Bad Knees

I have been told that I have bad knees before.  I had surgery in college to try to help correct my bad knees.  I am genetically pre-disposed to have knee pain because of where my kneecaps are...slightly angled and too far on the inside of my leg.  So when I run or bike, there is a great deal of stress put on my IT band.  It's not the pounding of the running that hurts my knee, it's really just the motion.

I saw Diane the PT twice last week.  She was great and talked with me about how we get me back to running after a short break of maybe 2 weeks with no running.  On Friday I saw Brenda the PT.  She said she had never seen knees like mine (I've actually heard that a lot before).  She told me that in her medical opinion, I should not run or bike again.  If I do, I will continue to experience pain like this.  She said that I could tape my knee, wear a brace or try surgery.  I did the surgery route 20 years ago...things have probably changed in that 20 years but I'm not sure I'm up for surgery.

So I left that appointment very conflicted.  I love running.  It's been a huge part of my life for the last several years.  Do I love running enough to continue hurting myself?  I had so much fun with the triathlon.  I was really looking forward to doing more of those next year.  Is it worth the pain that will come from that increased activity?  Ugh.  Why can't I just have "normal" knees?

It didn't take long for me to realize the answer.  It's pretty clear.  I've been running for a just over 3 years.  I've had 2 knee issues in that time.  Running is a passion of mine, it's a stress reliever and it's a source of pride.  If I get knee pain every year and a half on average, I think I can handle it.  I will just have to back off my training for a little bit and then get back on track.  It might mean that I can't do as many half marathons.  I have run 2 half marathons in 2 months...that might be a bit too much on my knee.

Other people in my position would probably think differently than I do about this.  I saw Diane at my daughter's school musical last night.  I told her what Brenda said.  She laughed and said, "we'll get you running again."  I like her attitude!!!