Need modified lifting advice please

PLUMSGRL

So I saw the Ortho MD today. He reviewed the xrays and said I had mild osteoarthritis, but the pain I've been having is from the chrondromalcia (softening and roughing of the cartilage). He said the standard treatment was exercise (woot woot) to strengthen the supporting muscle, but to lay off squats, lunges, step ups ect (wtf?) and do leg extensions and curls.
He also gave me a steroid shot to each knee and gave me a script for a topical NSAID to manage the pain while exercising.

So my question is this (for peeps with similar condition):

What modified moves could I try to strengthen the quads and biceps? What have you tried that works? Oh, before you say "do what the doctor said", leg extensions actually put MORE strain on my knees than squats, but I will be doing the bicep curls.
I'm looking for slow steady gains ~

hdsqrl

Hi, my friend. I'm with you on the knee pain with leg extensions, and I'd honestly be tempted to go visit a physical therapist, armed with the doctor's report and ask for suggestions you can do instead. I've always been told those leg extensions are primarily used to isolate and build those specific muscles, rather than to strengthen joints, but of course I'm not a doctor, so take that with a grain of salt. Still, I CAN agree that those things kill my knees and I've stopped doing them in favor of doing gentle squats and such instead.

Obviously I'm no help at all on this, heh.

But! I did want to suggest a couple of supplements you may want to ask your doctor about. They have made a HUGE difference for me - I was in a car wreck 20 yrs ago that smashed both of my ankles, so in both ankles I have plates and screws, etc. I don't have great flexibility in either one, and they tend to swell and be sore with changes in the weather, etc. I've been taking Glucosamine & Chondroitin with MSM, and also Hyaluronic Acid - both are available from the Vitamin Shoppe, for sure. I honestly can't tell you when the last time was that I woke up with joint pain, and it used to be a daily thing for me. I can't help but wonder if either or both might help you as well, and enable you to start doing squats, etc, again, you know? Does your doc have a nurse who can answer phone calls about these sorts of things?


(edited to fix typos)

PLUMSGRL

The specific muscles (and tendons) do support the joint with the range of motion and act as stabilizers. And the Doc did say if I wasn't having much success, he would re-evaluate me and set me up the the Sports Medicine department for PT in 4 weeks. I'd just like to be able to do it on my own if possible, since I don't want to have to go to a bunch of appointments.
I'm not much of a pill taker (I turned down oral pain meds), but I have been taking the Osteo Bi-Flex advanced. I'm not consistent with it (3-4 times a week instead of daily). I'm the same way with the vitamins and other supplements.
Thanks for the ideas, I'll look for the hyaluronic acid to see if that helps...also will look for liquid stuff maybe put it in protein shake?

hdsqrl

That's a good idea about the liquid...no clue if it comes in that form, but if it helps you to be more consistent with things, all the better. If it weren't for my husband, I'd be inconsistent too - bless his heart, every morning he portions out pills for both of us before he leaves for work. His instructions are to take one compartment every couple of hours, but I always end up eating whatever's chewable in there with breakfast and then downing all the rest in the afternoon at one time, hah. He fusses at me about doing that, but at least I'm getting them in, right?

Anyway, the end result is that I'm taking this stuff regularly and it really is helping. I hope you're able to find something that helps you, too!

TeslaJoule

Hi Plumsgrl!

Here's my experience-I had 9 kneecap dislocations which tore tendons and ligaments and ripped the cartilage off the back of my kneecaps. I also have a crack in one kneecap. I had 2 reconstructive knee surgeries by the time I was 16. So, I understand joint pain!

I learned all the exercises to strengthen my legs in PT so I would push your doc to let you go to PT. You only need 2-3 sessions to learn all the exercises so you can do them at home. So it doesn't have to be a huge commitment. It would be VERY worth your while. Some examples that I can remember from PT are leg raises (straight, toes in, and then toes out), calf extensions with resistance bands, step-downs rather than ups, (ups come later), using a swiss-ball against a wall to do squats, etc. But I only have experience with the lower half, sorry! Those are all the ones I can think of right now.

In reality, once you get some strength from the modified stuff, moving on to the classic stuff is a LOT easier and you should be able to do it. I'm am FLABBERGASTED that your doc said NOT to do those things but SUGGESTED leg extensions. Leg extensions are super hard on the knee and are especially bad for women because of the angle our legs due to larger hips. They can cause MORE inflammation and put serious, unnecessary stress on the joints. FLABBERGASTED. I would go get a second opinion!!! Even one PT visit would be beneficial.

Best of luck! I can give you more details if you want, just message me. Hope you're back to your best soon!