I'm a 23 y/o woman increasing my milage for the first time with the program. I've been doing three mile runs a couple of times per week for years. Occasionally I have experienced some discomfort on the back of one of my knee joints. There's no visable swelling and Ibuprofen doesn't seem to help. I'm worried this is a sign of something that will only get worse as I run longer distances. As long as the feeling doesn't prevent me from wanting to run, am I safe from injury? Thank you.

Hi there,
I have a couple of questions that need answered. How long into the run are you noticing knee pain? Is the knee pain on the medial (inside) or lateral (outside) of the back of the knee? Any history of knee injuries or surgeries? How often is occasionally? Does a certain motion or part of you gait cause the pain? Is the pain sharp or dull?
Knees are very important for everything we do......know your limits......if you feel that you injured yourself significantly (i.e. your gait has changed due to pain) then it is worthwhile to have somebody take a look at that knee. Get back to me soon or at least stop by Sat. morning and grab a doctor to have them take a peek.
Cheers,
Dr. Jake

Thanks. By occasionally, I meant that I've experienced this a couple of times in my life, but the problem went away with rest. The pain, which is mild, is concentrated on the lateral-outside of the back of my knee, and is strongest when the leg bears my weight.

This started last week, so I'm not sure if it has anything do with the current training, as it is not significantly more running than I'm used to. I haven't run since Monday, but I walk to/from work, which is about 2.5 miles total. I'll be sure to stop by on Saturday.

What about someone who has knee pain every time they run - pain in the knee cap (patella?) I pronate terribly! And I do wear orthotics. I'm new to this running thing, and am worried that I'm not going to be able to make it much past 6 miles. I LOVE running! But I'm worried that if I keep up running 4x/week I'll be damaging my knees. I've begun icing my right knee after I run.
Are there doctors at the Sunday/Vancouver meetings?
Thanks!
Andrea