Bad knees :(

nstock

Hey guys! I have been getting very bad pain in my knees the last few months and it’s effecting my workouts. I am a server 3-4 days a week and find that after I work, my knees get worse. If I have a few days off it’s better but still there. They hurt the worst whenever I am sitting too long, right in the morning, and going down stairs. I pretty much limp around like an elderly person- at 28. I am hoping it’s not early arthritis!

I am about 15-20lbs heavier than I should be. I’ve lost about 6-7lbs already. I’m hoping it’s just the extra weight causing pain and that if I lose another 10lbs it will be less stress on my knees.

Does anyone have any advice for supplements/vitamins to help with this? If you have experienced this and have a solution, I’d love to hear from you! Thank you

GottaBurnEmAll

You should probably speak to your doctor about this.

What kind of workouts do you do? Is your form correct? Could that be causing an issue?

nstock

GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »

You should probably speak to your doctor about this.

What kind of workouts do you do? Is your form correct? Could that be causing an issue?

I am only really doing weight training (3 times a week) and if I do cardio it’s for about 15 minutes on a cycling bike.

They were beginning to hurt before I was regularly working out too, and I thought if I changed to better shoes for work, that things would get better- but it’s only improved a little bit

GottaBurnEmAll

nstock wrote: »

GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »

You should probably speak to your doctor about this.

What kind of workouts do you do? Is your form correct? Could that be causing an issue?

I am only really doing weight training (3 times a week) and if I do cardio it’s for about 15 minutes on a cycling bike.

They were beginning to hurt before I was regularly working out too, and I thought if I changed to better shoes for work, that things would get better- but it’s only improved a little bit

Weight training is good for bad joints if you're using proper form. If you're not using proper form, it could be a problem.

How long have you been lifting weights?

nstock

GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »

nstock wrote: »

GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »

You should probably speak to your doctor about this.

What kind of workouts do you do? Is your form correct? Could that be causing an issue?

I am only really doing weight training (3 times a week) and if I do cardio it’s for about 15 minutes on a cycling bike.

They were beginning to hurt before I was regularly working out too, and I thought if I changed to better shoes for work, that things would get better- but it’s only improved a little bit

Weight training is good for bad joints if you're using proper form. If you're not using proper form, it could be a problem.

How long have you been lifting weights?

I’ve been weight training for about 4-5 years. I took a bit of a break but I’ve been back regularly the last month. I did notice today that they hurt when I first started my work out, and felt much better after. I think it may be the extra weight I’m carrying that’s causing the pain.

Danp

I'd recommend finding a good sports physio.

I've got two horrible knees. The left I utterly destroyed in my 20's while snow skiing. Tore 3 of them and ripped the forth one off the bone requiring a radical knee reconstruction. The right knee I twisted while hiking and dislocated tearing the patella meniscus. Oddly the less severe dislocation injury is now my 'weaker' knee and more prone to re-injury and the reco'd one is pretty much as strong as ever.

As a result of the above I've been dealing with various knee complications for a long time and have found a good physiotherapist to be the answer. I went specifically for a sports physio as I figured knee injuries and issues would be really common in sports so they'd have plenty of knowledge and experience in that area.

Most of the issues I've had related to muscle strength imbalance. Usually because of physical or psychological factors had me favouring one muscle group causing over-development while not engaging another resulting in under-development. Usually all it took was specific exercises to cause me to engage the neglected muscle groups to correct the problem.

Fuzzipeg

You would probably be as well to have your knees checked out through your doctor, you could be referred to physiotherapy after having x-rays to establish the extent of any damage. Osteoarthritis is described as the wear and tear arthritis, from over use, there can be other causes of knee pain, and it need not be the end of the world.

