Introduction-drastic (split by request)

[drastic]

Rangers,

Ever since I did my initial self administered PT, I've been dealing with knee and quad pain/tightness. I have lowered the amount of running I am doing but the pain persists. I am not sure if I should take a hiatus from running all together or take it slower? The pain only happens while I run and lasts for about an hour after I finish.

Could my leg workouts be contributing to the pain/tightness I feel while running?

Any advice on how I should proceed would be greatly appreciated.

[Lunch]

Somewhere I believe there is a workout routine specifically developed for young bucks preparing for RASP. Look at this, but look especially close at the warm up and cool downs. If you have concerns about pain, your first and foremost rule of thumb is to ask a doctor, not an on-line forum. You may get lucky and have a high speed medic happen to notice your question, but otherwise you'll just get people like me. Judging from your PT results, my $3.00 medical opinion is that your workouts have been neglecting the body below the armpits and your legs just aren't up to the challenge yet. Work on your flexibility,and incorporate warm up and cool down exercises into your workout. If you believe that what you are experiencing is something other than weakness leaving your body, you should ask a doctor. It would be stupid to be breaking yourself down by trying to hard core it through an injury. There's a time and place for that, but this ain't it; not yet. (And a bonus opinion included with your low, low price)

[drastic]

Ranger Lunch,

Thank you for the feedback. At this time, I feel that my legs are lacking conditioning. I will look at that RASP training workout and focus on the warmups and cool downs.

[Lunch]

If this is on ongoing thing, and you know it's just due to conditioning, you might try icing you pain sites immediately after your workout. Freeze water in a styrofoam cup to make a big icecube works great for this. You can peel the foam away to expose the ice, but still have an insulated cover to hold on to. Do an ice massage (move the cold around, don't leave it in one place- you don't want to freeze the tissue) after your workout; I'll let you research how long your ice massage should last and use your own discretion if you think this sounds like a good idea. After you are done icing, slowly warm the site back up then do about an equal amount of time with wet heat. That's what I'd do anyway.

[drastic]

Ranger Lunch,

That icing protocol sounds like a great idea! I'll search for how long to do it. I'm going to try this for a few weeks and see if I see a difference before seeking medical advice. I haven't ran in almost 6 years, but played sports up till freshmen year in HS, so I'm hoping my legs just need some conditioning.

[Lunch]

My bad, this thread is supposed to be an Introduction, not a hijack amateur therapy forum. Post up what you learn in a new thread NLT 3MAY12.

[drastic]

Will do, Ranger Lunch.

[Steadfast]

done.

[drastic]

I did some searching around for an icing protocol and found that I should ice for 10 minutes at a time and to let my skin return to room temp before I reapply the therapy. I could do this several times a day.

I ran yesterday with a different pair of shoes, and haven't worked my legs out in a few days and noticed a dramatic difference in how my legs felt while running. I will continue this and try the icing for a few weeks and report back in.

[Lunch]

I did some searching around for an icing protocol and found that I should ice for 10 minutes at a time and to let my skin return to room temp before I reapply the therapy. I could do this several times a day.

I ran yesterday with a different pair of shoes, and haven't worked my legs out in a few days and noticed a dramatic difference in how my legs felt while running. I will continue this and try the icing for a few weeks and report back in.

Roger that. Learning to recognize the difference between "good" pain and "bad" pain will help keep your mind focused when the suck really sucks. The more you learn about how your body works and how it can (and will) break down, the better you will be able to train, fight, and take care of yourself.