Anyone have workout advice with bad knees?

aurelieslc
aurelieslc Posts: 6
in Introduce Yourself
Hi everyone!

So excited to be on. Although the idea of tracking food initially made me puke and felt like less freedom, I have such a sense of accomplishment and control when I do, especially when I noticed that I stayed on track. "YES!" I say now, every night after I log my foods, raising my arm straight up. Anyone else do that? It's really quite fun :)

So now that I have the food portion down... I'm just looking for any advice on what types of exercises I can do with bad knees. I LOVED, LOVED doing Turbokick at 24 hour fitness, to the point of getting certified myself, but unfortunately this was too much for me. Even after stopping it for 2-3 months, I suddenly woke up with a swollen knee back in April, unable to bend my leg. Sure enough, I needed a knee scope a week later, and now they strongly, strongly suggest that I stay off Turbo for... well, probably ever. Sigh.

I just started Zumba last week and it's actually pretty good, after 50 minutes I'll feel that my knee is tight but I recover very fast. I tried resistance training too and that was ok. I really dislike machines, I find no motivation in it, and elliptical can only go so far if I'm not watching an action movie. Anyhoo, I would love to hear any suggestions you may have! All the surgeon says is, "if it hurts, don't do it."

Thanks all, and may all of you get healthy wishes come true.

PS: If you live in SLC and need a workout buddy, let me know :)

Replies

  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
    Swimming and cycling are non-impact cardio exercises you can do, and it shouldn't bother your knees. My Dr. recommended cycling when I tore my ACL as a good way to strengthen my knee again.

    Yoga and Pilates are both non-impact, but they aren't very intense cardio like running or cycling would be. It sounds like you enjoy doing group fitness, have you tried aerial silks or pole fitness? Both are very fun and a great workout. Also TRX suspension training may work out well for you, too.

    Good luck and keep us posted!
  • JuniperT
    JuniperT Posts: 394 Member
    Low impact anything, you can check youtube or just google it. If you like Beachbody stuff, there's always Slim In 6, it's a good beginners one that's low impact. There are tons of great different excercises for beginners and injured people out there. Hope you find something that works for you :smile:
  • ALLENFLO
    ALLENFLO Posts: 61 Member
    I knew swimming was going to be the go to thing.

    Try high incline treadmill. Very soft on the joints. Pump it up to 9% - 12 % incline at 2.0 - 3.0 mps. adjust as your knees see fit.

    It is low impact and your heart rate goes up like you are running 10mph.

    Give it a shot and let me know how it works....

    Good luck with your recovery.

    Allen
  • learnerdriver
    learnerdriver Posts: 298 Member
    Glute stretches (before and after) and slow strengthening of your inner leg muscles ie 1/4 single leg squats.

    I'm still getting better.
  • brianc410
    brianc410 Posts: 13 Member
    I have problems with my knees and can't run more than a few miles before I pay for it. I have found a way to do the elliptical and not make it so boring. Here's what I do: I Mess with the "level", speed, or a combination of both to really push it. I'll do 2 min intense, 2 min rest, 1 min really intense, or whatever depending on how I'm feeling that day. That seems to 1) make it more challenging and 2) make the time go by quicker.
  • LastFighter
    LastFighter Posts: 175 Member
    The problem with classes is they aren't designed for people with knee problems. Peer pressure or the zombie following of the instructor will have you do a move that you shouldn't be doing. I do not do any lateral movements in the gym. I hate, hate, hate going on the machines but I have learned to live with them. We have TVs in front our cardio equipment and I bring in my mp3 and I do not do any single machine for more then 20 minutes because I get so bored with it. You need to find something you can tolerate or enjoy doing outside while the weather is nice.
  • kem05
    kem05 Posts: 97
    I have a bad knee due to an old injury, I read once that holding onto a counter (waist height) when you do your squats can, for some reason, help strengthen legs without irritating the injury. And surprisingly, it's worked for me :smile:
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    As said before swimming. Cycling can be good but make sure you have the bike set up properly. As if it's not you can actually damage your knees
  • aurelieslc
    aurelieslc Posts: 6
    Thanks everyone I appreciate all the support and advice! I think swimming is definitely something I'll try again. Cycling's not for me as I find it boring and actually hurting my knees. I'm also trying out a personal trainer which mentioned the high intensity thing on the treadmill with incline too.

    Hope you all have a great weekend. :)
  • AJinBirmingham
    AJinBirmingham Posts: 497
    I cannot say enough good things about working with a highly qualified physical therapist with experience in knee problems! (Most insurance plans will pay for your physical therapy if you get a prescription from your doctor.)

    I wish someone had given me that advice when I still had cartilage . . .
  • gmallan
    gmallan Posts: 2,099 Member
    Apart from what has been mentioned, boxing is great cardio and something I did to keep me fit while recovering from knee injuries
  • AlysaN
    AlysaN Posts: 11
    I agree with them. I had physical therapy for my knees. No injuries but I have had knee pain since I was 14 and my knees swell and get very painful. My physical therapist helped me learn why my knees hurt so bad and showed me exercises to help strengthen them and move them the right way.

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