Mysterious Knee Pain

Bigger Stronger Leaner Injuries and Rehab
1

I have been training for almost 2 years and have added in some cardio in the last year (running, combination of sprints and liss). I usually do both AND squat AND deadlift (albeit i dont go heavy every time) in the same session 2-4 times per week and i only just recently started getting knee pain but only when i preform basically anything resembling a hamstring curl, they feel fine going up the stairs running and deadlifting but my squat has started hurting just a little bit.

I suspect im just doing too much to my knee joint too frequently and i never keep my knees behind my toes during squats (never thought that made much difference except making it more difficult). One thing to note is that i can only afford a membership at planet shitness (which has no free barbells) so all my squats and deadlifts are on the smith machine which blows but could that be whats affecting my knee, or just too much volume? Any tips for recovery?

2

What part of your knee do you feel pain? Just below knee cap, outside near joint, outside above or below joint, inside at joint, or none of the above? What’s your cardio volume look like?

3

its usually outside the joint and maybe a little above. cardio was .5-1 mile to warmup then 4 sprints for .1 miles at 14 mph, but i recently started running about 4 miles every other day and its just absolutely destroying my hips and ankles.

4

Pain on the outside and slightly above the knee sounds like it could be ITB Syndrome (google it). Its usually associated with overuse, very common in runners. Its not an easy one to get rid of. you can try iceing the area, and rolling the ITB can also provide some relief. Cutting back on all the running would probably be your best solution.