arthritis in knees

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mjj79
mjj79 Posts: 415 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have pretty severe arthritis in my knees. I'm not experiencing a ton of pain, but i've been told (based on xrays) that it's really bad and i need to refrain from making it worse. NOt supposed to do squats, lunges, running ... pretty much can't do the stuff i love and the stuff that works:/ Gonna finish up my p90x (cuz i'm stubborn) but was told i shouldn't do that either.

Any recommendations? I don't want to go to something so easy that my body laughs at me....

I'm too young to be dealing with this :(
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Replies

  • BRANDYGR8MOVES
    BRANDYGR8MOVES Posts: 87 Member
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    ive got the same issue but i push thru the pain cause the more i move them the better they feel i just do low impact on my cardio videos sometimes you have to modify to what feels better for you
  • Runner50266
    Runner50266 Posts: 66
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    That's interesting. I just had an MRI this week and got the same news. And I run. Swimming is always great. You can even run in the water. The majority of my arthritis is right behind my knee cap. I got a steroid shot but all that does is reduce inflammation and pain for a while. The thing that will really help it is getting off this weight I have.
  • AmyLRed
    AmyLRed Posts: 894 Member
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    there isnt too much you can do to help, as far as i know, but i have both a crooked kneecap/tendon and some early arthritis. a good knee brace really helps me stabilize and relieves some discomfort, and after i workout, an antiinflamatory (before it really starts hurting) and sometimes ice it for the inflammation.
  • AmyLRed
    AmyLRed Posts: 894 Member
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    also, the ortho doc told me i should start cycling. Next spring i will buy a new bike.
  • hsrunningmom
    hsrunningmom Posts: 126 Member
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    My doc suggested swimming and biking when I got the news.
  • cannonsky
    cannonsky Posts: 850 Member
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    my husband has RA... he says he has less issues with it when he's active... so.... yeah... I dunno.
  • Topsking2010
    Topsking2010 Posts: 2,245 Member
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    I have the same problem and my doctor also told me to stop running. I made a decision to cycle instead and focus on strength training. I will listen to my body and continue to exercise except for running. I do feel alot better since I stopped running and I also do the Arc Trainer,eliptical and stairmaster.

    My guess is reaching your goal weight will also relieve stress on your knees.


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  • fitnessgal1318
    fitnessgal1318 Posts: 70
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    I have significant osteoarthritis in my right knee. I am a long time runner and was training for a half marathon when I really messed it up. After some great PT, a synvisc injection and some initial rest there are alot of things I am able to still do. I cycle, take spinning classes, use the elliptical machines and strength train regularly. Some folks can get back to running but I think that might not be the case for me as I'm feeling pretty good now and wish I had listened to my body a while back. Listen to your body and seek out help if you need it. Good luck!
  • LeggyKettleBabe
    LeggyKettleBabe Posts: 300 Member
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    I had what the doctors called "crunchy knees" you could hear and feel the joints grinding together. When I started out with a personal trainer he told me I couldnt do any squats or machines. I bought a kettlebell, i experimented with knee angles to see how or if I could squat without pain. I squatted 6 weeks and my knees are much better. Now I squat with 40lbs instead of 10lbs. Sometimes my knees will hurt on the elliptical

    I guess im saying, experiment and dont give up.
  • LeggyKettleBabe
    LeggyKettleBabe Posts: 300 Member
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    I have the same problem and my doctor also told me to stop running. I made a decision to cycle instead and focus on strength training. I will listen to my body and continue to exercise except for running. I do feel alot better since I stopped running and I also do the Arc Trainer,eliptical and stairmaster.

    My guess is reaching your goal weight will also relieve stress on your knees.


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    Totally agree on the weight loss, im 40lbs lighter now Im sure my knees are praising god for that LOL
  • nitepagan
    nitepagan Posts: 205 Member
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    What are you eating and drinking, natural foods or is it diet soda and a lot of high fructose corn sugar. Eliminate NutraSweet/aspartame and HFCS from your diet and see how you are in six months. HFCS is in almost everything, so you have to read the labels. Might not be the answer, but is a step in getting healthy. Natural foods don't have those ingredients in them, so make stuff from scratch, healthy lifestyle. or was there another reason you joined MFP. Lighten up on the extreme sports. You can get the same level of exercise riding a bicycle including the runners high, something I used to do, a long time ago. If you don't take care of the knees and hips, you will be having replacement surgery in the future and it won't be a fun time. My father had knee replacement surgery and they cut the bone in the wrong place, so one leg was longer than the other for the rest of his life. He lived to be 89.
  • brickhouse76
    brickhouse76 Posts: 146
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    I have the same problem... I'm also looking for suggestions.
  • MelStren
    MelStren Posts: 457 Member
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    I have arthritis in both knees. I find that walking and staying active helps with the pain and swelling. I avoid all impact activites, (except the walking) and wear good shoes when I do walk. I actually found that wearing a good pair of hiking boots was easiest on my knees! With the extra support around my ankle, I don't get as much twisting and pulling in my knees.
  • mjj79
    mjj79 Posts: 415 Member
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    All great suggestions. Thank you! I too have found they actually hurt less when I'm active. I just don't want to further damage them.
  • RobynMWilson
    RobynMWilson Posts: 1,540 Member
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    Wow you can't even do squats where you stick your butt out and make sure your knees stay on top of your ankle? Plie squats, modified cardio to low impact (like Turbo Jam or Turbo Fire, which can all be modified to low impact and do plies in place of standard squats). And I would stop P90X...either listen to the doc now or put yourself out of the working out game forever...
  • Heather_Rider
    Heather_Rider Posts: 1,159 Member
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    an elliptical is very easy on the joints. I researched for about 3 months before i bought anything because i also have bad knees. Ive been using mine for awhile now, and no pain in the knees! Love it!
  • Kathy53925
    Kathy53925 Posts: 241 Member
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    Warm water aerobics and walking. I have OA in most joints including my spine and both knees, and also RA which is a totally different type of Arthritis and a hellofalot more painful and destructive. My Dr told me water, walking, cycling. You can use the strap on type weights to add resistance.

    I bought a recumbent bike recently, but haven't gotten the chance to use it yet.
  • ambitious01
    ambitious01 Posts: 209 Member
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    I know a bunch about it myself. Exercise is my treatment. I deal with a back tho.:smile:
  • californiagirl1950
    californiagirl1950 Posts: 913 Member
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    I have had a knee replacement 8 years ago and the other knee is arthritis bound. I love the elliptical with the duel seat for stationary biking. I once in awhile feel some pain in my knee on the elliptical, but nothing like when walking. I agree, movement is very important. if I don't do anything, I am even stiffer. Good luck to you.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
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    bump...I am also dealing with knee pain. Very helpful to hear all these experiences and ideas.

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