Hi people,

Seeking for your experiences on how to recover from knee and ankle injury from running. I know that I have to rest these joints, but it feels like it's taking too long to recover I feel bit scared.

Bit of background, I'm just half or 1kg overweight mid 30s. I run for health, no serious target or anything. Usually 30 minutes in the evening every 2-3 days while waiting for evening rush traffic to clear. Started this habit feb this year.
I might have pushed it bit too much for me when I try to run with faster pace last month. It has been like 3 weeks now with this pain.
It wasn't that painful in the beginning - just dull pain in front of knee and upper knee when I really strain it, so I try casual walk around taman, to my surprise it became worse lol. Now my left ankle is all stiffed up.

And what other exercise I can do in the evening that doesn't involve walking?

see doc to address the pain. 3 weeks it too long dy.

for workout, can look into bodyweight workouts and low impact workouts until the knee pain is addressed

https://www.youtube.com/c/thekneesovertoesguy

do this knee work out. fixed all my knee problems especially single leg deep split squat

1. Get professional opinion - Doctor . always.

2. Physio / rehab

3. Massage

4. Stop weight bearing activities (running) for a while. Focus on non weight bearing such as cycling and swimming .

5. Go to the gym to strengthen your muscles .

Anything just ask. Me an ACL survivor. Not operate. But managing .

Have you tried rowing machine? Elliptical trainer seems not quite low impact as I thought.

i did this exercise together with a group of friends back in 2018. the pad was too high for someone of my weight at the time. permanent right knee injury after that. ever since then i cannot apply pressure on that leg, going up and down became a cautious endeavor.

all the doctors i consulted they all say only way for the gel between the knee to heal back is to loose weight and do exercises that doesnt apply pressure on the knees.

maybe your running form is incorrect causing knee pain

Can , but it doesn’t interest me. I use a roadbike to cycle outside.

Those fixed cycling machines are bad for your knees because of the static position.

If actual bike, you can compensate with body position

TS, this. Good advice esp cycling and swimming for recovery till your pain is gone. If you want slow run, run on grass padang as the platform is soft

Do more lower body weight training to kuatkan otot kaki. Long term benefits u will gain too

yes confirmed. i do heel strike. my bad.

this is a good point that I have not considered. thank you.

Even walking I'm not sure is good for me at the moment. I'm looking into calisthenics to do at the park in the evening, but not sure where to start. All the youtube videos seems to aim to people who already know what they're doing.

1. I have 100% been where you were. You can go acupuncture, chiro, use muscle relaxant, massage etc and it will still nag you. But I'm back on my feet and hitting half marathons on a weekly basis now. The 'cure'? thanks to Covid lockdowns - 1 YEAR absolutely no running at all - then 1 fine day decided to resume running, viola! The nagging knee pain is gone - so yes, REST THOSE KNEES! But no single human is the same, what took me a year+ could be lesser or more for you.

2. You can do the One Punch Man routine, minus the 10KM runs. 100x sit-ups, push-ups and squats. <- I did that, got the V-line in under 3 months. The problem (for me) is not the quantity/reps, is the discipline to do it everyday. First month build up from 10x (serious ah, when you gemuk and just started, 10x already very sakit) to 30x to 50x, second month push to 100x. Fell off the wagon after 2 bouts of influenza, can't find the ooomph to kickstart again (malas le tu) but 100% can be done at home, or the park, gym too if that's your thing.

anyhoo, keyword to fix your knee - REST - DON'T STRESS it

Focus on recovery for your legs. Best don't do any sports/exercise that stress it further. Nanti sampai injured hamstring and lower back, malam tido also susah ☹️

I do not know about others. I go with kawan kaki badminton once every 2 weeks to public air panas and soak full kaki, advice by sensei urut. Aids our recovery n jarang visit sensei urut anymore 😬

Calisthenics, just start with basics. Kuatkan badan, build up proper form and endurance first. Most important is try to stay injury free as much as possible, else you will be put off with any exercise or sports foreva

What running shoe are you wearing? Serious

I am fat... 95kg at 160cm ....

I have all your problem, almost mostly all of them.

How i did now is to slow down the pace, and raise the gradient.
Yes, I do climbing now... no shock to all the joints. and still maintain good heart rate...

I do started marathon as well, but 5km, next target will be 10km marathon... each marathon done, will be joints pain for 1 week++

get running and/or walking shoe that fits you, go to shop that has Gait analysis to find out which shoes works better to support you. helps me out a lot when i switched to new running shoes that suits me.

