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Luckily, spring will soon be here and running will be more comfortable again in short clothes
Photo: Thomas Banneyer / picture alliance / dpa
Running is a great stress killer.
Put on your running shoes, run into a soothing exhaustion, forget what bothers you in everyday life.
You might even come up with a promising idea that will help solve problems.
I often manage quite well, for me this effect is one of the main reasons why I have been running actively since 2015 and my enthusiasm for this sport has grown from year to year.
Since the end of last year, however, I have been missing this stress reduction when running.
Due to the problems in the area of my right knee that suddenly arose back then, I can't always walk easily with my sometimes heavy head.
Now I often ask myself whether I can really walk cleanly with the cartilage damage that has been diagnosed in the meantime (third to fourth degree, more is almost impossible!) or whether I should keep running at all.
Running despite cartilage damage in the knee, running with knee problems?
We talked about this topic in an interview with the sports doctor Tim Hoenig from the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf.
Many of our readers were interested in the conversation, which is why we want to pick it up again in the third edition of our running newsletter.
(By the way, the issue two weeks ago was about motivation.)
You can subscribe to our newsletter here:
Hoenig says: »Exercise strengthens the muscles, which can also protect the knee, and it stimulates the body's supply of nutrients, which also benefits the cartilage in the knee.
The cartilage has no blood vessels and is therefore unable to take care of itself, making healing of the cartilage damage unlikely.
The movement is all the more important, it brings life to the joint, so to speak.«
So the motto is: move, move, move.
This can also include running if it is painless, says expert Hoenig.
Ideally, you don't just start running after the diagnosis, but rather already have previous experience and good musculature in your legs.
Excess weight can put additional strain on the knees and should be reduced.
Targeted strength training, on the other hand, should be part of a build-up training program.
Here's the interview.
I've known for a month and a half that I have cartilage damage.
Maybe I've had it for a long time and it's only now that it's noticeable.
Whatever the case: I found out a lot about it, questioned a lot (marathon) and tried new things (stability training).
I haven't quite got my old, completely carefree running feeling back yet, but I'm working on it.
Some changes have at least led to my being able to walk completely pain-free again, albeit a little slower and less in kilometers than a few months ago.
This newsletter does not replace a visit to the doctor.
If you have pain while walking, have your doctor assess the problems.
That's how it started for me too.
Only then did I test other things, which I would now like to tell you about:
running analysis
Just start running, what's going to happen?
Sure, I did that in 2015 too.
At some point someone told me that I should try to walk less on the heel to avoid strong impacts on the joints.
That's why I built the runners' ABC into my training a long time ago, these are exercises that help to improve your running style.
But does that make me run perfectly today?
With the diagnosis of cartilage damage, I had a running analysis carried out in a sports shop.
It cost 90 euros and took about an hour, and it was worth it.
On the video recordings I could see how much smoother the rolling behavior of the foot is compared to when I was a beginner.
But also how I really sag on the side of my left torso, don't engage my shoulders and arms for balance and speed, and don't get enough hip movement either.
A real imbalance compared to the right side.
And I've never noticed it before, not even my fellow runners.
The lesson: I need more upper body strength for stability and mobility, also with the aim of better protecting my knees.
Physical therapy (and continue with exercises at home)
Run, run, run, stretch sometimes.
It went well for eight years, no injuries, marathons.
Great.
But as I now realize, this path can also lead to a dead end.
"I have the mobility of a log," the physical therapist I saw about my cartilage damage told me, and I'm afraid he's right.
But mobility can come back sooner than you think.
It is important that you find exercises that help (that's what the physiotherapist is there for) and that you do them regularly (you have to do it yourself).
I try to be active every other day with a combination of different exercises.
Usually in the morning for 20 minutes to activate as many different body regions as possible and to avoid new imbalances.
First exercise.
A real classic that has helped me to be more flexible and stable and is part of my program is the lunge, which you can also add weights to if necessary.
This video shows different variants and explains what to look out for.
Regularity and quality of execution are key.
Instagram and YouTube
More exercises?
Become a fan of Instagram and YouTube!
These two networks in particular are full of good exercises that can help with complaints, and in the moving image you can see how the exercise can be imitated without making mistakes.
I do this program regularly:
And one last tip: Treat yourself to regeneration breaks.
At least I notice how the additional build-up program challenges my muscles in addition to running.
For a long time, running was my only sporting activity, my muscles only worked for running, now they have to work harder.
If necessary, a running unit has to be cancelled.
And that's exactly what I'm going to do this weekend: leave the running shoes behind and work on my mobility with other movements.
Stay fit!
Your Jan Goebel