bad knees and ankles

kim72sean

Any great exercise for someone with bad knees and ankles. I need to build the muscle up again. but need low impact. I have a tread mill and like walking but need some other ideas.

badgerwillows

So I have had some nasty femur breaks and various knee injuries over the past 10 years. lots of surgery and bolts put in and taken out. I'm finally on the home stretch working to get my muscles strong to support my knees. It's amazing how much muscle you lose when you're in hospital/ on crutches! It's hard to maintain a healthy weight when you are restricted with exercising too. Anyway I thought I'd share some of the tips I've picked up along the way...

- squats with your back up against the wall to keep back and hips straight . these are pretty safe for the knee when starting out. weight in your heels and feet flat on the ground. do small sets of 10 (just an example) over the day maybe 3 or 4 times and build up. It's the main one my pyhsio recommended after surgeries.
you can do a one leg version on a stair or step. hold the rail lightly for balance if needed. stand facing downhill. one leg on step the other just in front of you as though you're about to step down. except don't step down fully. just bend the stand knee in that motion and then straighten that same working leg as though in rewind. do for 10 reps or whatever you like.
the squats you do at a class in the gym where you stick out your bum a lot are different. something to build up to.

- I dont know what this exercise is called but it's good for the thigh muscles and there are two variations. one short time multiple reps and then a long hold version. great to do while watching tv or on your computer.
Sitting down in a chair normally with knees bent (90 degree angle), feet flat on floor, lift one leg out to straight and hold.
you can do some sets where you hold for perhaps 30 seconds to 1 minute and then others where you hold maybe 3 seconds but doing a reps of 10 as an example. you can add ankle weights to get more out of this. obviously alternate legs after each set. again do small sets over the day rather than heaps at once.

- calf raises are good too. all muscles around the knee need work.

- if you're up for lunges that's great. depends how your knees are. I'd put them in 'stage 2' of knee 'training'. a hand on the wall can help with balance. weight in the heel of the front leg. remember doing the exercise properly aligned is more important than the depth of it.

- swimming, aqua aerobics, spin/bicycle, elliptical, walking on grass, pilates and yoga are all gentle and effective. treadmill is okay but not really my first recommendation for bad knee for ankles. perhaps wait until you're a bit stronger before too much treadmill and or running. Running (on and off the treadmill) and jumping are pretty high impact on the knees in general so you need to build up to it.

- there are exercises with the big elastic band and the swiss ball that are good for knees. I don't know any off the top of my head though sorry.

- a mix of cardio, weights and stretching exercises is ideal. you will not get bulky from weights don't worry. also keeping the mix of different exercises so muscles don't get used to one routine. that helps a lot with weight loss.

strong lean muscles in your legs, hips, ankles etc is what will support your knee and reduce pain. this dosen't mean big body builder muscles unless you want to aim for that. that's pretty cool if you are. also cool if you're not. take it at your own pace and listen to what your body needs. It'll tell you when it needs recovery time. I'm sure you've heard how important rest is for building muscles. every day is different. even right knee to left knee is different.

If you can see a doctor or sports physio it'd be ideal. they can really tailor it all to you best. I hope this has helped a bit in the mean time and that my explanations make sense. . All the best and good luck!

SuperCrsa

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_Zardoz_

Swimming