I does hiking 2-4 times a week. Used to have those knees pain, consulted TCM, tit tar, taking painkiller. None works.

After reading some article, go for vitamin c intake and above average hydration (lemon water) is the savior to my knees today. You can try, nothing to lose.

get some ankle and knee guards... if continue to hurt, do xray checking

hope this helps

Glucosamine + fish oil solve my problem.

2 time a week futsal.
2 time a week badminton.
once a week rock climbing.
once a week water polo.

Futsal and badminton give me a lot of pain.

At the moment kindly wear ankle and knee guard or else go to the doctor to check

I had an ankle issue a few months ago. After doing an X-ray, nothing showed up, and the next suggestion was to go for an MRI. Since that was too expensive, I decided to try chiropractic treatment instead.

After about a month of seeing a chiropractor, the pain reduced tremendously, my mobility improved, and I was basically able to run again as usual. That said, I’m still a bit cautious with myself, so I’ve been running less compared to before, but I plan to increase gradually in the future.

The chiropractor also gave me a few mobility and strengthening exercises that really helped speed up the recovery. If you go to a chiropractor, make sure to do the exercises they ask you to do, don't skip! Because they make a big difference.

try shiruto and aulora pants. if u want to know more, i can expain to you

or nowadays just use chatgpt. im sure theres lot of information be found

This post has been edited by kitzai: Sep 29 2025, 03:48 PM

it could be internal injury, like meniscus tear.. better have mri scan ..

i have a tip for you.

and you not gonna like it.

stop running if you love your knees.

Come I help you recover in a day

This is both reassuring and scary at the same time. I'm afraid to rest too long.

Just random puma running shoes i bought on shopee for rm200. Planned to replace it since it looks worn down, my friends had been recommending asics and brooks, but i think i'm not going to be running for some time.

Curcumin supplement - try longvida version

Search YouTube massage IT band. Usually knee pain has more to do with surrounding muscle tightness. Massage your muscle at you quad, side quad, butt. The muscle is thick so need some strength, can use foam roller.
As for ankle, Im not sure maybe do more warmup like standing at your toe with repetitions. Try that consistently and see how it goes. I'm not expert that help me abit. I still has knee pain but able to run.

This post has been edited by azack: Sep 30 2025, 08:37 AM

Steponlego
have you injured that side of your leg before, like since childhood, and then it healed? including falling on stairs and landing on that side of your pelvic bone or backside?

heel strike isn't a bad thing, I heel strike sometimes, on purpose, but that's with a decent pair of cushioning shoes
good luck

First thing, go see a physiotherapist asap. Ignore any advice that tell u to do.other forms of exercise or taking supplements until u see a physiotherapist as three weeks is too.long

With luck, it will be nothing severe & will heal.with proper treatment over timebut in the meantime do not put any unnecessary strain on your body with any form of exercise without consulting a physiotherapist first.

When u have healed, go see a proper trainer to devise a proper workout routine & do not follow YouTube videos as u may risk exacerbating your injury. Let the trainer know about your ankle/knee injury.

just rest until recover itself

Go buy Joint Gout or Niao Suan Wan(Pil Urik Asid ) on Shopee. Very good for reducing pain.

This post has been edited by MCSH: Sep 30 2025, 11:09 AM

Physio will recommend rehab exercise...

usually involve bending and straightening your legs depend on your mobility

example
-poor mobility can be sitting down , bend and stretch out your legs
-good mobility can be doing squat exercise, with hand supporting your body weight.
-free squat if very good mobility, with lot of stretching involve
-walking up stairs is good, walking down not so good, but if you are strong enough, ok to do so
-weighted squats, dead lifts, etc

all low impact exercise, slow and steady instead of running
change to different cardio exercise... cycling instead of running

Cartilage damage is mostly irreversible. What can be done is to slow down the deterioration process, eventually will have to go for Total Knee Replacement surgery.

Most of these drugs are having overdose anti-inflammatory ingredients. Long-term use of anti-inflammatory drugs will have serious adverse effects to the health.
Better consult a doctor.

This post has been edited by andrew98: Sep 30 2025, 11:39 AM

Zimmer biomet

GL

Jogging not good for joints long term....better just walk or use good treadmill that can absorb impact

This was actually my topic for masters. While curcumin is good for the joints - mediated by its anti inflammatory effects, oral route is the least effective way to get its benefit. The amount you have to consume is comically not feasible.

10 years ago I run daily and hurt upper ankle area due to the stress. After that I took caution not to push myself too far.

