When should my knees start feeling better/stronger?

PippaJo_

Okay, so I've been doing some regular daily exercise for a couple of weeks now - I didn't want to jump right into doing any of Jillian's workouts, because so many people say how it kills their knees.

I'm only about 30 pounds overweight, but lately my knees have been feeling - not sore, but 'stressed'. Old. They've always crackled and popped when I bend them, but without pain. But I didn't like the 'stressed' feeling, so I decided it was time to lose the weight.

I've been using the Leslie Sansone 3-mile walk workout because it's what I had on hand - and it feels like a pretty good workout to me, I'm always sweating and glad to be finished at the end. I don't phone it in. Now, with the side-steps and kick-backs, she encourages you to get deep in the knees to really work them, and I always do. I'm always careful to warm up, and to cool down and stretch properly afterward too.

My knees don't hurt *while* I'm working out. I don't feel like I'm injuring myself or anything. But.

When I get up in the morning, I'm SO stiff, and just going down my stairs seems like a dangerous idea....I really have to focus on what I'm doing to be sure my knees won't suddenly give out on me. Again, they're not 'painful', but they really do feel *worked*......every dang day. I thought that they'd be getting stronger by now, and this wouldn't be an issue, especially with the same workout.

Also, if I put my hands on my knees while I'm working out, bending them deeply - I can feel that rattling and popping in there like crazy - I'm really concerned that even though it doesn't hurt now, if I'm not careful, I might end up doing myself an injury - just by trying to get healthier.



So, should I have started feeling stronger by now, or am I just jumping the gun? How much longer should I expect to have wimpy knees? Is there anything I can do for them to get them stronger so they don't feel weak, and I won't inadvertently injure myself? (No gym machines available, unfortunately.)

cpar621

Your knees aren't muscles, so they don't get "stronger." If you're having knee pain you might be performing your exercises in a position that is putting strain on your knees. If your knee itself is hurting you should see a physical therapist because you might be making the problem worse. If you're not feeling sharp pains in your knees, you might be having muscle pains in the muscles surrounding your knee, which is that dull ache it sounds like you're having in the morning. I'm an avid runner and my husband (who is a physical therapist) and I are training for a marathon, so we KNOW knee pain. Here are some things that we do to lessen aches and pains:

Don't stretch too much before you work out. Light stretching is ok to get your muscles warmed up, but too much could actually put you at risk of injury. Think your muscles as rubber bands. You wouldn't stretch a rubber band continuously to its limit before you use it to hold something together...your muscles are the same way. Natural tension in your muscles is important for protecting your joints when you're doing high impact workouts.

ICE ICE ICE! Ice every day after you work out. My husband and I have specific ziploc bags for this, and rolls and rolls of plastic wrap. You can hold the bags in place on your knees, ankles, or anywhere else by wrapping around it with plastic wrap.

Another great ice trick is to fill dixie cups with water and freeze them. Then when you get home, sit on a towel and massage your aching parts with the cup-shaped ice cube! It feels great.

You also want to do adequate stretching every night after a workout, about 25-30 minutes.

joannegabl

ICE ICE ICE! Ice every day after you work out.

Great advice!! :happy:

I specifically saw a sports medicine doctor and the knee pain has not come back. He had me doing physical therapy, icing, electro therapy, and massage therapy. My problem was that I didn't work the front and back of my legs evenly causing strain on the tendons. Plus, I had a tight IT Band. I got 12 sessions, insurance covered it, and haven't been back since because I know now how to take care of myself.

~ Joanne

bregalad5

Have you talked to your doctor about this? I would definitely speak with him/her ASAP and get a referral to either physical therapy or an orthopedic surgeon to get them checked out.

Have they ever gone out on you? Like dislocated or anything like that? Cracking and popping is usually a symptom of a larger underlying issue like the one I have (subluxing patellas - my kneecaps pop out).

You aren't going to strenthen your knees, per se, but you can strengthen the muscles in your legs, which will help your knees feel stronger and will help you get around easier.

I totally know what you mean about stairs. I can run 5ks but can't go up and down stairs without feeling like I'm going to fall over. Some days I nearly fall over while just walking. It takes time and a lot of patience to get the hang of exercising with bum knees, but please don't give up! Find a good doctor, get diagnosed (if there is some sort of issue), get a nice brace that gives you the right amount of support while also the ability to move properly, and get to it!

Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like a little extra motivation from someone with serious knee problems

PippaJo_

Thanks, everyone!

It's definitely the muscles, not tendons (at the moment) - I suppose technically it's the lower quads right above the knee, and the muscles that run down on the sides of the knees.

I think I will definitely ice my knees after working out, just as a precaution. I'll go look for some good icing materials today.

My knees have never 'gone out' - the only injury they've ever really had is I twisted my left knee while skiing about 17 years ago, and I've occasionally fallen on them while figure skating, but none of that seemed to cause lasting injury. My knees have crackled and popped since I was a child - I first noticed it around 11 years old, just a 'criiiiik, criiiiik' whenever I bent them. Couldn't even really 'feel' it unless I focused on it. That crackling has become louder and more noticeable over the years, is all.

I always, always stretch after working out - in fact, that's my favorite part. I used to be quite flexible, and I miss it and want to get back to it.

anikab

This is an interesting topic because I've had the same sort of issues with my knees. I'm only 27, so I figure mine stems from all the weight I gained during my pregnancies. I started out at 110 before my first, then ended up gaining 55lbs with her, then got back down to 130 before the 2nd baby and gained 51lbs with her. Now I'm back down but my knees are not strong at all and sometimes I feel like they're gonna snap right under me during workouts its weird. they don't hurt ever, but they pop when doing squats, etc. Is this how you feel too?

DopeItUp

My knees, ankles and shoulders crackle and pop all day long. I don't think there's a whole lot you can do if you're not experiencing pain, swelling or actual performance issues.

vs1023

If it's on the outer portion of your knee I'd recommend a foam roller along your IT band. I used to get knee pain and an ortho wanted to do surgery. I went to a chiro and learned all about massage therapy, stretching, using heat versus ice and the chiro did a great job at straightening me out. Now I can anticipate issues before they arise.