Exercise for those with damaged knees/arthritis

fittogroom

Have serious knee pain, i think the doc suspects arthritis through I'm pretty young for it. Looking for ideas of things to do. I like the treadmill and bikes over most other equipment.

badbradclark

If there is nothing structurally wrong with the knee, then you can do just about anything you want - as long as you can manage the pain. I own the p90x3 DVDs (which is awesome, by the way) and use the Yoga and Dynamix (dynamic stretching) as physical therapy for my bad knee. I also wear a knee brace on that knee whenever I run or bicycle and that helps the pain.

If there is something structurally damaged with knee, then that may be a different story.

ElPasoMark

Bicycle. Fun

BigGuy47

There are certain types of arthritis, like Rheumatoid or Psoriatic, that can set in at an early age. RA and PA are autoimmune diseases. Osteoarthritis is from were an tear over time and typically occurs in older people. You should see a Rheumatologist and have blood work done.

I have psoriatic arthritis. Several years ago my knees were so stiff that if I dropped something on the floor I would leave it there because it was too difficult to get down and pick it up. With a little medication and a regular exercise routine I'm relatively pain free now. Movement is important, the treadmill and bike are good ideas. Swimming is also a good choice. It's important to consider strength training. Strengthening the muscles helps support the joints and will reduce the pain.

The first step is to find out the cause of the pain and then you can come up with a plan.

mbaker566

first see the doctor and ask his/her diagnosis so you know what you are dealing with
I would then likely recommend swimming and yoga anyways. both are lower impact and strength building to help support those achy joints. and start slow.

Tyke2410

Try a cross trainer, I find it very easy on the knees because there's no impact.
Agree with starting slow, you can't over do it immediately. Good luck!

tomatoey

Just to correct some info above, osteoarthritis can happen to people in their thirties and even younger, depending on what their joints have been through + genetics. (I was diagnosed at 34 and the PT and doc were both like, "oh yeah, that just happens with time" - I guess 34 yrs is more than enough time. Also, you can have degeneration that's picked up on an X ray, but not yet be symptomatic. But, you are symptomatic with something)

For the knee stuff I have, it's swimming (no frog kick though) and stationary bike, with low resistance to start, really just to maintain knee flexion. I do some physio and bodyweight stuff but only what I'm allowed - see a physiotherapist for exercises specific to you for strengthening stuff around that knee

jezzy87

ElPasoMark wrote: »

Bicycle. Fun

This is what im doing as well I've had RA since I was 7 and swimming and biking are great

HillOE

Agree with everyone else - identify it, talk to your doctor, find the right doctor, find what works for you.

I had juvenile asymmetric arthritis (so I was young and not all joints were equally affected), it went into remission and then I started exercising and racing. Hey, I could live through a bit of pain while I ran. Well....looks like I did a bit more damage to my knees with that plan of action. So be smart and get the professionals involved and sometimes more than one professional is a good idea.

I don't run anymore, but biking and swimming (agree breaststroke is evil on knees) and compete in both. I don't have pain during or after exercise and that's what my Dr. says I should aim for. Walking is fine too, but remember pain is your body's way of telling you something, so listen to it.

Alissakae

My water aerobics class is popular with people who have knee and feet issues. The water takes so much of the stress off.