I "Knees" Some Advice Please

Mirabilis

All right, confession time, but I bet some of you have been there.

After several months of regular walkies (45 mins 4x per week), I decided to join the gym, and there I found a wonderful thing, the Nu-Step recumbent cross-trainer. The upright version makes me dizzy, to which my doctor said "Well, don't use it then!". The big advantage to the recumbent cross-trainer, besides the cardio and full-body workout effects, is that it's viewed as less desirable than normal cross-trainers (for old people, maybe?) so the machines aren't often used and I can basically use them whenever and for as long as I like. In a busy gym, that's a big advantage because the upright machines have 30 min time limits due to heavy use.

It's now been six weeks of four times per week (every other day) on the cross trainer, first at 3000 steps in 30 minutes at resistance 4/10 and building up to 5000 steps in 50 minutes at resistance 5/10 (3000 steps at 115pm and 2000 steps around 90pm) - plus upper body weights after, but that's not the issue. Problem is, now my knees are getting hot after workouts and achy to the point where I'm afraid I might do damage to them if I keep up the good work, so to speak. I'm not at the point where I would need to talk to the doctor about it, although I will go if I have to.

After a day off, I can still feel the knees being a bit achy although it tends to go away if I give it 60 hours vs. 48.

I have the machine set up for my height (5'6") for seat position and hands, which I think is about right. I'm actually between 5'6" and 5'7" but at the 5'7" setting I'm a bit too far back. I have to sit upright as opposed to leaning back into the chair to feel comfortable, but I think that's a matter of preference more than necessity.

I really want to be proactive on this and I really do like the machine. Any suggestions out there to make it easier on the knees? I thought this machine was supposed to be easy on the joints in the first place!

Mirii

stevemcknight

My knees are awful!!!!

My right knee is actually slightly deformed and points inwards, so any repetitive motion (i.e. treadmill, elliptical, stairmaster) will make it hurt after a while!

I started doing different cardio workouts at home that changed everything - every 30 seconds you do a different type of cardio! It has been a god-send for my knee and I can do cardio all day long now - but I can still only run or do machines for a few minutes.

If you're looking for some different cardio programs that do that - just hit up my email here and I'll get right back to you - it's really changed my whole perspective on workouts!

Steve
KnightFit.com

summerblunden

Try pushing the pedals through your heels. I'll bet you're pushing through your toes, and that inherently puts more stress on your knees. Maybe scoot the seat back a little (even though it will feel awkward at first), because if you're all leg, then it will add more stress to your knees if they are going into very deep flexion (bending). Maybe cut down the intensity a bit and see.

Try each of these things individually, or cut them all down and add back gradually, so you know which aspect of this is helping you. We have a brand new nu-step at our physical therapy clinic, and it looks awesome. I haven't tried it yet, maybe I should!!

Life_is_Good

I hate to say this (admit it) - but the achy knees (all joints) go with age
I take glucosamine (Flexamin) supplements - it takes a couple weeks to see the difference, but they do help alot. You can get them at any drug store.
Good luck!

-- I just re-read & noticed the part where you said they get hot, etc.... I'd say go see a doc

IsMollyReallyHungry

I hate to say this (admit it) - but the achy knees (all joints) go with age
I take glucosamine (Flexamin) supplements - it takes a couple weeks to see the difference, but they do help alot. You can get them at any drug store.
Good luck!

I find glucosamine works for me also. When I stop taking it, I see the difference in a week. Also are you strengtning your calves and thighs at the gym. Leg curls, leg extentions and leg presses. This may help also. Start off with low weight and keep these parts strenghten my help your knees also. Good Luck!

summerblunden

Also are you strengtning your calves and thighs at the gym. Leg curls, leg extentions and leg presses.

Be CAREFUL with leg extensions. They are the most dangerous machines in a gym. The mechanics are totally wrong, they are not functional (how ofthen do you do that motion in everday living?) and they put an extreme anout of stress on the structures of your knee. I say, so squats and lunges, much more functional, and much safer.

Mirabilis

Leg extension machine's different from the Nu-Step, I assume. Right, I'll be careful of that.

I'll take a look at the lower body weights. I like circuit training but wasn't considering it as a part of cardio. It would make sense that this is part of why you do it in combination.

So start with more strengthening exercises and maybe lighter resistance/lower spm on the Nu-Step?

Mirii

Mirabilis

I also realized something else...

I wear orthotic inserts in my normal shoes. I should look at getting the shock absorbing ones maybe in new runners, since my old runners are probably older than some of the members here

My reasoning is that like lots of people, my feet roll inward and that would put strain on my knees. Also, I tend to brace my feet at the outside of the foot paddles because they're very big paddles and my feet slip down on them.

Should this be the answer, I'll let you know

Mirii

Mirabilis

Just an update, because things are never exactly as they appear.

Shortly before the knee pain, my doctor switched me from simvastatin (Zocor I think) to rosuvastatin (Crestor).

Over the next couple of weeks, I developed, in no particular order, the following symptoms which kept worsening:
1. Headaches
2. Extreme fatigue (3 hour naps and 8 hours sleep per night)
3. Joint pain, including in joints other than knees that I hadn't been stressing to the point where I couldn't exercise at all
4. Muscle pain, severe enough that I had to take a sleep aid and ibuprophen before bed or I wouldn't have got to sleep. Sort of like having been beaten with a sock full of oranges.. no marks but lots of pain.
5. Fuzzy thinking
6. Water retention (1400 cal/day without cheating and gained 5 pounds)
7. Constipation, and I just am too fibre-rich for that! It laughed at my fibre.

Good thing I was on vacation.

When I stopped taking the meds, the symptoms diminished significantly. It's not 100% yet but it's improving. I'm just going to find an equivalent and go with that.

That aside, the shoe inserts are grand!

Mirii