is elliptical hard or gentle on kneew?

erica6732

For those of you who use the elliptical frequently, would you say that the machine is low impact? Is it hard on the knees? Does it burn a lot of calories? Is it hard to ride? I am about 100 pounds overweight. My doctor says that it is not a good idea for me to walk for fitness because of the risk of osteoarthritis of the knees. Plus I have an MCL strain. Because of the weight I cannot walk or stand on my knee for to long or too frequently because it will swell and it is very painful. I am trying to get back at it with this water aerobics class because it is gentle on joints. It is hard for me to get there sometimes because of my erratic sleep schedule. Would you say that the elliptical is as much impact as walking or less?

halleymw

elliptical is classified as low impact. It should be ok, but start slow and see how your knees react to it. Bicycle is even less so.
mike

LouSmorals

Essentially zero impact if done correctly. A great exercise for those new to cardio.

mjones6599

I switched to the elliptical after getting knee pain on the treadmill. It didn't give me any trouble.

LemonLizard

The elliptical is great for knee issues, since it is very low impact. Calorie burn is good, and make sure to move your arms with the vertical grasps since it will help to burn extra calories.

icyeyes317

I'm short, so I find the elliptical to be incredibly uncomfortable, and my knees and legs ache if I try to use it. Personally, I stay away.

mackemom

My doc says it's low-impact.

Hungry_Annie

Its fairly gentle. I have one and I get a good calorie burn. It should be good for you!

JanaCanada

I have ACL in one knee and meiscus tear in the other. Like Icyeyes317, I find an eliptical to be painful. However, I have no issues with my recumbent bike.

patols1

I also have arthritis in my knees and bought an elliptical. it hurt so bad I sold it and bought a recumbent bike. it doesn't give as good of a workout as elliptical or even walking but it is definitely better than nothing and once the weight comes off you can add walking or elliptical.

dshalbert

I have knee trouble which gets aggravated when I run. An elliptical gives me no trouble. My husband however, gets pain in his knees when he uses an elliptical, but none when ride a stationary bike. Maybe you should try t to see if it gives you any trouble. It may be a trail and error thing.

Azdak

Each model of elliptical trainer has its own movement design, and each persons knee problem can be different as well. So there is no way to give a blanket yes or no answer. If you have access to a facility with a NuStep, that would be a good choice as well.