Knee Injury is a big life changer

egiggy73
egiggy73 Posts: 22 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all,
I used to maintain my weight by walking 30-40 min 2x per day. Suddenly 3 months ago I developed torn cartlidge (not meniscus) in my knee. Being that I couldn't' walk or bike, I quickly became depressed and gained 20 lbs...so I am now 222 for a 5'9" athletic female. Thanks to this program, I have turned around my thinking, am am tracking my calories...and am finding that swimming is a good calorie burner. I also lift weights (arms and upper legs) at the gym. Does anyone have any ideas on what I can do from home? Sometimes, after a long day (at work and with a baby) I would like to just stay home and do some calisthenics. Physical therapy is too painful at the moment, and surgery may, or may not, be right around the corner. Thanks for reading this! I'd love to hear your story or moral support too!

Replies

  • nz_deevaa
    nz_deevaa Posts: 12,209 Member
    I had two tears in the cartilage under my kneecap fixed at the end of Feb. I could ride a bike, so I did that and I did upper body weights with a personal trainer. There are a lot of body weight stuff you can do at home, leg raisers are good for your hip flexors, planks, push-ups, wall squats (if they don't hurt) etc
  • Shadowsan
    Shadowsan Posts: 365 Member
    I hate planks!

    But yeah, to echo previous statements - had a full knee reconstruction at the end of april and have now gotten to the point where things are coming together and i'm allowed to run.

    Good rehabilitation exercises include:

    Hydrotherapy classes
    half squats
    leg raises
    hamstring curls (be gentle!)
    straight leg deadlifts (again, gentle!)
    And a bunch of upper body stuff, with cycling included.

    Once your knee starts feeling a little better, it's onto ellipticals.

    My recommendation however is if you're not sure about your knee, get it looked at ASAP. Don't leave it 2 years like I did and live with it, taping it up to play rugby every week. That's BAD. Lol!
  • info_nrs
    info_nrs Posts: 102 Member
    Your story could be mine!!! Although I've had 3 knee surgeries and 1 hip (all torn cartledge). Do NOT let it go, sitting around will not fix it. PT is absolutely necessary, you need to work your way back to normally activity because without strengthening all the supporting mucles, structures, etc. it's not going to 'fix itself'. So simple exercises go a long way to rehab a knee but walking and biking are very basic and should be part of any knee rehab program. Find yourself a good doc (not necessarily a surgeon, but a good place to start is Sports Medicine), but don't ignore it!!!!
  • unlocke
    unlocke Posts: 149
    Just came out of my 3rd knee surgery in February. Hiking was my drug of choice, but that is out of the question for right now, so I've taken up riding bikes and doing lots of upper body strengthening until I'm able to go back up the mountain. I still can't walk through Wal-Mart without major knee swelling and pain.

    It is extremely frustrating to be ready in your mind, but your body won't cooperate like you need it to. Just find whatever workaround you can, while your mind is still in gear.

    Modify whatever exercises you like to do. Also, SLOWLY work on strengthening the muscles around the knee. Straight leg raises (lying down or standing), mini-squats, stationary bike and swimming are all great. Good luck!!! :smile:
  • egiggy73
    egiggy73 Posts: 22 Member
    Thanks for the advice, i'll do the leg lifts and aqua jogging. What is hydrotherapy?
    Since i re-injured myself doing leg press with minimal weight...i'll wait on leg exercises with weights until I see the ortho surgeon next week.

    Knee injuries really suck, but I'm learning its not the end of the world. :)

    I've also started doing modified pilates, like leg circles. but kneeling is not possible yet, so yoga is mostly out.
  • nz_deevaa
    nz_deevaa Posts: 12,209 Member
    Yeah, I still can't kneel.
  • Shadowsan
    Shadowsan Posts: 365 Member
    Thanks for the advice, i'll do the leg lifts and aqua jogging. What is hydrotherapy?
    Since i re-injured myself doing leg press with minimal weight...i'll wait on leg exercises with weights until I see the ortho surgeon next week.

    Knee injuries really suck, but I'm learning its not the end of the world. :)

    I've also started doing modified pilates, like leg circles. but kneeling is not possible yet, so yoga is mostly out.

    Hydrotherapy - things like working on balance whilst in the water, walking in the water, water jogging, water cycling (using floats) etc. Then as you improve, gentle swimming etc. It's good!
  • talkytina9
    talkytina9 Posts: 22 Member
    I feel for you..I had a bucket handle tore meniscus..and tore acl..but because at the time I was uninsured..I had to wait six months of pain..a slight limp..and not being able to straighten my leg all the way..and when I was finally able to have the surgery to repair it..they had to remove some cartlage removed from my knee..and had months of physical therapy to help fix the problem..I still have problems straightening my leg..where it should be 0 straight..and 360 when bent..it is at a 1 straight..but I can bend it all the way..with no problems though..I am so scared to run or jog even though I have been given the green light by my doctor..but because of this..but I walk 2 -4 miles a day..and have a huge flight of stairs to contend with..and I think the constant stair climbing has helped strengthen my knee muscles and issues the most..
  • kathyszoo
    kathyszoo Posts: 311 Member
    If you enjoy yoga, there are several chair yoga videos on youtube. None are very long, but I combine a few, so there is variety. Not as challenging as regular yoga but it's something that won't hurt your knee. I'm laid up right now due to recent foot surgery so chair exercises are a life saver for me! Otherwise, I'd go stir crazy since I can't even walk right now!
  • dalehall64
    dalehall64 Posts: 290 Member
    Thanks for this thread!! I just did something to my knee during Insanity this week and now, just walking down the hall makes it swell. I was going ask what type of low impact stuff I could do while I'm seeing if this is just being banged up from Insanity or an actual injury, All I had to do was read your thread to get a lot of answers.. Good look in your recouperation to everyone with the knee issues!! And, Thanks again.
    Dale
  • hougt
    hougt Posts: 1,088
    My recommendation however is if you're not sure about your knee, get it looked at ASAP. Don't leave it 2 years like I did and live with it, taping it up to play rugby every week. That's BAD. Lol!
    I did the same on the tear on my patella tendon until I couldn't push in a scrum any more, finally got it operated on but piled on 3 stone
  • Shadowsan
    Shadowsan Posts: 365 Member
    My recommendation however is if you're not sure about your knee, get it looked at ASAP. Don't leave it 2 years like I did and live with it, taping it up to play rugby every week. That's BAD. Lol!
    I did the same on the tear on my patella tendon until I couldn't push in a scrum any more, finally got it operated on but piled on 3 stone

    Welcome to my world. I put on 2 and a half stone and mine got so bad that I was sat on a sofa on christmas day, and it locked up solid and I couldn't bend it or straighten it out again. Paramedics on christmas day. Fun.
  • egiggy73
    egiggy73 Posts: 22 Member
    Thanks guys. Sorry to hear about all your injuries, but i think it is great to vent/commiserate and get moral support on this website. I'm glad I posted, because I learned from y'all some new exercises. I'll try to find some videos on hydrotherapy and chair yoga! Thanks for the ideas! I've started climbing stairs the last couple weeks, but squats are still a no no.

    Again, this site is great, because I've lost 4 lbs this last week by tracking calories. It's amazing to see how much of my baby's food I was snacking on while feeding her. now, I will try to get in 15 minutes of walking here and there...to boost my mood., as sitting all day in a house, is the worst!

    When I had a hip injury 5 years ago, i actually got a used wheelchair, so my husband could wheel me outside in the nice weather and walk the dog.

    good luck with all your recoveries. and feel free to 'friend' me if you need a weight loss pal!

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