Cardio for Bad Knees??

Options
2»

Replies

  • 365andstillalive
    365andstillalive Posts: 663 Member
    Options
    Having had surgery on both of my knees in the span of 3 years (my last one just shy of 9 months ago) to fix meniscus tears and partial tears to my MCL and ACL, running is often not my best friend when it comes to cardio. I do run, but typically fairly short and I use it as a warm up to a different cardio workout. From trial and error I know that often anything above the 2k mark and I won't be able to exercise the next day due to pain/swelling inside the joint.

    There are some great cardio exercises out there for people with weak knees though, and I've tried a lot of them. Depending on where the pain in your knee is, biking you may or may not enjoy, same with movements like the elliptical.

    I do most of my workouts at home, so here are a few that I use that aren't too knee intensive:
    Quiet Cardio Workout (combines cardio and strength moves) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaJryQEsT94
    Zumba by Amber (search on Youtube; they're intensive cardio wise, but rarely involve the jumping/twisting that would bug your knees and like any Zumba, you can modify to fit your bodies ability, just KEEP MOVING!)

    Swimming is a fantastic option if you have access/are willing to pay for a gym membership. If you do have one already or are thinking of getting one, I'd really encourage you to make an appointment with a trainer or athletic therapist (some even do an initial one free) and ask them what exercises (both strength and cardio) they would recommend. You may even find after a quick conversation with them that your issue could be solved through taping or a light brace until you can build muscle in areas it might be missing/weakened, or could be due to wrong running form, or running for longer than your knees can comfortably handle.

Categories