27 with bad knee's???

iamthylight

So I've got a series of problems that are developing into something harder to handle. For starters, I'm overweight. Have been all my life. Since starting myfitnesspal.com I have dropped over 70lbs. My weight now after that loss is around 290. I am fully aware that being this heavy is most likely causing strain on my knee's and other joints and is most likely a contributing factor to the pain I'm having in my knee's. I plan to keep going until I'm a much healthier me and thus hopefully said joint pain will get better. HOWEVER, right now I have plantar fasciitis in my left foot which has gotten some better but has caused me to redistribute my weight onto my right knee to take the pressure off my foot. This is now causing my right knee more pain. I'm not financially able to afford a shot for my foot to make myself able to take pressure of my knee although I do try to keep my weight evenly distributed as much as I can tolerate. The pain is getting so that I'm very seriously concerned. Although this is pushing me harder in my weight loss, I need additional support. 27 is far to young to be experiencing this kind of pain in your joints and I need to be able to keep up with my 3 year old. While continuing weight loss, does anyone have any other suggestions to help the pain I'm experiencing in my knees? Any exercises to strengthen or get the fluid moving more? Supplements I should try and take? I have started recently drinking organic nopal cactus juice after a friend suggested it saying it helps inflammation. Has any one else experienced this and once the weight came off the pain diminished? Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? The pain in my foot and knee's has kept me from my usual workout so I have switched to swimming laps when I can. Anything else to try??? Help and suggestions welcome!

126siany

Do you have access to crutches for now? That might help.

Supplements: MSM (natural anti-inflammatory) will give some relief of joint pain. My mom had bad knees due to her weight and found it helped. Took me years to get her to try it, but she was pleasantly surprised when she did.

Omega 3s also can help.

My mom was always around 265, but got back down to 225 at one point and was very surprised at how much better her knees felt. She still had knee pain, but no longer so bad that a grocery store trip would have her seated the rest of the day and all of the next one.

caitrocks8

Hey! I feel your pain!

I suffered several really bad knee injuries a few years ago and after surgery and PT, I still deal with a lot of knee pain (and subsequently, ankle pain) every day.

I'm so sorry to hear that it's affecting your workouts but fortunately there are a lot of really great low-impact ways to strength train and get cardio in. Swimming, like you're doing, is one of them! I really like getting cardio in on the elliptical, too, because you can still do intervals to increase calorie burn. Also, when running is just out of the question, I like to jack up the incline on the treadmill and just walk. Try to stay away from exercises that cause stress on your knees like squats and lunges.

In my experience, the key is to strengthen your legs and hips. If you google search "knee rehab exercises," there are a bunch of exercises you can try that are low impact and easy to do at home (and you won't have to pay for PT, which is the best part), such as leg raises and knee bends to start strengthening those legs. Strong hips are really important, too. Resistance bands are inexpensive and a great way to work the hips at home, too, and add resistance to the leg exercises.

Honestly, and unfortunately, I have not had much luck with supplements for helping with the pain Make sure you're icing for 10-15 minutes after working out.

Good luck!

ChronicOptimist

I can't help you with your knee, but there are some things you can do for the plantar fasciitis that might help you at least get to where you're not having to rely on the right knee so badly. Look online for PF stretches and do them religiously as often as you can, but at least right when you get up in the morning and right befor bed. You can also keep a frozen water bottle in the freezer and roll it under your heel to alleviate some of that pain when it flairs up. There are also braces you can buy (check amazon) that keep your foot flexed at night which will help with the PF pain.

I strugled with plantar fasciitis for years and let me tell you, I understand that pain is NO JOKE. Hope you're able to get some relief!

Oh - and maybe look into glucosamine for the knees? Not a personal recommendation but I know lots of people take it to help with joint health. Might be worth a shot

earth_echo

Vitamin D3 could be helpful to you. In college I had a lot of joint pain. It went away once I upped my vit D intake. I'd also suggest a low carb diet not only for easier weight loss but to reduce inflammation.

dopeysmelly

I feel for you. I'm dealing with knee pain right now from a torn meniscus, but made worse by years of too much weight and old sports injuries. You might try resting your knees when you can, keep them elevated at waist height (like on the couch) and slap a bag of frozen peas on them where it hurts most. You might find knee supports help to keep the joints aligned while you walk. The Ace stretchy ones are OK, but there are wrap-around ones which might work better for you and are more adjustable. Also, make sure you don't carry your little one unless absolutely necessary.

Weight loss is largely about diet, so you don't need to do tons (or even any) exercise to lose the weight.

It's hard for me to tell if my knees are better for losing the weight (because of the torn meniscus) but I had to carry a 30 lb pack the other day, and it made my knees feel much worse while I was carrying it, so that probably confirms it.