Hello Just over two years ago I started suffering from knee pain.  It is mostly in the right knee but also in the left a little.  It is at the top and bottom of the knee and swelling in those areas is obvious.  (I do ice it after exercise).  In general the pain is more of a discomfort / I can feel that it's a bit odd. I have hardly run since the first injury, though I play football 2/3 times a week (it almost never hurts during football).  Now I have started running again and the pain and swelling have returned. When the pain first started I had done some long (13/14 mile) runs without much stretching and in old shoes.  I saw a physio who gave me some exercises and told me to buy new shoes (which I did). I am absolutely undisciplined when it comes to the exercises but would really love to start doing some longer runs again (currently I can manage just a couple of miles).  I'd be really grateful for any advice and in particular any reassurance about whether my big knee will be a permanent fixture... Many thanks. Katherine

Hi Kath Sounds like you've got an issue with the way your kneecap moves over the front of your knee. As you can play footie  aplomb I'm not concerned that this something amiss with the internal structures of the knee. What knee's don't like, especially over a long time period, is uneven loading. The stop start of footie may not be enough to give you symptoms but it may well be stopping you from increasing your distance. Knees like even loading. I'd be tempted to stop playing as much footie and concentrate on getting better glut control (lots of good, in form split squats and lunges), a bit of foaming rolling on your ITB, perhaps a tad of calf stretching (tricky to know if yours are tight!) and taping your knee. This is super frustrating for you, but in essence it's a pretty easy thing to deal with... Have a look at this taping video Here's some glute videos too The Guru Kath replied straight back: Dear The Guru, Thanks so much for this.  Really helpful advice and links. This really is a great service. KR