Exercise Suggestions -- Bad Knee Problem

justathought55

Just started to focus on exercise -- recovering from a tibial plateau fracture which included 3 months of no weight bearing. I cannot do impact exercise. Anything like insanity or PX90 will not work. Right now I am doing treadmill (which creates some discomfit) and elliptical. I can also do exercise bike.

I'd like a bit more variety -- any suggestions? How about yoga or pilates?

1ZenGirl

Have you ever thought about getting in the water?

mfp2014mfp

Yes swim if you can

justathought55

Great suggestion! -- its on the possible list -- I have to join a club to do that. Have you had success with swimming or water aerobics?

ils_1231

I agree swimming! I can't run without taping my patella in place-- otherwise I'm sore for DAYS after a run. Swimming is great!!!

FinallyFindingLisa

SWIM!! All I could do prior to my knee replacement(s)

avocadoshaped

I have crap knees as well. May I suggest the rowing machine. Swimming is great but it can be a faff. Keep your movements controlled lots of calories and full body work out. Two birds no keen pain. Best thing I have ever done.

12774

Just started to focus on exercise -- recovering from a tibial plateau fracture which included 3 months of no weight bearing. I cannot do impact exercise. Anything like insanity or PX90 will not work. Right now I am doing treadmill (which creates some discomfit) and elliptical. I can also do exercise bike.

I'd like a bit more variety -- any suggestions? How about yoga or

Hi I have just completed 6 wks of Physical therapy for osteoarthritis of the knee which I got as a result of a knee injury/ surgery many years ago.I think that you should the seek medical advice from your Orthopedist or your physical therapist for everybody's situation is different.This is not the forum for your follow up.

brookielaw

SWIM. SWIM SWIM SWIM SWIM SWIM. I have severe OA and lost the majority of my weight by swimming. Best exercise ever.

justathought55

Thanks for suggesting I consult my PT and surgeon -- I agree its really important to stay within medical limits.

I have been cleared to do any activity except running long distance. I am orthopedically healed but I have a lot of hardware in my knee - a plate and 7 screws that is not coming out. Its the plate that causes discomfit at impact (bones flex metal does not). I should have also mentioned that I have chronic tendonitis in my ankles from old competitive figure skating injury -- which means I didn't run before the knee either.

I am still doing weight work to rebuild quad strength and lots of stretching to maintain flexibility and extension. Main concerns are adding variety and cardio work without aggravating tendonitis and creating impact.

Swimming is a definite possibility - would love something I could do without going anywhere --

annf16

I have a tibia plateau fracture as well. My injury occurred in May 2011 and I had the metal plate removed in July 2012. I've had a difficult time trying to rebuild my quad muscle and strengthen my knee. In July 2013, I moved into a condominium with stairs. It's amazing how quickly my quad started building up from using stairs everyday. My doctor highly suggested that I NEVER run or jump again and to use a bike for my cardio exercise.

I started going to the gym when I was only allowed to put 50% pressure on my leg. I cycled and used the weight machines but nothing helped as much as stair climbing. My knee is still weaker than I'd like and my sartorius muscle is so tight that it causes inner knee pain when it's been in certain positions too long (such as sitting cross legged or "indian style" on the floor). I haven't done yoga in 3 years but I'll be starting back this Tuesday. I'm hoping yoga will help strengthen my knee and loosen up the sartorius.

Whatever you do, don't push yourself too hard. I was so tired of my slow recovery that I pushed myself doing lunges. I went beyond the point where I was keeping proper form and I ended up with patella tendonitis. I had to quit exercising for 2 months while it healed. Errrr, I hate going backwards.

Good luck and be careful! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Sincerely,

Ann

himanshurg

Try DDP Yoga

justathought55

I have a tibia plateau fracture as well. My injury occurred in May 2011 and I had the metal plate removed in July 2012. I've had a difficult time trying to rebuild my quad muscle and strengthen my knee. In July 2013, I moved into a condominium with stairs. It's amazing how quickly my quad started building up from using stairs everyday. My doctor highly suggested that I NEVER run or jump again and to use a bike for my cardio exercise.

