but doing fabulous Turbo Kickboxing. Yesterday during class my muscles seemed to be very tense and was moving slow. Wondering what I may be missing. Even lower back seems sometimes still these days. Not sure what is going on, but no supplements here at present time.

Thanks all.

carolg......typing from library as computer crashed...new one upcoming...