Swollen / painful knees

ldowdesw

Hi all, I'm sure I'm not the only person who suffers from swollen and painful knees, but do you keep pushing through the pain?
I've recently started Jillian Micheals DVD and I find some of the impact actions like jumping rope and jumping jacks painful to my knees so I usually just jog on the spot instead. Will they become less painful as the weight comes off? Do you guys take anything that you think might help me. Thanks in advance xx

TavistockToad

You shouldn't be 'pushing through' unless a doctor or physio has told you it's OK to?

HorrorGeekLiz

You push through sore, never pain. Personally, I never jump, or do anything high impact, because I'm very overweight and my knees are pretty mad about it. I don't want to blow them out, so I'm very mindful to modify anything with impact. I've done many Jillian Michael's DVD's and she always has a low impact modifier. Follow that person.

I do jumping jacks without jumping. Raise your arms in the same motion, but step out with the right foot, bring it back in, step out with the left foot, bring it back in, etc. One foot at a time instead of jumping.

If your knees are that bad that they are swollen, I wouldn't even jog in place. Do high knees, but slowly. Knee to chest motion (not that I can reach my chest with my knee, but you get the picture) as high as you can go, with a deliberate motion. This is actually a great ab exercise.

Whether this will improve with weight loss or not honestly depends on how large you are. If you're 10 lbs overweight, not likely. If you're 100 lbs overweight, absolutely.

Most importantly, if you haven't already, you should see a physician and make sure there isn't something more than weight going on before starting an exercise program. You could be risking serious injury if there is an underlying issue that you are not aware of.

ldowdesw

I don't push through the pain! I'm asking what other people do?? I already take the impact away from my knees by opting for alternative exercise options. I'm just asking if anyone has found something that helps that they could recommend. GP says it's just from weight overload and they are one of my main incentives.. What works for you??

rileyes

I wonder if knee sleeves might work. Some weight lifters use knee and elbow sleeves.

Also practice landing soft on the Plyo or jumping moves.

ForeverFitnessPT

I would check it out with an orthopedist (a GP won't have specific training to diagnose issues with the joints). Beyond a physical thing (weight typically isn't the cause of the pain, but an injury may be), I'd make sure you're drinking plenty of water and work some collagen into your diet (bone broth or supplements). But see a bone and joint specialist for diagnosis.

Allan Misner
NASM Certified Personal Trainer, Host of the 40+ Fitness Podcast