This recent injury is a cumulation of my bad mistakes of thinking that the injury was not so bad. Right now I walk 4km daily to office, that doesnt help with recovery too.

Also I might push myself too hard. Only run 2km before this, I doubled that to 4km probably too fast.

hence the longvida version
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31239749/

If it keeps acting up, better check with a doctor or physio just to be safe. There are so many supplements people recommend, but it’s worth asking a professional which one actually works best for you saves you from all the trial and error and helps you recover faster.

Also, grab a knee guard or some kind of support seriously, those make such a big difference. I switched to Asics and my knees and ankles felt way better after that. But try the shoes out first and see if they give you the support you need. If you can, do a gait analysis or hop on a treadmill in-store they’ll usually record you running, show your posture, and recommend the best pair for you.

It is just common wear & tear, can try to ease the discomfort until the injury heal itself. Rest ice compress, avoid high purine diet, more lean protein, massage to ease the pain. If really paranoid go do complete blood test to see until you happy.

All good advice, learned a lot from everyone! I hike and work out a lot so have a lot of knee and ankle pains... Tried to see many doctors or specialists but wahh always have to wait super long, refer here refer there.. tersidai lah. But compression socks and ankle guards helped me a lot!

apply 'zheng gu shui' on the affected knee/ankle area for 5 layers before going to bed, interval 5mins to let it dry. check for improvement next morning.
for support can try knee/ankle guard (LPM brand - level 3)

This is the only good advice here. I don't suggest chiro. You can Google, it is still a pseudo-science.

I am fortunate that I found a very good physio. So my knee pain has reduced. Usually knee pain is running and taking the staircase. I think I can start running soon. Planning to start in November.

Rowing is a good cardio option. It is upper body but it gives you that full range of motion. I also do stationery bike in gym. Really up to you what you like. Even my runner colleague who runs regular will also opt for elliptical occasionally for her training.

Deleted as I am not qualified to give medical advice.

This post has been edited by MatQuasar: Oct 29 2025, 12:08 AM

try to take glucosamine tablets as supplement

had the same issue when i hit 30es

my physio told me that my core muscle is not strong enough hence as habit, I compensate by over stretching my joints.

she gave me a list of core muscle exercise which eventually help me a lot in avoiding joint pains

p/s : recently a lot of sport physio popping out in bigger cities. try them out. cost me around RM100 per visit (for pure consultation only)

This post has been edited by loui: Oct 30 2025, 10:37 AM

instead glucosamine, try curcumin longvida or curqfen. way greater feeling.

Switch to swimming or light exercises. I was extremely active (full marathon, heavy hiking, badminton,etc) when young, now hip pain, diagnosed as hip cartillage injury at age 33, cartillage damage will not recover.

Dont waste time seeing stupid doctor. I help you fully recover

You should stop running for a few weeks first. I used to have pain in my knees as well. See doctor he asked me what my daily activities like.

The moment I said running he immediately ask me to stop first and observe. Our knees not design to absorb repeated shock from the tarmac.

And to my suprised my pain really go away and I don't waste hours running like crazy lol (21km runner before).

This post has been edited by saiga: Nov 1 2025, 05:25 PM

If overweight don’t run/jog, bad for joints. Since you getting warning liao, best to rest and recover, eat more clean protein like fish oil, eggs and chicken breast. Then goto gym to strengthen the legs and also lose weight plus build muscles for legs and knees. Unker stopped marathons at 55 so that joints will not be damaged.

It's almost 2 months since I last ran. Still experiencing random mild upper knee discomfort, ankle also feel funny feeling like stiffen up randomly. I don't plan to run again I think, at least for another month.. I switched to climbing stairs and walking up steep incline + basic calisthenic. Simple enough work out to do around taman after work.

It is a misconception that one needs to run long distance to be healthy. If you have weak leg joints you should stop running a.k.a in the style of marathon.

I have picked up knee injuries during my football, futsal days. These days, older, the most I would do is threadmill run and 1 mile at most. Thats 1.6 km about 20 mins jog. That's the nice balance of cardio and conserving my joints. Walking is also good to burn calories.

Invest on a good threadmill if you love running. Less shock than tar road.

parking here because this is probably the among the best sharing thread i've seen on lowyat forum

can try this

Guru Active Bone Oil Essence, a type of ointment intended to relieve knee joint pain and restore bones.
The product contains three main patented ingredients, including B-Glu® to lubricate the joints, Natipide®Eco to help absorb nutrients, and OptiMSM® with Arnica Montana Flower to reduce inflammation and pain.