Knee injury..

ivanaelly

Hey guys:)
Well I've gone and injuried my knees at my RPM class and have been out of action for 3 weeks as my knees are still start to hurt if i walk around for a long period of time.


Here's the pickle..
What exercises can i do now?

I tried abit of swimming for a half hour and my knees hurt abit the next day,
my physio recommended it, how long would i have to swim for each week to see results?

kcgslp

How about Mat Pilates?

engineman312

I swam in college and loved it. You can see results from 30 minutes a day, but my practices tan up to two hours. Obviously interval training, and you need to build up to that. Look for beginner swimming work outs. And dint get discouraged. Swimming is a full body exercise,.and unlike running or cycling, you can't suck in air to your lungs whenever you want.

If your knee is hurting, you are probably kicking wrong. Try using your thigh muscles more,.and just slightly bend your knees less if you are doing freestyle. Also, try the breast stroke as an excellent rest stroke. Look online fire videos displaying proper stroke technique. Concentrate on form first, the length of exercise and calories burned will come soon enough, and before you know out, I'll bet you're going to start doing triathlons!

cubsgirlinny

Sorry you're not feeling your best. YOGA, but with a good instructor who will help and work with your injury to include any required modifications. A yoga class with fluid movement (vinyasa) rather than holding poses (hatha) works best when dealing with injuries.

krypt5

Rowing. You don't need your legs for that.

mindlemoo

If it's the weight on your knee that bothers it maybe try a flat stationary bike, where your knees are out in front of you, with low resistance instead of an upright one where you'd be pushing down with your knees...

If it's the bending that bothers it, maybe low impact tredmil might be ok in short intervals.

I'm not sure aobut swimming. My legs are always sore after swimming but maybe like a water aerobics class or something would work.

engineman312

Your physical therapist or doctor recommended swimming for rehabilitating you knee; jury had the added benefit off being am excellent cardio exercise. Cycling is also good as is Rowing, but they both involve bending your knees, which your doctor may want you to avoid for now.

LoserMom_3

I broke my knee skiing a few years ago and while in physical therapy learned a lot of great exercises. Definintely check out a stationary / recumbent bike. Not the upright/tall ones - at least not at first. Focus on slow rotationsl keep the muscle around the knees strong.
Also, lay on your stomach w/ your lower half hanging off of a bed. Slowly bring your legs up and then down flat . It works your thighs because you can't have your legs just swing down hard, you gotta go slow. I still do this one
If you go to the gym, leg curls are great if you use the machine properly.
Elliptical machines are wonderful, and my favorite because of my "bad" knee. I do run a bit now, but it took a LONG time, and i still can't run on uneven surfaces well. However, I can burn just as many or more calories on the elliptical with virtually no impact on my knees.
After each workout, ice your knees for 10 minutes.
good luck

zeeeb

i take glucosamine every day for my knees. and it's kept them functioning pretty well (as far as dodgy knees go).

I also take Mag Phos (tissue salts) and flaxseed oil when my knees are giving me trouble.

I've been exercising now consistently since christmas, and have managed to get through the 9 months so far without having to take any time off due to knee problems. Which is some what of a miracle for me.

They do get achy, but so far are holding up pretty well, and recovering quickly when i strain them.

CoachNYLA

If you are still hurting that bad and you are not getting better, I would get another eval from your physical therapist (if you have one).

Also, are you stretching and icing the knees? Tight low backs and glutes (buttocks) and hamstrings can really effect the knees and also, what kind of foot gear are you wearing? Also, it would not hurt to stretch our your hip flexors and calves.

If you have old sneakers or shoes (over 8-12 months old) you may want to look at getting new good supportive pair of foot gear.

...and yes, non weightbearing exercise (out of gravity) will keep the pain down but again, if you are working on top of an injury, you may need to give it some time to heal. Otherwise, you are just re-injuring it and that can cause a serious situation.

Out of gravity as you already know: swimming, recumbant bike, seated machine exercises. No squats especially loaded (I know you know).

What can also help assess the situation is to know what body mechanics were involved when you injured them. It can help in knowing the approach in post rehab strength training.

Injured knees are not something to play with. Lastly, as I mentioned Ice will probably be your best friend, if the area is inflamed which sounds like the case, heat can retard the healing process. When inflamed use ice, when stiff, use heat. Pretty much that is the protocal for that.

If you wondering why I am this descriptive, it's because I am a trainer who specializes in orthopedics and have a business partner who is a sports medicine doc/PHD.

Hope you get bettter.

CoachNYLA