I have arthritic knees for 30 years or so and find glucosamine, MSM and an osteoporosis support containg boron and calcium really helpful. I've recently come through a really unpleasant, long lasting flair up (12 months, with three on crutches with knee supports) I discovered reducing foods with added sugar really helped until I found "my" best level of mineral support and activity. I would not wish this on anyone. Unfortunately my doctors were not the best people to see with regard to becoming pain free. (I can't take aspirin related pain relief nor anything containing salicylate fillers or binders. At one stage I discovered pain relief in the form of aspirin/ibuprofen actually caused my pain)

My problems are associated with thyroid hormones. Recently I read arthritis symptoms can pre date recognised thyroid disruption by 10 to 15 years. Finding a doctor who will test all aspects of thyroid/endocrine related hormones is nigh on impossible, particularly when most only test tsh and t4 when t3 is the most active but the Human Growth homone which is also a thyroid hormone is responsible for the strength of ones bones is rearely considered let alone tested. Tsh is establishing the stimulating hormone which says little in itself. t4 is available iodine which needs more minerals and vitamins in order to change into t3. Human Growth Hormone levels are higher in childhood and decrease into adulthood then my significant maturity they may be almost none existent. Each cell requires HGH, bones need this to ensure density is good and for repair after sustaining damage, the bone will automatically smooth itself into as near the normal shape as possible.

You might find it generally helpful to ensure you have a good level of iodine, the daily requirements is apx 150 micron or 1/4 of a teaspoon a year! Its found in milk, along with other essentials for health, its also in fish, eggs as well as dark green veg. Selenium and various vistamins are also valuable to have in your diet, in order to support your thyroid function.

Wishing you all the very best. Do your own reading there are ways to osteoarthritis and its other forms.

aokoye

You should really probably see an orthopedist and at minimum get x-rays, though an MRI will be more useful. You'll also probably want to ask about being referred to for physical therapy if they don't suggest it themselves. Essentially, you need to have what's going on diagnosed by someone qualified to do so.

GottaBurnEmAll

I'd first see a doctor to rule out anything major, and then follow up with a sports physio.

wendsg

Doing your cardio on a cycling (stationary) bike can be a huge issue. These bikes regularly aren't set up correctly, which places a TON of strain on your knees. Ensure that your leg is nearly fully extended with your foot flat on the pedal in the downstroke when you adjust your seat hight - that will eliminate some strain. Unfortunately, there's nothing that can be done about the geometry of a stationary (this is why I prefer my road bike to any stationary - the more aggressive geometry that places me almost vertical over my cranks rather than the relaxed geometry of a touring bike or a stationary that has you sitting well behind the cranks to facilitate a more upright riding position reduces my own knee pain significantly, as does using my clips to pull up on the pedals rather than push down when pain does start to flare up).

But to echo what everyone else says, see your doctor and possibly follow up with physical therapy.

navdeeprana

So someone who hurt his knee...back...elbow lol.....I usually take vitamin d, and a multivitamin everyday. The thumb rule is if it hurts don't do it...until you can fix the pain. Also I try to do weight training every alternate day to get sufficient time to recover. For legs...I can't do squat anymore ...because of my knee injury, you will need to find alternate excercises that don't hurt like I do inclined walk instead of jogging...and so on

Katiebear_81

What kind of shoes are you wearing during work? If you're wearing heels, see if you can ditch them. Otherwise - the others have given good advice... see your doctor and a sports physio.

kshama2001

While extra weight does put strain on the knees, I very much doubt a mere 20 pounds is causing your problems.

Do see a doctor and get a referral to a sports physio or other professional. If you are doing lower body strength training, especially squats or the knee extension machine, stop until you've seen the doctor.

What kind of shoes are you wearing at work?

aokoye

kshama2001 wrote: »

While extra weight does put strain on the knees, I very much doubt a mere 20 pounds is causing your problems.

It always amazes me when people default to, "well I'm overweight so that must be the problem. Ignoring that there are plenty of people who are not overweight (nor underweight) who have major orthopedic issues. It doesn't help that plenty of doctors also default to the, "just lose weight" plan in relation to various health issues that may very well have nothing to do with someone's weight.

Signed - someone who first hurt their knee when they were at a very healthy weight. Said injury was the catalyst for a decade plus of knee issues that in no way shape or form got better with exercise and necessitated four knee surgeries (had the first two been done differently I could have stopped there).

