Athlete Interview: Noah Alvarez
Noah Alvarez is a current junior on Arcadia High School’s track and cross country teams. Recently, he developed patellofemoral pain syndrome, a condition affecting the soft tissue and bone around the patella (kneecap). In this interview, Noah recounts his experience with the injury and the heavy impact it’s dealt on his running career.
Where did you sustain your injury? Describe it.
Currently, I have something called patellofemoral pain syndrome, and it causes pain whenever I work my knee too much without a brace or proper rest. The pain mainly occurs on the patellar tendon and it hurts during major movements like running or weight lifting.
When did you develop this injury and how long were you (or have you been) injured?
I’ve had this injury for about two months now and it’s been a consistent thorn in my side. It got better, then worse during those two months, primarily because of how stubborn I was. I didn’t want to stop running and felt like doing so would decrease my worth on the team.
How has your injury affected your cross country/track season?
It didn’t affect me during cross country, but I haven’t been able to run in a single track meet this season. I did feel precursors to the injury at the end of cross country and it flared up during track and field. So I’ve been unable to run, and I’ve been limited to helping with setup at meets, which has been really frustrating for me.
How did your injury impact your mental health?
My injury really took a toll on my motivation during the first month. Running was a way for me to relax and focus my attention on something else. Without it, I fell into a pit of doing nothing and wasting my time. It was even worse because I completely knew what I was doing wrong, but had no motivation to change anything. It was like that for the first month, until I decided to return to weight training with my friends. It felt so good to be doing something again. I started to commit myself to that since I couldn’t run.
Describe the recovery process. What tips would you give to athletes going through something similar?
I’ve just been icing, heating, and elevating. I also got a brace for my knee that can be used on any part of the leg that’s injured. It takes the pressure and stress off of the injury. That’s really all I can do right now. My advice for anyone in a similar situation is to listen to your body. I didn’t do that during the first month of my injury, and I would run on it and end up making it worse. It takes time to heal, and you need to have the patience for that or else you will hurt yourself more.
Noah will continue to rest until he has healed enough to run again. His plan is to run in one final meet before the end of track season, then begin preparing for cross country this fall. Rather than dwelling on the unfortunate outcome of this season, Noah has instead decided to set his sights on weight training, the following season, and the future.
Sources
“Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome - Orthoinfo - Aaos.” OrthoInfo, orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/patellofemoral-pain-syndrome/. Accessed 16 Mar. 2024.