Icing Knees after running

Joel, how old are you and do your knees hurt?

ice is a fantastic natural anti-inflammatory but I don't know that I would necessarily have someone do it prophylactically unless they were having issues.

couple of things I would recommend that will save your kidneys from motrin and its clones:

celadrin (natural anti-inflammatory - esterified fatty acids - well studied - celadrin.com for info) - topical and oral forms - I like the topical with the menthol as the menthol gives me some immediate relief.  Ice right over it.

hyaluronic acid - low molecular weight (the only brand in this country I am aware of that has bioavailability studies is injuv - injuv.com for info) 

If you are suffering from runner's knee, pick up a pair of cho-pat or similar straps. They go around your leg just below the patella and keep the patella from moving up and down. It was right around the three week point of taking up running that I began suffering pain and having to ice knees and take ibuprofen. I picked up a pair of good running shoes and started using the straps, and I can't recall having had to ice knees since. If your pain is on the outer edge of the knee, that might be ITBS. Since you've had past injuries, you may have other issues going on.

http://www.muellersportsmed.com/kneejumpersstrap.htm

http://www.muellersportsmed.com/kneechopatstrap.htm

Couple other things:

• Good shoes are important
• Land with your foot under you, not in front of you. So, if you are trying to go faster, increase cadence and not your stride length.
  
• Soft surfaces are better: grass and dirt/gravel (best), asphalt (ok), concrete (worst)
  
• Some people try to land mid-foot and not on the heel, which supposedly shifts the impact to the soft tissue of your plantar fascia and calves instead of up to your knees. There are books and videos about this. I tried to switch, but I already have to much of a problem with calf tension and plantar fasciitis, so I just stick with my heel-strike technique. DVD is Evolution Running.
  
  http://www.posetech.com/library/pp-RW-0001.html
  

There are lots of good running threads in the forum if you use the search feature. Here's one that might be useful.

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=72885

I think icing is a great preventative measure to take. I have an hour drive to work and will throw ice pack on my knees each way during my peak running weeks. The dixie cup method is great if you have a specific injury you are nursing. The ice baths are great after long runs, there is no easing into an ice bath.

After the Musselman HIM last year the race director had a pool filled with ice water to soak in. I have never felt so refreshed after a race! 15 minutes in the ice bath and my legs were ready to go again (they had to be with my 8 YO  son at the race). I was a believer in ice baths after that.

LOL! I am so glad to see I am not the only one who affixes bags of ice to their knees/legs on the drive to work .

Yes, a cold-water soak is great after a race. If the race director doesn't have ice baths (most don't...I know Mussleman and Timberman did, but not sure which others), just return to the swim start and get your legs in the water.

And, yes, the Dixie cup method is more for a specific problem area, and not just a general post-run icing. I think it's recommended not to do it over bone, although I am not sure why. When your skin starts to get a little blotchy looking, stop!

Good luck !

Once you make it through the first minute or two, you can't even tell you're in ice anymore .

You can also try sitting in an empty tub and turning on the cold water. It shocks you much less if you're in there while it fills up. In fact, it's really not a shock at all. If the water isn't super cold (depending on the time of year), dump in your ice once the water fills up. Sometimes in the winter, I can get away without using any ice.

Just be careful, that method doesn't work too well in the summer (at least for me it doesn't). I find the "cold" water that comes out of faucet in the summer isn't very cold. If your 98.6-degree body is already in the tub, it warms that water up very quickly. Even 36 lbs of ice won't last more than a few mins at that point. When that's the case, you have no choice, but to fill up the tub, dump in the ice, and then get your body in there. Although, when it's that warm out, it actually feels really good jumping into the ice bath (assuming you're doing it right after your run/ride).

Cool. Don't hesitate to try adding more stretching and massage to your routine. Great job with the run today !

After my first and only ice bath I decided to do more stretching and massage too.  

I have never done the ice bath thing; never saw a need unless I have a specific injury.  If your knees are hurting, you're probably running too much or too hard.

Aches and pains are part of training.  You're just gonna have to deal with them.  The ones that you need to watch out for are the lingering pains, and the sharp, stabbing pains.  Other than that, it's your body adapting to the stress.