33gail33

I would doubt it is osteoarthritis at age 28 - I just got diagnosed at 53 and my doctor said that I was young for the amount of damage they saw. I suspect a patella tracking problem. My daughter has this and a brace and physio are the non surgical options.
But you need a MRI to diagnose it. You really should see your doctor. It could be anything and we are just guessing.
Good luck. Bad knees suck.

aokoye

33gail33 wrote: »

I would doubt it is osteoarthritis at age 28 - I just got diagnosed at 53 and my doctor said that I was young for the amount of damage they saw. I suspect a patella tracking problem. My daughter has this and a brace and physio are the non surgical options.
But you need a MRI to diagnose it. You really should see your doctor. It could be anything and we are just guessing.
Good luck. Bad knees suck.

Though depending on how much maltracking here is and the various activities the OP is doing, there may very well be some osteoarthritis. I have a small amount and have since my mid 20s (I'm 31 now). Had I not had surgery, pushed through the pain more, etc, things would look worse than they do now. Note that both of my patellas were maltracking, I had patella alta in both, and I don't have a trochlear groove on the right side - there was a lot going on.

Allie1618

When at my heaviest weight my knees hurt far more than they do now. My heaviest weight was in my early 30s (I am 46 now) when I was 15-20 lbs overweight. I am currently 5lbs from goal.

I also have pain when walking down stairs (or anything downhill) and was diagnosed years ago with chondromalacia. My physical therapist had me do exercises specifically to strengthen muscles of the inner and outer thighs to help realign my kneecaps. The therapy continues to be very helpful, though I still have pain walking downhill for extended periods of time. There is a nearby volcano I would love to climb again but I am afraid of getting stuck at the top, or having to scoot down on my backside!

I hope you get to the doc and get a proper diagnosis. Sorry to hear you are in pain and hope you find relief soon.

gpb2066

I also have chondromalacia. I suffered for years did physical therapy for months with no relief. Finally after another year of pain I joined a gym with a personal trainer twice a week and my knees are about 75%- 80% better. Sorry about your knee pain, but seeing a Dr should be first on the list

HoneyBadger302

I'll echo that talking to a doctor then sports physio is your best bet.

I've had crappy knees since I was a teenager. After a number of years they got really bad, so when I had a decent job and good insurance I went through this process to get it figured out.

I can keep my knees from really being problematic as long as I keep up with the exercises I was taught, a lot of which is balance work (balance balls, bosu balls, Indo board, etc). If I don't keep up with those things regularly, my knees start to act up as the stabilizing muscles just don't provide the support I need.

No surgery required at this point, and my knees are basically pain free most of the time - IF I keep up with those exercises!

I do NOT do much (only very rare) running/jogging on hard surfaces though, as historically that has been a known problem for my knees, even with the other exercises.

nstock

Thank you so much for all the feedback guys! I don’t have insurance so physio is something I haven’t thought of. Currently- I’m wearing running shoes (made specifically for servers) but I was wearing Crocs flats before and they had no support at all!

amy19355

https://youtu.be/IhzI7mzsiQE check out this video for some possible self diagnosing

Maxxitt

My bad knees started with bad ankles - over pronation which completely stressed my knee. A few decades later, the knees are arthritic and the ankles still pronate. But what has helped immensely are good orthotics for all my shoes and strengthening quads and hams. Women are especially prone to knee issues because of hip structure - so go ahead and get yourself to a medical person and ask for physical therapy.

lynn_glenmont

kshama2001 wrote: »

While extra weight does put strain on the knees, I very much doubt a mere 20 pounds is causing your problems.

Do see a doctor and get a referral to a sports physio or other professional. If you are doing lower body strength training, especially squats or the knee extension machine, stop until you've seen the doctor.

What kind of shoes are you wearing at work?

I second this. I know everybody is different, but I'm twice OP's age and have carried 30 to 60 extra pounds most of my adult life, with no one pain to date, so accepting this as the inevitable result of 20 extra pounds while you're still in your 20s seems unrealistic to me.

See what your doctor and appropriate imaging diagnostics can uncover. And stop doing things that trigger the pain in the meanwhile.

Best of luck.

emmamcgarity

How old are your shoes? Are you sure you have a proper fit?