how can i make my knees stronger

Belle_Fille

this kinda does along with my other post. but...

it seems that i have joint problems and the 30day shred is aggravating them. will my knees always be horrible? is there a way to make them stronger? I need to do something! I dont want to be like my dad. 42 years old with 4 hip replacements (on the same hip) and a knee replacement too!

mia222

If you are having joint problems, you should look into low impact cardio exercises. You should also look into the way your foot is impacting the floor when you are running, walking, jogging ect. You may be landing on your feet incorrectly which will cause you to have more pain than necessary.

I find that once you correct your "posture" so to speak the amount of stress that your knees/joints incure will be minimized.

Hopefully this helps.


Mia

scheys76

One thing you can do that can help save your knees, if it's an option for you is to swim or to workout in the water. In the water you get equal resistance back to what you put forward and the pressure on your joints is 1/10 of what it is out of the water.

AshleyR84

Strength Training! Lower body exercises like body weight squats and lunges are great. If you're not sure if you are doing them correctly though, try resistance machines in a gym - the leg press is the best, followed by the leg extension for the quads and leg curl machine for the hamstrings. Start light and do sets of 12 repetitions. Don't forget to stretch!

kmeekhof

I have bad knees as well. Make sure when doing the lunges/squats your butt is back and knees are over your ankles, not out over your toes!

kiwe4

I've had bad knees since I was 10. I was really worried that when I started doing a lot of exercise I'd make them worse again. I'm 5 weeks into a pretty intense workout schedule and my knees haven't failed me yet. The key is lots of stretching and making sure that when I'm doing squats and things like that my butt is out and my knees don't go past my ankles. Pay a lot of attention to your form and you should be ok. I didn't go as deep at first, but I notice that now I can push things more than when I started.

mdbauman

30 day shred killed my knees too. (As did my kids hyper-extending them by crawling on my legs my when my feet were perched up). I went to a physical therapist and learned to do certain exercises that strengthened the muscles around the knees. Try googling 'knee-strengthening physical therapy' for some ideas. (Seeing a doctor first is ideal of course). I did learn however that once the damage is done, it is for the most part irreversible. All you can do is keep the surrounding muscles strong and supportive with regular exercise. Good luck!

Vegas47

I have really bad knees as well, I heard that balancing exercises are good for strengthening the muscles that support your knees. I have started doing these, but will be keeping my eye on this post for any other suggestions. Its hard working out with bad knees, really limits what you can do

forestdancers

According to my Tia Chi instructor Tia Chi is a form of exercise that will strengthen the muscles that support the joints without putting too much strain on the joints themselves. It also will teach you how to stand and walk in a way that will improve hip, knee and foot pain.

It is not a heavy hitting exercise for calories burned but it is a mind body exercise that will leave long lasting effects.

anubis609

Joints unfortunately don't gain strength as tendons can't gain mass. But the muscles that surround the joints can be strengthened in order to ease the strain on joints themselves. It's mostly the quads that do a lot of leg work when exercising, along with strengthening the whole lower leg group of calves, hamstrings, and glutes can help with lower body function.

Also, don't overexert yourself if you feel the onset of pain. Keep proper posture and form for any exercise you do. If you end up shifting body position because you're trying to finish the routine vs. trying to finish as much of the routine you can do properly, can further damage your joints. Do what you can and work on strengthening the muscles and you should be able to feel a difference over time. But, once a joint's busted, it'll never be the same. Ever.

ayalarob

One exercise that helps me a lot when I have knee problems is doing squads they make your quadriceps stronger and that makes your knee more stable.

DianaPowerUp

Strength training has helped me dramatically! My knees were so bad (from yrs of overuse/running etc) that they would sometimes just give out on me, or if I walked down a hill, pain would shoot through them and they'd buckle. I've been doing strength training for about 3 mos. now, and for the first time in YEARS, I can now do step classes again, and jog a bit. I'm careful with my movements (esp. lateral), but I find that the more strength I have in my leg muscles, the less problems my knees gives me. Good luck!

JMun

I have bad knee's AND I'm obese AND I run. Yikes! :noway:

I take daily joint pain supplements (Lakota) that has glucosamine. I have a good pair of running shoes. I tensor my knee's while exercising. Ice them when I'm done. Most importantly I let them rest when they're hurting. I ran 6km yesterday so today I let them rest. Tomorrow I'll probably do a recumbent stationary bike but will keep my weight off them so that hopefully on Wednesday I can run again

NoExcuseTina

I recommend seeing a doctor to verify if the issue is because it is bone on bone (that is what normally causes knee replacements). If that is not the case, the doctor might send you to therapy which is where you will learn the correct strength exercises (depending on what is causing the pain).

For example, my pain was caused because I am knock kneed, so I had to strengthen my outer thigh muscles to keep my knee cap from tracking correctly.

Another thing that helped me is taking joint support supplements (Glucosamine, Chondroitin and MSM)...not sure if it is mental or physical, but it worked for me!!!!

Hope this helps!

aflane

Strength training, strength training and then more strength training. I have had some major knee injuries in my clumsy youth, and at one point was told that I probably wouldn't be able to walk without a significant limp due to damaging the knee cap (this was at 15 or so). My brother set me up with a training program to strengthen the muscles surrounding the knee caps (leg extensions, curls, leg press, etc), thereby taking the strain off the knee joints. 3 yrs ago I took a bad fall and slammed my 'good' knee into the sidewalk, shredding the ligaments and doing cartilege damage (yet again). The orthopedist asked if I was having any arthritis issues in my knees due to the scars that I bear. Arthoscopic (sp?) surgery was required for that injury. I'm now 47 and still no limp. Maybe I'll limp when I'm 90.

Belle_Fille

what kind of dr should i make an appointment with? just like our family doctor?

Belle_Fille

I recommend seeing a doctor to verify if the issue is because it is bone on bone (that is what normally causes knee replacements). If that is not the case, the doctor might send you to therapy which is where you will learn the correct strength exercises (depending on what is causing the pain).

For example, my pain was caused because I am knock kneed, so I had to strengthen my outer thigh muscles to keep my knee cap from tracking correctly.

Another thing that helped me is taking joint support supplements (Glucosamine, Chondroitin and MSM)...not sure if it is mental or physical, but it worked for me!!!!

Hope this helps!

im totally knock kneed! i was told (when i was like 15) that eventually they would have to break both knees to correct them! Ive been putting it off because i have kids, and a busy life! and i didnt think it was really bothering me! i totally chalked it up to bad genes from my father!

guess it might be time to get that fixed!

tatiana_13

I'd definitely see a doctor. But although it may not solve your immediate problem...it may give you hope: weight loss will help. I have "bad knees" that were helped alot by weight loss. It may simply be a combination of poor conditioning + bad knees + weight + bad form that is giving your knees a run for their money. A careful look at all of these things will probably be beneficial!

mdbauman

what kind of dr should i make an appointment with? just like our family doctor?

Yep. That's who I saw. He checked them out, took an x-ray for precautionary purposes, and sent me to a physical therapist to learn about how the knee works, proper posture in general to minimize knee stress, and of course the strengthening exercises I needed to be doing. (All the squats and lunges being suggested by others were already WAY to painful to do at this point.)

I'm pretty much pain-free at this point, but I don't do the 30-day shred anymore. Rather I opt for pilates (with and without the ball) and calisthenics for strength and using a recumbent bike for cardio.

Good luck!