If you know me, you’re probably aware that patience is a virtue I just don’t possess. As such, sitting around waiting for my knee to heel has been, well, torturous. Yes, I have my stretching and my icing and my exercises, but basically, my doctor just didn’t give me enough information or treatment advice to satisfy me. There has to be more I can do to make my knees recover faster and function better. I need a plan.

The first thing I did was formulate a recovery/return to running schedule – a loose combination of this plan from InjuredRunner.com and my own adaptation of our half-marathon training plan. It’s pretty intense, and didn’t make me feel very optimistic, so I put my schedule aside and moved onto more research on how to improve my healing process and prevent my runner’s knee from coming back. My first stop was The Vitamin Shoppe for some supplements.

The Glucosamine & Chrondroitin with MSM is supposed to promote cartilage healing, and has been shown to help knee pain in studies. (See here.) The reviews and anecdotes I’ve found online are pretty encouraging.

The Omega-3 Fish Oil is supposed to be a kind of super-supplement for runners: it reduces joint pain and inflammation, lubricates the joints, and enhances the body’s ability to recover more quickly after runs. (See here.)

The Zyflamend, Vitamin D and Folic Acid are also supposed to help with inflammation, among other things.

We’ll see if any of these make a difference. I’m most hopeful about the Glucosamine & Chrondoitin supplement – I’ve read accounts from runners whose knee pain disappeared for good after taking it for just a few weeks. I won’t expect anything quite that drastic, but I can at least be optimistic, right?

But buying the supplements still didn’t feel like enough. You know how people who have gone through a difficult situation are so desperate to assign blame that they’re really easily influenced by new ideas and ideologies? Well, consider me one of them – I’ve been drinking the minimalist running shoe Kool-Aid. I haven’t read Born to Run yet, but I’m interested. My friend Bianca is reading a book by Dean Karnazes – otherwise known as the guy who can run hundreds of miles without stopping – and he recommended InjuredRunner.com. I read their page about runner’s knee, and it suggested that the “pose method” of running may reduce knee pain. Some quick research enforced the theory – while minimalist running is tough on your feet and calves, it’s been shown to be much easier on the knees. It’s not that I don’t take injuries like plantar fasciitis or stress fractures seriously. It’s just that I’ve had knee issues my whole life, and now here I am with a knee injury. Clearly, my knees are the weakest link in my body. Shouldn’t I look into trying something that might better protect them?

The Vitamin Shoppe is in the same plaza as the New Balance store, so I couldn’t resist checking out my dream shoe – the WR1400.

The store associate explained that the 1400 is a hybrid shoe – it’s on the minimal side, but offers more cushioning and protection than something like their Minimus. I told him about my situation, and he agreed with the newly-common belief that forefoot striking is much easier on the knees than heel striking. He also told me that there are both positives and negatives to the idea of transitioning to a minimal shoe while recovering from an injury.

Pros: Transitioning to a minimal shoe requires easing slowly into higher mileage and faster paces, and I’ll already be doing that, anyway. Plus, since I’m going to attempt to train my muscles to work differently in order to prevent the runner’s knee from coming back, I’ll be more mindful of the way my body is working, and might be in just the right mindset to change my stride. Then, of course, there’s the obvious: I have a knee injury. Forefoot striking puts less pressure on the knees. Duh, right?

Cons: The adjustment and transition period between heel striking in cushioned shoes to forefoot striking in minimal shoes isn’t easy. I’ll experience soreness and stress in new places, and that might be the last thing I need while I’m trying to recover from an injury. Also, if I fail to transition properly to forefoot striking and instead end up heel striking in a shoe with less heel cushioning, there’s going to be a lot less shock absorption, and my legs and knees are going to take an even heavier pounding. And lastly, while I expect to ease back in slowly at first, I’m going to have to pick up the pace as soon as possible if I want to run the half marathon. If I start adding a lot of mileage before my legs have adjusted to running in a minimalist shoe, I might run into new issues.

My thinking is that I could try out the 1400s on the treadmill for shorter distances and see how it goes, and stick to my cushioned shoes for running outside until I feel comfortable. If I tried the 1400s on the treadmill for a little while and it seemed like they weren’t going to work out, I think I could still return them.

So? Good idea or horrible idea? Does anyone have experience with this transition? Any advice?