Exercising with arthritic knees

CarolleeR

I recently had a meniscus issue and was told I have arthritis in both knees, so a lot of exercise is now out of the picture

88olds

If you’re trying to lose weight, exercise is vastly overrated as a weight loss strategy. People come on here by the bus loads, say they want to lose weight, and start talking about their workouts. Few mention their food diary, the truly important thing.

But exercise does have great benefits. My personal take on exercise is something is better than nothing. I’ve probably tried everything but water aerobics and water yoga. What does your Dr say you can do? Is there anything to be had for you from physical therapy?

If you can’t get any ideas from your Dr or PT, look on YouTube.

apatel1

I have this same problem, love running, still try but have to not over-do it. For me it just burns calories so much faster than anything else.
I have an elliptical machine, which is better on the knees, but doesn't feel like I'm getting as hard a work out. I heard spin cycles might be good, in terms of calorie burn and effort with running. Can anyone here confirm this?

Ninkasi

This might be beyond the scope of your comment, but have you considered hyaluronin (Synvisc) shots? It replaces the synovial fluid and cushions the knee joint. My husband had it done a few years ago (retired military, lots of parachute jumps with heavy gear) and went from being a surly Tramadol-eating grouch because of the pain to having occasional twinges that are easily managed with Advil. He doesn't run anymore but walks about 5-7 miles a day and has started doing low step-ups/box jumps to try to build some power back.

Bj0223

I also had a meniscus injury and discovered arthritis in both knees. I recently started a spin class that's 30 min spin and 30 min strength and I'm really liking it. I tried several classes ( body combat/pump, insanity, etc) and they all seemed to hurt my knee. I've done four spin classes and so far so good. I also walk/hike and swim.

bikecheryl

My Dr referred me for a double knee replacement in April 2017 - since then I've lost 115 lbs and am scheduled for the surgery this January.

Yes there are some things I can't do, but I can still walk, bike, kayak, row, golf, resistance train and the list goes on and on.....

Weighing my food, logging everyday and sticking to my calorie goal was why I lost 90% of my weight...... the activities helped me more mentally and the more weight I lost, the more I could do...... opposite of the vicious circle I was in for years of gaining weight and losing mobility.

"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." John Wooden

Spliner1969

I tore the menisci in my right knee about 15 years ago. About a year after I manged to injure my lower back which needed surgery. Between those two injuries I spent many years not exercising, gaining weight, etc. I was also told I have arthritis in both knees after going to the doctor because the pain was waking me up at night. I started taking fish oil and glucosamine msm daily, and started walking. In about 14 months I lost 130 pounds back in 2015/early 2016 to hit my goal. I now run a 5k twice a week and even do endurance walks of up to 10-12 miles once a week as fast as I can go. Sure, the knees give me trouble from time to time, and I probably take ibuprofen and tylenol daily but try to limit it, but I still take the fish oil and the glucosamine and it helps a LOT (brand name stuff is called Osteo BiFlex, but there are generic versions that are cheaper). Don't let the arthritis define you. The more you move the less it'll hurt.

I figure eventually I'll wear out my knees (they warned me of that too) and will either need to stop or have replacements but until then I am going to stay as active as I can. I turned 49 this year.

cowleyl

I am having a bilateral total knee replacement on 27 August because of severe arthritis (a result of my years of obesity). I've already had both hips replaced. Don't believe the myth that you can't exercise. In preparation for my surgery, I have been using my recumbent bike daily and doing isometric exercises, which together have increased my knee strength and made an amazing difference to my pain levels. I can't take anti-inflammatories because I'm on blood thinners. I've also lost 10 kg since the beginning of the year, even though I do very little aerobic exercise. The only pain relief I use is Panadol Osteo.

ChristianMomWifeFriend

I hit up the gym like a soilder and had a bad diet, I didn't lose a pound. I quit the gym and started eating healthy and lost a ton of weight. More in two months of not working out than a year of working out at the gym 5 days a week.

alisonkuan

Spliner1969 wrote: »

I tore the menisci in my right knee about 15 years ago. About a year after I manged to injure my lower back which needed surgery. Between those two injuries I spent many years not exercising, gaining weight, etc. I was also told I have arthritis in both knees after going to the doctor because the pain was waking me up at night. I started taking fish oil and glucosamine msm daily, and started walking. In about 14 months I lost 130 pounds back in 2015/early 2016 to hit my goal. I now run a 5k twice a week and even do endurance walks of up to 10-12 miles once a week as fast as I can go. Sure, the knees give me trouble from time to time, and I probably take ibuprofen and tylenol daily but try to limit it, but I still take the fish oil and the glucosamine and it helps a LOT (brand name stuff is called Osteo BiFlex, but there are generic versions that are cheaper). Don't let the arthritis define you. The more you move the less it'll hurt.

I figure eventually I'll wear out my knees (they warned me of that too) and will either need to stop or have replacements but until then I am going to stay as active as I can. I turned 49 this year.

Hi can I know did u do any surgery when u torn your meniscus 15 years back ? I m 48 this year n got my MRI report shown torn meniscus n cartilage defects. So doctor recommend to do keyhole surgery. N another doctor recommend To take Synvisc. I need to hear from people who have similar experience. How best to proceed so can minimize my pain.

AnnPT77

I have a torn meniscus in one knee (maybe both now, but only one confirmed his imaging), and minor OA in both. After experimenting, I've found that I can row (on-water and machine), spin, bike, and swim without too much problem, as long as I manage workload and recovery sensibly**.

** That's not code for "don't do very much ever". It's about building volume gradually, varying intensity thoughtfully, alternating different types of workouts, using recovery tools and strategies like ice, rest, stretching, foam rolling, massage, etc.

I don't do well if I do very much of things that involve impact (like running or even high-volume regular walking), or torque (aerobics, games like tennis/basketball/etc., some martial arts).

Depending on the location/extent of your tears and OA, you may find your constraints to be different from mine. A physical therapist might be of some help, but beyond that I think cautious experimentation will give you some insights.

koalathebear

I'm recovering from surgery and need to take it easy on the exercise front so I have been doing mega toned down Zumba videos on youtube. The 3 energetic ones at the beginning of this playlist, I just do the arms and stand on the spot. But I also have some chill ones in the playlist that are Zumba Chair (for people who can't stand up or can't stand up for long) and also Zumba Gold (for people over 50). Avoiding anything high impact and mostly focusing on arms - I was surprised at how hard you can still work/how many calories you can still burn doing this sort of very low impact exercise. The seated Zumba routine for Can't Stop the Feeling is surprisingly energetic for something where you don't move your legs at all.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PL9QddIGy06k3_sZPUICW80jvuQ16EnmNf

As people above have mentioned, losing weight is mostly down to diet and keeping track of calories in and calories out, but I find that targeted exercise helps heaps, especially if like me you love food and want to increase your daily calorie budget, even if you're recovering from surgery. I struggled in the earlier days when I was trying to remain within a relatively low budget but found life a lot easier when my calorie budget was higher.