Anyone get a knee injury from doing Insanity?

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tinyliz
tinyliz Posts: 38 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I just started Insanity last thursday and absolutely love it. Unfortunetly I had to stop because of my right knee; it is bruised and very sore. I was just wondering if anyone else had any knee troubles after doing the Insanity. I am a runner and very use to the impact it has on your knees but have never experience this pain in my knee before. There is allot of Polymetrics and I am not use to all of that. How do you know how serious the injury is without getting an MRI? This will be my second day not working out and I hate it and if anyone has any ideas of some cardio I can do that won't hurt my knee worse I would love to hear about it. Thanx
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Replies

  • Cina04
    Cina04 Posts: 609
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    Never got a Knee Injury.

    Are you landing on your knees? One time I slammed my knee on the floor cause i wasn't paying attention and it got bruised a little.
    I usually watch my form though and make sure my knees don't go over my toes.

    My husband hurt his knee paying softball/running - I kept telling him for a year to go to the Dr (He knew he probably needed a MRI because the stuff the Sick Call Dr's were giving him didn't do much) Finally this yer he went and yep he needed Knee Surgery!

    So I say if you feel it's something major (especially to be asking in forums) you should go see your Dr.
  • irishfeker
    irishfeker Posts: 5
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    Hey Tiny Liz!!!!!!
    I have had crucial ligaments torn in both knees from sports and eight operations later the only way to not hurt your knee again is by stretches must important before exercise on all aspects of the leg. stay away from tread mills if you can till you heal these will only prevent it from healing the highly recommended way of healing your knee is cycling if on a stationary bike keep the load level low and get more revolutions going then increase the load after 5 minutes as far as you can take it and ease off the load and restart again at it till your done. But make sure you stretch out well after you’re finished in no time you should be pain free as muscle around the knee will heal fast. If it’s a bang it will bruise and usually that’s all it is. If swollen around back or sides you more than likely have a ligament torn. Get a physio to have a look there usually pretty good and less hardship than an MRI unless it’s serious. Hope this helps and you get better soon you.
  • leslieheb
    leslieheb Posts: 45 Member
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    I have also heard that if you are doing any exercise you need to make sure that you are pivoting your feet to protect your knees. When I was in college I had a great wellness program provided by the university and the trainers gave us lots of tips to protect us as we did our thing. so make sure you are picking up your feet or and not keep them in place while your turn witch will protect those knees. Hope it gets to feeling better. I am really thinking about jumping into insanity and so I am glad to hear that you are enjoying it.
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
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    I just completed a round of Insanity August 28th. It was very hard on my knees. To the point that I couldn't go run often during the 63 day program. The plyo days were the worst. I had to take Motrin and Aleve Gel Caps almost daily to get through it. i'm 40 years old and still 40 pounds over my goal weight, so it was tough. I hope you can make it through, but yeah it's rough.

    Now we're doing a hybrid of P90X and Insanity, so I can get a few days rest for my knees.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
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    Are you wearing good, supportive shoes? Are you making sure that when you do things such as squats or lunges (especially the plyometric ones does in fast succession) that your knees are not extending past your toes?

    I have never injured my knees during Insanity, but often times when you get an injury it is caused by incorrect form.

    I personally had sore calves everyday from Insanity because Shaun T. doesn't adequately stretch them afterwards.
  • tinyliz
    tinyliz Posts: 38 Member
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    Thanks for that. It's not swallen. It is very bruised and has a num tingly feeling going through it. I did go to the doctors and they took an xray and saw nothing. So they were going to an MRI but couldn't because I have a dermal peircing and can't take it out. So they are sending me to an orthopedic doctor. So I can do a stationary bike? I miss my cardio and feel like a bum when Im not doing it.
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
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    The shoes are important, but I've found that using Polysorb insoles in my shoes have helped a great deal with Insanity and with my jogging.

