My knees are aching and burning

mwayne1234

I have recently started exercising more. I am 5'4 and weigh 202, I think I overdid walking. My knees are burning and feel very weak , shins hurt and sides of feet as well as the inner part of my feet. I purchased a new pair of tennis shoes a size and a half bigger(go figure). I have a lot of neck and back issues but never knees. I did stretch and massage my muscles but when on my feet like today for 4 hours cleaning I am hurting again.
ANy and all suggestions would be welcome. Thanks!!

rez2012

Do you have access to a pool? If so, try doing some pool exercises. The water takes a lot of stress from your joints. Not necessarily swimming, but low impact aerobics. Check the web for some pool aerobic workouts. It will benefit your joints and your weight loss goals. Good luck.

mwyvr

How much walking led up to these feelings?

earth_echo

Google Magnesium oil.

tomatoey

Tennis shoes are not going to do it. Get real shoes with real support that fit you and take a break until your knees stop hurting.

mwayne1234

Thanks for the replies, I walked 3 miles that led up to this. I doubt that water aerobics will work out in the present but I will definitely try it out. I just bought new balance shoes I will go easy but I definitely don't want to lose my momentum

flamingblades

I recently bought New Balance shoes, and they support my feet real good. I walk sometimes on the days I don't workout, but I only go about 1 1/2 miles. My gym has a pool and I used to go to Aquafit a lot, but lately I have gone to training 3x a week and do my cardio elsewhere.

SonyaCele

since you "just started exercising more" your body and joints need to get toughened up for the extra activity, they aren't used to it. Try walking or exercising for shorter periods of time and then let your joints rest and heal for a day . Then slowly increase the amounts as your joints toughens up. And i hate to say this but at 202 your also putting an extra 60 or so pounds pressure on your knee joints and feet, so take it easy until you strengthen up and/or drop weight. keep up the progress, its worth it.

SonyaCele

also one more thing, the bike is really good for knees and joints, When your knees are sore from walking or whatever, pedal the bike for 15 or 20 minutes , it helps to nourish the joints with blood and helps them recover.

sofaking6

You could wrap your knees when you walk, and/or ice them as soon as you get home. Bags of frozen peas or corn are perfect for that.

jgnatca

Stretches, stretches. Cold packs afterwards, and heat or cold packs the next day as needed. I'd keep up on the walking every other day to give your muscles time to repair and respond in between.

Work on exercises to strengthen your core and your quads, and really stretch out your hips. All of that will take stress off your knees.

Toonz969

When I started working out in March, I weighed 331 pounds. I first walked 3 miles with two 10 pound weights. I did not time myself, I just wanted to make it to the 1.5 mile mark and make it back. After a week, I walked 6.7 a day for a week WITHOUT the weights (took 2 hours). I experienced the shin splints and knee pain. I even tried to run and walk at least 4 mph in one minute intervals (yes, 60 second intervals). Each time with massive head pressure, knee discomfort and shin splints. On the third week, I was walking on a treadmill at 3.5mph at 5% incline for 2 hours. for the first couple of days. 10% incline for 100 mins. for another two days, then 12% incline for 85 mins. for the remainder of the week. After that, I am now walking 10.5 miles on a mostly paved road at 3.5 miles an hour. Today I made it exactly at 3 hours. I have a SLIGHT knee pain for quickly taking the ditch from a texting... female.... but other than that, the only issue now is chaffing in places due to extra skin in other places now.... I notice that my arms swing more aggressively and that my strides are starting to be more aggressive as well. Walking uphill is non-stop and with an aggressive but slower and shorter stride.

I said all of that to say this: Start SLOW at first. Measure it out. First day 1-2 miles at 3.0 or 3.25 mph pace. SITICK YOUR GUT IN AND WALK WITH YOUR HEAD UP!!!! The minute you lean forward, slouch or let your gut relax, you lost your CORE and it WILL affect your walk.

