When Is Knee Pain from Running Serious?

The stages of knee pain are

Stage 0 - Seek medical attention

Stage 1 - New pain / lots of pain

Stage 2 - Unpredictable pain

Stage 3 - Stable pain

Stage 4 - No pain

Watch the video about how serious is your knee pain

Not all knee pain is created equal and to treat the pain you first need to know what stage of knee pain you're at.

Find out what stage of knee pain you're at to know how to treat it, read on.

When Should I See A Doctor For My Knee?

Stage 0 - Seek Medical Attention

Stage 0 is the beginning... in this stage you have so much pain that you can't put weight on your leg. You can't put weight through your leg to be able to do your normal daily activities like getting out of bed, bathing, getting dressed, walking around the house and other things. Your pain at this stage is the worst you've ever experienced, you'd rate it a 10/10 on the pain scale and nothing eases the pain: it hurts the same standing, sitting, laying, moving, resting, etc. If you're at this stage seek medical attention.

Stage 0 -  seek medical attention looks like:

• can't put weight on your leg

• pain is unrelenting

• pain is 10/10

• pain is the worst you've ever experienced

Can I Fix My Knee Pain At Home?

Stage 1 - new Pain/Lots of Pain

Stage 1 is a step above stage 0. In this stage you have a lot of pain, but the distinct difference between this stage and stage 0 is the pain is not unrelenting and you can put weight on your leg. 

In this stage the pain is mostly > 5/10 on the pain scale and it changes based on what you're doing and you can find things that make it feel a little better. You're not even thinking about going for a run though... you're resting because running sucks right now.

Stage 1 - New pain /lots of pain

This looks like:

• new minor injury from an accident

• new pain that happened randomly

• flared up old injury

• ongoing pain that's still >5/10

• can still do normal things

Why Is My Knee Pain with Running so Random?

Stage 2 - Unpredictable Pain

In this stage your pain is all over the place. It's not as high as the pain levels as often as in stage 1 but the pain is so unpredictable. Some days you have little to no pain, other days are really bad and you don't know why. You're running... Kinda. Some days you run and it's fine, other days you run and it Sucks. It's all over the place.

Stage 2 - Unpredictable pain

This looks like:

• pain is not ongoing

• there are times when it's better

• pain is unpredictable

• Some days lots of pain

• Some days little to no pain

Is it OK To Run with Knee Pain?

Stage 3 - Stable Pain

Stage 3 is a real turning point for your pain. Although your pain isn't completely gone it's predictable. You know exactly what will flare up your pain. Overall the pain levels are lower because you're avoiding the things that bug it. You are sure how to fully get rid of the pain when it comes on. 

Phew... you're running. You know which pace and distance works for you and you do that.

Stage 3 - Stable

This looks like

• Pain is low

• Pain is predictable

• You know exactly what flares it up

• You know what calms down a flare up

When Can I Run Again After Injury?

Stage 4 - No pain

This is the best stage! your knee doesn't hurt... you can run without worrying if your knee will flare up. You know exactly what to do to keep your knee feeling good and you're actively doing those things so you can keep running without knee pain.

Stage 4 - No pain

This looks like

• no pain w/ anything

• may or may not be back to your regular workout routine

There you have the 5 stages of running with (or without) knee pain.

The first step to running without knee pain is figuring out which stage you're at.

What stage are you at? Comment below and I'll tell you the next step.

When you're a runner and suffering from knee pain it's important to get rid of it so you can run again. But before you work on getting rid of it you need to know what stage of pain you're at so you can fix it. To find out what stage of pain you're at so you can make your way to run without knee pain this post will tell you that.

Ready to Conquer Your runDisney Goals After Injury?

If you've faced setbacks but dream of crossing that finish line stronger than ever, the 0 to 5K Hero is your ticket to success. Personalized plans, experienced running injury coaching and supportive community are here to guide you. Take the first step today by booking a FREE call – let's rewrite your runDisney journey together!