I started going to the gym when I was only allowed to put 50% pressure on my leg. I cycled and used the weight machines but nothing helped as much as stair climbing. My knee is still weaker than I'd like and my sartorius muscle is so tight that it causes inner knee pain when it's been in certain positions too long (such as sitting cross legged or "indian style" on the floor). I haven't done yoga in 3 years but I'll be starting back this Tuesday. I'm hoping yoga will help strengthen my knee and loosen up the sartorius.

Whatever you do, don't push yourself too hard. I was so tired of my slow recovery that I pushed myself doing lunges. I went beyond the point where I was keeping proper form and I ended up with patella tendonitis. I had to quit exercising for 2 months while it healed. Errrr, I hate going backwards.

Good luck and be careful! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Sincerely,

Ann

Thanks -- great to know there is someone else here with a TPF -- its a difficult injury to explain to anyone. My injury is from November 2012 -- so I am just over 13 months post surgery. Bones are healed but it takes so long to rebuild strength.

Stairs are a great idea -- I am 6 flights up -- so I think that I will start with just a couple flights and then take the elevator and gradually build up from there. I have already done the over-doing earlier in the recovery so as you suggest I will be careful about it.

I am curious as to why you had your hardware removed and whether it made a difference -- if you can response that would be great!

Tricexrecharged

I have not had an injury as serious as yours but I do have pretty bad arthritis in one knee and weak ankles along with pain from a broken foot when I attempt to exercise. Although my foot is healed now it still gives me a lot of trouble when I try to exercise and I still haven't been able to go back to heels yet.
So I actually enjoy Zumba and a program called Dance Trance that I do at my local YMCA. Water aerobics is something I would love to try but its only offered in the mornings at my Y and doesn't work with my work schedule. For Zumba and Dance Trance any movement that requires me to stomp or jump I simply modify by not doing it. So if they jump I step up one time in place to keep on track with the class and beat of the music. For me it helps keep me from being bored and I get a great workout without being stuck on just the elliptical. Because of my knee pain my doc actually advised not to use the treadmill because of the repetitive pounding that you tend to do on it. I also play racquetball casually- I don't even know the rules of the game and I don't run to quickly or aggressively. I do only what my knee, ankles and foot allows but I do it for an extended period of time.

vajolly

Do you have a place near by that does water aerobics? This is fun and easy on the joints. Look for one with a heated pool.

annf16

I had surgery two weeks before we were scheduled to move to another city. The doctor who did my surgery said that I could have the hardware removed after one year but he recommended I keep it in for extra protection for the bone. The new doctor, in the city I moved to, said it would be totally fine to have the hardware removed. After doing some research I decided to have it removed. Here's three reasons why...

First, some doctors think that the plate could put the leg at risk if you were to fall because the bone would have a higher risk of breaking just below the plate. Think about how you would break a wooden ruler. You would "brace" the ruler on a countertop allowing part of it to hang off. Then you'd hit the hanging end and cause the ruler to break at the edge of the counter. It breaks at the edge of the counter because that's the end of the "brace" point, just like the bottom of your titanium plate is the end of your bone's brace point. I hope that makes sense. It's the best analogy I can come up with at the moment.

Second, my mother has severe osteoporosis which I'm hoping I don't inherit. One of the best things you can do to avoid osteoporosis is to put pressure on your bones. The plate absorbs some of the pressure you're putting on your tibia which is not helpful in avoiding osteoporosis.

Third, I HATED the hardware. It felt like I was walking on a metal pipe instead of a lower leg.

RobinB0812

I, too, can relate. I suffered a tibia plateau fracture almost seven years ago. Nine weeks of zero weight bearing bed rest, but no surgery or hardware however I suffered significant nerve damage which resulted in limited motion of my foot.

Swimming is not always an option, but I do have access to a gym. I'd love any suggestions as well.

nancybuss

Tai Cheng. Its a program by Beachbody and its meant to build strength. I have a friend doing it now that Loves it.

gthacker

Love aquacize -- low impact and 7 times the effect of on land

annf16

Justathought5,

I forgot to answer your question...yes, having my hardware removed did make a difference on how my leg/knee feels and now that I'm finally rebuilding my quad muscles it "almost" feels totally normal. I'm hoping the yoga will get me at 100%.

