There are many different types of knee injuries. Depending on how severe it is, you might need something as simple as rest to surgery. Before you go on reading the tips, I would strongly advise you to see you doctor first. I don't want anybody getting hurt because you were following my instructions.

Q: What are the causes of knee injuries?

A: There are numerous causes of injuries. There are ways to injure you knee that people wouldn't believe but we will only concentrate on how you can get knee injuries while running. The causes of knee injuries are improper footwear and stress.

Improper footwear means that you are not wearing the right type of shoe for running. For instance, if you pronate or super-pronate, you will need special shoes. More info on this is availabe in the Shoes section. Because your feet are moving inwards or out, depending on your problem, you knee will either hurt on the inside or the outside. If getting the proper type of running shoes still does not solve your problems, then you might want to go and see a podiatrist.

Stress can also injure your knee. By consistently pounding your feet hard on the ground, the cartilage in your knee will wear itself down. You will notice this when you feel some discomfort there. A remedy for this is to wear a simple knee brace or tensor bandage. You can also shop around for shoes with more cushioning. If you run with weights in a backpack, DON"T DO IT!!!!! The excercise does build muscle strength but it also helps wear out the cartilage in your knee. Try running with ankle weights or running up hill instead. You'll get a much better workout that way.

Q: How can I treat common knee injuries?

A: You can treat them by using ice and heat packs. Oh yeah, LOTS OF REST. When icing your knee, do not let the ice pack on there for more than 10 minutes. Leave it on for 10 minutes or less and take it off for 5 minutes. While the ice pack is off, you may want to apply a heat pack. All the heat pack does is circulate blood to the injured area. Using a combination of both will help heal your injury faster.

Q: I've just had knee surgery, should I still run?

A: It depends on what your doctor has to say. The best thing to do is to rest it until it heals completely. If you want to do some running, take it light and easy. The last thing you want to do is injure it again or further. You should also see a physiotherapist because doing so will help speed up the recovery process and build back the strength of your knees.