Knee/leg pain - please help

Calliope610

Hoping to get some advice/suggestions here...

Stats: 53yo, 5'4" female, 198lbs. I have lost 50lbs since joining MFP, re-gained about 20 as a result of decreased activity due to knee (arthroscopy for torn meniscus) in May 2015. I am still in need of a knee-replacement, but hope to put that off for another couple of years.

I have resumed walking, hiking and cycling with no ill effects. In fact, I love my workouts and look forward to them daily.

My problem is that I have recently (2 weeks ago) started a part-time retail sales job 2-3 nights a week. This is in addition to my 8-5 fulltime desk job. My knees, legs and feet KILL me at the end of my shift and it takes a day to recover from that extra time on my feet. I'm hoping that I will get accustomed to this soon and in the meanwhile rely on Advil, Tylenol and an occasional Tramodol. I bought some Dr. Scholls gel supports yesterday - hopefully that will help.

Any ideas, suggestions, advice for me?

Thanks,

ETA: I plan on starting light yoga/stretching to help with flexibility, maybe that will help also...

pluralsquirrel

I would think that alternating heat/ice packs during your recovery time would help as well.. Also do you have the best footwear? If you don't have something shock absorbing (even an added dr. scholls insert) it may make the difference.

Sarahb29

Water exercises are easy on joints, would you be able to replace some workouts with swim time? If you really like what you're doing and prefer not to change it up you could see a massage therapist in the meantime, take a hot bath at the end of the day or anything that will help to relax the muscles around that area.

Nutrition wise it's said that garlic, tumeric and ginger are all good anti inflammatory ingredients, so perhaps it wouldn't hurt to add some (non spicy) chicken curry into your diet. I just made some last night by baking chicken with those spices and some coconut milk and butter, it was delicious

computerfox82

Make sure you have good support in your shoes. You would be surprised by what kind of a difference it makes.

dubird

I would suggest talking to your doctor if you're having serious enough pain to resort to Tramodol.

In the meantime, go to one of the shoe stores that measures your feet and all and get a good supportive pair of shoes for standing in. My mom works on her feet standing on concrete every day, so she has to have good shoes and that's what she does. It's expensive, and since she's on her feet all day, she has to replace them every 6 months, but it made a HUGE difference when she did so!

emmycantbemeeko

A couple of suggestions: Katy Bowman's Every Woman's Guide to Foot Pain Relief is an AWESOME guide to troubleshooting the things that commonly cause foot, leg, and back pain (for both men and women, despite the title).

Changing shoes can help, although I'd read the book before I bought a new pair, as more cushioning may not be the answer.

And... time may help. Standing and walking short distances for hours is very different from hiking or walking for pleasure, and even if you're good at the latter, it may take some time for your body to adjust to the former. When I started working as a nurse, standing and walking on concrete for most of a twelve hour shift, I was in absolute misery for the first few weeks. Even though I was fit, a runner, a healthy weight at the time, my body just wasn't used to that particular demand.

Putting your feet straight up the wall for a little while when you get home or while you're lying in bed helps a lot, as does learning to change position/prop one foot and balance your weight in certain ways as you stand. Compression stockings can be a godsend if you're noticing swelling or pain in your calves, too.

It'll probably get better over time even if you do nothing, but the above tips can help smooth the transition.

lorrpb

Retail floors are ususlly s concrete base, the absolute worse thing for your feet. I would definitely look into some different shoes. Go to a specialty shoe store or podiatrist. Might be $pendy but wort if. God luck.

rlr5072

I used to work retail as well and the floors were killer. I found that Dr. Scholl's inserts coupled with supportive footwear gave me the best relief. About a year ago, post-retail, I discovered I actually have super flat feet (I also have knee issues too) and the Orthopedic recommended customized inserts. They were pricey and the cost was hard to swallow at first, but they were a total game changer! I definitely second all of the comments regarding shoe/foot support.

AnnPT77

Have you been back to your orthopedic specialist? Done or considered cortisone shots yet? It helped get over a pain peak problem with my torn meniscus, and I only had the one shot, around a year and a half ago. But I don't know whether it's indicated in your current condition, or not.

Right after the cortisone, I got a physical therapy referral (my orthopedic doc said that it wouldn't "cure" my problem but was willing to give it to me). I asked the PT people to show me ways to stand, walk, and climb stairs that would put less stress on my knees, then I did the PT exercises consistently thereafter. Not a miracle cure, but it did help.

It also helps me to ice my knee for 20 minutes or so after any strenuous leg activity (I keep those soft gel reusable ice packs in my freezer just for this).

Very subjective, but I think it may also be helpful when I keep my quads stretched & foam-rolled (or self-massaged in other ways) regularly.

And needless to say, losing 60 pounds has helped a lot.