leg routine for arthritic knees

flab2fit_30

So I got the call yesterday from my doctor -- at 30 I have osteoarthritis of the knee bilaterally at a moderate level. Among NSAIDS, cortisone shots and surgery he also suggested I loss weight (which i had already been trying to do anyhow). however, I was going lots of squats, lunges, etc to workout my quads and now I'm not so sure that is the right type of workout for my condition.

Can anyone give me any suggestions on what type of exercises I should be doing instead or if i should keep doing what I am already doing? I work out at home and this is basically what I have been doing:

Quads- barbell squats, box squats, barbell hack squats, barbell lunges, dumbbell lunges, sumo squats, kettlebell squats
Hammys- box jumps, cleans, clean deadlift, dumbbell cleans, good mornings, glute-ham raises

any advice would be helpful, I would like to hold off on any types of needles or surgery for as long as possible.

Socalgal13

Hi, sorry to hear about your arthritis, it can be a bummer, I have had to deal with the same problems. I would encourage you to seek out a PT that has athletic training background to make sure your form is spot on. I know from the list of exercises you have listed, I can do with with good form and no pain and also with bad form and hurt a lot. It took a long time before I could properly do a squat without knee pain.

Also weight loss has been huge on my arthritis, I do feel a difference. Something to also think about is that you can do many of the exercises in a pool and there is little impact on the knees.

I wish you the best

HeartbeccaCA

I have some serious osteoarthritis and understand your struggle. Here is my suggestion because anything weight bearing will cause more wear and tear on the joints.... For quads, use knee extensions. Sitting position, weight on shins or ankles, extend knee to 180 degrees, then back to 90. Repeat as many reps as desired. Of course, perform on both sides.

For hams you can stay with your current because its the weight bearing squats and such that really cause the most damage.

That's my suggestion...... bad knees are a huge inconvenience and get in the way of doing everything! Lose weight and when you exercise, stop beating up your knee joints! :-)

Cherimoose

I would encourage you to seek out a PT that has athletic training background to make sure your form is spot on.

^ This. A physical therapist can check for common muscle imbalances that may be causing your symptoms or may worsen them.

What are your fitness goals? Exercises should be goal-specific.