bad knees

Options
2»

Replies

  • zerryz
    zerryz Posts: 168 Member
    Options
    Weight loss is the fastest way to deal with your condition, OP. Squats are good too, always parallel, just do air ones and move to add weight to the bar very slowly. Just a few reps. Definitely add biking. Fish oil daily. If your knees really get in the way and are too painful, you may consider knee gel injections (viscosupplementation)
    Very few people have bad knees. A lot of people have weak leg muscles and are overweight which causes their legs/knees to ache when they try to use them. The answer is usually to lose weight and start working on building up those leg muscles. Start out doing 10 squats, 10 lunges, etc until you can do more.

    Try a knock-knee, arthritis, chronic joint inflammation combo (all genetic)... that's a pretty good example of bad knees. The constant pain going up and down the stairs and the nightly throbbing pain that wakes onr up at night is a fairly valid proof that bad knees do exist.
    Squats. They build up the surrounding muscles. I also have bad knees but squatting, lunges etc. have definitely helped. They're not perfect - I still have to take my omega3 capsules and occasionally some ibuprofen before training - but they are much improved.

    ETA: full or '*kitten* to the grass' squats, that is. Anything less than full range of motion can make it worse.

    *kitten* to grass are great but not for everyone. They actually srsly injured my knees (popped, inflamed, swollen) and sent me straight to the doctor. Even though I had good form doing them. As I said they're just not for everyone.
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
    Options
    Are you tipping forward while performing these movements? I have genetically bad knees and have had surgeries on both. I did a lot of resistance band training for rehab along with leg press. I believe a lot of strain is put on the knees when you're not sitting on the heels of your feet. It cause all the weight to shift forward instead of being over your center of gravity.

    If you have access to an indoor pull the resistance and cardio from swimming would not only help your legs, but your entire body without the impact of gravity.

    I don't have any knee pain while lifting anymore, but I will put on knee sleeves to run.
  • WickedZoey
    WickedZoey Posts: 401 Member
    Options
    Personally I wouldn't risk injury and I would see a specialist for recommendations.
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
    Options
    Weight loss is the fastest way to deal with your condition, OP. Squats are good too, always parallel, just do air ones and move to add weight to the bar very slowly. Just a few reps. Definitely add biking. Fish oil daily. If your knees really get in the way and are too painful, you may consider knee gel injections (viscosupplementation)
    Very few people have bad knees. A lot of people have weak leg muscles and are overweight which causes their legs/knees to ache when they try to use them. The answer is usually to lose weight and start working on building up those leg muscles. Start out doing 10 squats, 10 lunges, etc until you can do more.

    Try a knock-knee, arthritis, chronic joint inflammation combo (all genetic)... that's a pretty good example of bad knees. The constant pain going up and down the stairs and the nightly throbbing pain that wakes onr up at night is a fairly valid proof that bad knees do exist.
    Squats. They build up the surrounding muscles. I also have bad knees but squatting, lunges etc. have definitely helped. They're not perfect - I still have to take my omega3 capsules and occasionally some ibuprofen before training - but they are much improved.

    ETA: full or '*kitten* to the grass' squats, that is. Anything less than full range of motion can make it worse.

    *kitten* to grass are great but not for everyone. They actually srsly injured my knees (popped, inflamed, swollen) and sent me straight to the doctor. Even though I had good form doing them. As I said they're just not for everyone.
    Parallel isn't for everyone either too. The reason why parallel can be more dangerous than sub parallel is where change of motion happens. If you change direction at your knee a greater strain is going to be placed there. If you change direction below the level of your knee then the strain of changing direction won't be as great on the knee joint.

    Squats are a great functional exercise, but they are not a good starting off exercise in my opinion. You need to start off with exercises that teach the fundamental pattern first like dumb bell squats... much safer for beginners.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    Options
    *kitten* to grass are great but not for everyone. They actually srsly injured my knees (popped, inflamed, swollen) and sent me straight to the doctor. Even though I had good form doing them. As I said they're just not for everyone.

    I would be interested to hear an actual explanation of how this happened. Once you get below parallel, you're transferring the load to the hips. I'd be curious to hear how your knee was injured squatting glutes to boots.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    Options
    *kitten* to grass are great but not for everyone. They actually srsly injured my knees (popped, inflamed, swollen) and sent me straight to the doctor. Even though I had good form doing them. As I said they're just not for everyone.

    I would be interested to hear an actual explanation of how this happened. Once you get below parallel, you're transferring the load to the hips. I'd be curious to hear how your knee was injured squatting glutes to boots.

    I don't know how hers happened, but I can tell you what happens with my patellas. They are extremely hypermobile (EDS), and so they don't track like a normal person's. If I have too much weight on and bend my knees, when they track strangely it causes more problems than when I don't have weight on. Highly repetitious knee-bending stuff inflames mine just as much, symptom-wise (I have a small ROM that seems fine, though).

    I do work the muscles around my knees, and that is crucial. But I don't do squats or lunges any more. Oddly perhaps, kneeling movements work wonderfully for me to work them. I think it's because it literally pins down my kneecaps :D I do a move that's like a Russian Hamstring Curl but with the quads (so you lean back, not forward) and that has really strengthened the muscles I was missing hitting in my knees.
  • zerryz
    zerryz Posts: 168 Member
    Options
    *kitten* to grass are great but not for everyone. They actually srsly injured my knees (popped, inflamed, swollen) and sent me straight to the doctor. Even though I had good form doing them. As I said they're just not for everyone.

    I would be interested to hear an actual explanation of how this happened. Once you get below parallel, you're transferring the load to the hips. I'd be curious to hear how your knee was injured squatting glutes to boots.

    Jury's still out, doc still investigating. Initial diagnostic is weak leg strength combined with acute borderline debilitating arthritis - yeah, I have it bad.

    Someone in this thread said squats are very personal. I believe it.
  • bheathfit
    bheathfit Posts: 451 Member
    Options
    Find a good physical therapist and have them create a workout for you and critique your form. (Form is critical) Do wall sits or swimming if you need to strengthen your legs enough to do proper squats.

    Squats have helped me more than anything else. I do not go below parallel due to previous injury and some sort of mobile knee joint crap. Doctors typically sound like Charlie Brown's teacher until you explain to them that "I have the checkbook. If you want paid, you will explain that to me again in English that I can understand."

    Just my $0.02
  • zerryz
    zerryz Posts: 168 Member
    Options
    .
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
    Options
    Find a good physical therapist and have them create a workout for you and critique your form. (Form is critical) Do wall sits or swimming if you need to strengthen your legs enough to do proper squats.

    Agreed. I used a program designed by a PT that started out with wall sits and using weight machines for hamstring curls and leg extensions with a light weight, building up to box squats, then body squats, then dumbell squats, and finally barbell squats. I find that a wider stance helps my knees track better with a squat and I agree with above that *kitten* to grass is easier on my knee itself rather than stopping at parallel, but you have to listen to your body and do what is comfortable.
  • dshalbert
    dshalbert Posts: 677 Member
    Options
    This is a great site for what to do (and not do) for strengthening the knees. I did all of these when in physical therapy and it made all of the difference. I especially love that it says don't do lunges :laugh:

    http://www.active.com/fitness/articles/the-best-and-worst-exercises-for-bad-knees

Categories