When you start coming home sooner, then shoot for 3.5 mph AND THEN increase your distance. I also strongly suggest doing weights for your arms, back and chest. People suggest doing leg lifting as well, however, I'd save that ONCE you have to slow down your walking for the winter. The weight training for the upper body is a huge difference in walking. It doesn't have to be anything hard. 3 dumbbell weights: 5, 8 and 10 lbs. do reps of 12, 10 and 8 of each one. Within a month, you will notice a toning of your muscles and an improvement in your walking performance.

Only you will know your pace. Your legs, knees and shins will be more than glad to let you know when its too much. Listen to it. Improve gradually.

A strong word of advise, if you get shin pain and no knee pain, and you wake up the next morning and the shin pain is gone? Continue. If you wake up and it does not go away, G.O. S.L.O.W. Do not cancel your walk. Just take it easy. If you have knee pain, and its constant WHEN YOU WALK or it does not go away after 20 mins, break till it subsides then try again, at a slower pace. Balance and ankle strength are important.

Hope I didn't babel too much. Anyone please jump in if they feel this is incorrect.

twofastdogs

I would second the cycling and swimming recommendations. If you can strengthen the muscles around your knees, without putting direct impact on your knees, this may help reduce some of your pain. Bringing down the inflammation with ice or cold packs is a good suggestion, too.

A lot of the running stores can help you analyze your stride and determine the kind of shoes that you need. If you continue to have trouble, try going there and asking for an analysis. (It's not stressful -- it's just you walking -- or jogging, if you want -- on a treadmill while they look at your stride.) They can tell you if you have shoes with the proper kind of support in them. That has been helpful for me in the past to alleviate some knee pain.

Good luck, and kudos to you for your hard work.

999tigger

err whats wrong with pacing yourself and not overdoing it? Your body will adapt over time but dont pish too hard and injure yourself becayse an injury takes you out of the game 100%.

In the short term ibuprofen for your immediate pain and then rest. Dont try it again till your body feels ready. the shoes will help but I get the impression is much more to do with your weight and level of fitness combined with trying to go too far.

mwayne1234

wow, thanks everyone! I definitely think it has to do with my weight and overdoing it. I am not giving up but definitely going at a much easier pace, stretching and staying in tune with my joints lol

debubbie

I have fibromyalgia and my knees and other joints seemed to hurt 90% of the time! When I first started out exercising at almost 300 pounds. I rode a stationary bike for 20 minutes 3 times a week and a few minutes on the elliptical a couple of times a week. I focused more on my calorie intake and dropped 20 pounds in several months. I then started walking more and increased my time on the bike and elliptical as I got stronger. A few months ago, I decided that I wanted to be a runner and I would walk - jog for 15 minutes or so, every 2-3 days. My knees would always hurt and I would ice them when I got home. Every couple of weeks I would push myself a little more to add more time until I was able to run a mile (over 15 minutes!) About 6 weeks ago, I decided to run at least a half mile every day for three weeks before going to three quarters of a mile everyday. The first two weeks were rough because I needed to build my leg muscles up and get used to the increased activity. Next week, I plan on running at least a mile everyday and seeing how long I can keep my streak going. Now, my knees don't bother me as much and I have shaved a couple minutes off of my mile time.

I believe if you start with a smaller mileage - time goal and gradually build up you will find that your knee and leg pain will become almost non-existent. Also, check out Runner's World website for some leg exercises that can help you to strengthen the muscles in your legs that help to support your knee. This can help you to prevent the pain you are describing and help you to build up your walking routine.

Good luck on getting rid of the pain and increasing your fitness!

auntiemsgr8

Try inserts in your shoes. The flimsy things that come in good walking/running shoes do nothing to support your feet/knees. Find a good running store like Fleet Feet and get some superfeet inserts

Also, do some strength training to help build up the muscles supporting your knees. We only have 4 main ligaments to support our knees. It's the least supported part of our bodies. You do not need access to a gym to do this. There are lots of you tube videos and online descriptions that you can do with your own body weight and move up to using weights.