BTW, the best leg leg exercises "hands down" are lunges and squats. Squats are easier for me, especially when using a stability ball. There are several videos available to teach the correct form for stability ball squats. Here is what came up on my Google search...

https://www.google.com/search?q=squats+using+a+stability+ball&newwindow=1&espv=210&es_sm=122&source=lnms&tbm=vid&sa=X&ei=Y6XUUoXtBdC1sATY6YDACQ&ved=0CA0Q_AUoAA&biw=1366&bih=642

Hearts_2015

bump

JG762

I know exactly how you feel...
I've had my left knee surgically repaired 4 separate times, the last time I had some screws removed that had been in place 16 years. The source of the pain turned out to be mostly the screws, doctors are not carpenters and they don't understand the obvious sometimes! When you have screws that stick out the back side of the bone approx. 3/4" it's bound to be an issue eventually. My advice is to have the hardware removed as soon as it's possible.
I would say that as far as exercise is concerned try a variety of things and see what feels the best for you, I'm dealing with a whole new round of knee issues right now and a bicycle works best for me, once I make my final trip to see my Dr. and I'm released I'm going to spend more time on the elliptical, unfortunately I don't have access to a pool for quite a while so I'll do the best I can.

MarKayDee

My mother in law has a bad knee (she's just waiting to have it replaced) and she has a yoga ball. I'm going to start showing her how to use it this week so she can get back on track to losing some weight. There are a lot of low impact ways to work out with one of those things, especially if you have a buddy to help.

charleyreedto175

This is just a thought for you but after my last operation on my knee I did go to a treadmill starting the next day. It Really helped out. Before you roll your eyes and hit the delete I want to be specific about what I am saying. Many PT clinics now have tread mill that have weight bearing systems. These are made for people with an injury or are very over weight. They are like a balloon and help lift you up so you can carry your weight. The system works wonders and you can even run on it at full speed. The first time I did it I thought it was nuts. After 15 minutes I was soaked with sweat. It works. Look for this type of system. You will be glad you did.

sami_83

My best friend had a knee reconstruction, so being the sporty person she is she immediately bought a kayak. Great exercise! Second hand ones are relatively inexpensive.
Of course this is only a valid suggestion if you live near a suitable body of water :blushing:

kctazman

I had TPF with hardware (12 screws and plate put in one year ago today) The best thing that I did for my leg was a spin class and water work. If you do the spin class just modify it for your leg. I never stood when the rest to the class did, I just stayed seated and adjusted my resistance. Any type of pool work is excellent. You are taking the weight off the leg, but building the muscle in the leg. I hope all goes well.

Shelia2013

I have different knee issues, but the Cybex Arc Trainer at the gym has been wonderful. I find it more comfortable than the ellipitical machine. It takes a week or two to get used to it but I feel I get a better range of motion using it and it feels like it engages my leg muscles better. You can adjust the resistance level to suit your needs. I love it!

dqrunsalot

+1 on the pool. Have bad OA in my left knee and completely root torn meniscus in my right knee....started swimming two and a half years ago combined with forward and backward lunges and it's helped a lot in conjunction with logging my caloric intake on MFP here. Having the buoyancy of the water negates the direct pressure of all one's weight on those sore joints and allows you to stretch and strengthen those tender ligaments and muscle areas. Losing a pound of weight equals 6 pounds less stress, so weight loss has helped me significantly. Good luck!

Suedexter

I have a TPF too. Did it in August 2013 and three months non weight bearing - now lots of hardware in there and knee still isn't good.

Surgeon told me NO treadmill and no running.

Like people say here - swim and bike are the best things

Its a slow process

brint40

My TPF happened in March 2011. Plate and screws were added. I also have a bunch of other ills. My age (over 75) doesn't help matters. I have tried to do "perfect" walking, starting with a couple of steps per day. I won't walk with a limp. Now, I average 6 miles per day with a pretty good pace. I love the hills the most. Fitbit rules the day!
Gains happened little by little, but never forcing myself to walk if it couldn't be "perfect" balance, stride, heel strike etc.
Good luck and keep at it.

cathed42

avocadoshaped wrote: »

I have crap knees as well. May I suggest the rowing machine. Swimming is great but it can be a faff. Keep your movements controlled lots of calories and full body work out. Two birds no keen pain. Best thing I have ever done.

avocadoshaped wrote: »

I have crap knees as well. May I suggest the rowing machine. Swimming is great but it can be a faff. Keep your movements controlled lots of calories and full body work out. Two birds no keen pain. Best thing I have ever done.

I agree the rowing machine is a good all round exercise and kind on your knees.