My knees

Ouchy... I don't know why, but for the past week or so my knees have been giving me a whole lot of trouble... I have been trying to research it online and it seems like it could be "Runner's Knee". I am hoping that stretching and such will help my joints feel better, but who knows. I have really been enjoying running for the last 3 weeks or so, so I don't want to give it up because it is starting to be a little painful, but on the other hand I don't want to hurt my knees for good...


Runner's knee - the Big 5 - the 5 most common running injuries

Runner's knee

Definition: A softening or wearing away and cracking of the cartilage under the kneecap, resulting in pain and inflammation. The cartilage becomes like sandpaper because the kneecap is not riding smoothly over the knee.

Symptoms:
Pain beneath or on the sides of the kneecap crepitus (grinding noise), as the rough cartilage rubs against cartilage when the knee is flexed. Pain is most severe after hill running. Swelling of the knee.

Causes:
Overpronation (feet rotate too far inward on impact) - can cause the kneecap to twist sideways fatigued or weak quadriceps muscle. The quadriceps muscle assists in the proper tracking of the kneecap. Weakness, especially of the inside part of the quadriceps, can prevent the kneecap from tracking smoothly muscle imbalance - between weak quadricepsand tight hamstring and iliotibial band (ITB). Muscles can also affect proper tracking hill running (especially down hills) and running on cambered surfaces. Incorrect or worn shoes. Overtraining.