    Yeah, for now you can do the stationary bike at a good intensity. Don't get on there like some folks do and read a book. :tongue:
  • inkedsteele
    inkedsteele Posts: 2
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    I just finished one round of Insanity. I am also a graduate of P90X. I have lost 65 lbs between the two programs and I also teach Turbo Kick 4-5 days a week. I never had any Plyo problems during P90X or the first phase of Insanity. It wasn't until the middle of the second month of Insanity that my knees started bothering me. It has started to become a problem recently and I am researching some new shoe choices for this reason. Insanity is VERY hard on the knees in the Plyometrics moves. Two things that are a MUST for Insanity...high grade, high quality cross training shoes and your FORM! The jumps, squats, and lunges all put tremendous pressure on the knees! Watch your form and sit back in your squats! If the burn is just above the knee..look down because you will see your knee is in front of your toe. The burning should be in hamstrings, quads, and flutes...not your knees. Exercise smart...if it hurts....STOP! Biggest error I have seen with Insanity is it DOES NOT incorporate proper stretching after an hour of elite athlete type conditioning. Hope this helps..
  • EgyptianMushroom
    EgyptianMushroom Posts: 341 Member
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    I'm not doing insanity (Jillian junkie!) but my knees are always giving me problems. Invest in a good knee brace. I have a Mueller brace ($14 at Wal-mart) that has springs to support the knee and patella (knee cap).

    I can't do simple lunges or jump without it. Worth every penny.
  • Anomalia
    Anomalia Posts: 506 Member
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    bump
  • TiaRReed
    TiaRReed Posts: 1 Member
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    I have never done insanity, but an struggling with knee issues and need a complete knee replacement. I have to lose the weight before my ortho doc will do the surgery due to my age, and he has told me to ride a stationary nike everyday. I am very limited in what I can do because of my knee, and it is helping quite a bit. I often wish I could more, the bike isn't as rough on my knee as many other exercises.
  • Yohema
    Yohema Posts: 1
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    yes, im on week 2-3 and my knee hurts, even when i walk , it is from the polymetric cd. but just pull thrugh, if it is too bad go see a dr. but i think it is normal, because we jump alot ,and we push it to the limit with that cd... good luck!
  • mclandry89
    mclandry89 Posts: 19 Member
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    I have never had an actual knee injury, but I definitely can feel it after some of the workouts! I did a lot of running before I started Insanity and I think I may have been over working my knee, but I haven't had any bruising. I usually do my Insanity workouts on a yoga mat, so that I have more cushion for when I land.
  • mclandry89
    mclandry89 Posts: 19 Member
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    I just finished one round of Insanity. I am also a graduate of P90X. I have lost 65 lbs between the two programs and I also teach Turbo Kick 4-5 days a week. I never had any Plyo problems during P90X or the first phase of Insanity. It wasn't until the middle of the second month of Insanity that my knees started bothering me. It has started to become a problem recently and I am researching some new shoe choices for this reason. Insanity is VERY hard on the knees in the Plyometrics moves. Two things that are a MUST for Insanity...high grade, high quality cross training shoes and your FORM! The jumps, squats, and lunges all put tremendous pressure on the knees! Watch your form and sit back in your squats! If the burn is just above the knee..look down because you will see your knee is in front of your toe. The burning should be in hamstrings, quads, and flutes...not your knees. Exercise smart...if it hurts....STOP! Biggest error I have seen with Insanity is it DOES NOT incorporate proper stretching after an hour of elite athlete type conditioning. Hope this helps..

    Thanks for this really helpful tip!
  • puckers82
    puckers82 Posts: 200 Member
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    I tweaked a ligament the joins my quad and knee in week 3, i saw a doc who said i could carry on but knock off the big jumping parts. I did so till just over the 1st week of month 2 but it kept playing up ( not helped by my stupid dog keep pulling sometimes and setting it off again) so i have stopped and giving it time to heal properly. I also started doing more walking when my boys went back to school which didn't help.

    I LOVED doing insanity and really miss it but i know letting it heal is the best thing, my doc said it could be upto 6 weeks, which we are at about now and my knee doesn't hurt as much but i can still feel it in my quad at times, more thanks to said stupid dog lol
  • buckmeatball
    buckmeatball Posts: 39 Member
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    My knees did get sore but my back is a TRAINWRECK! After doing insanity twice I had planned on doing a hybrid of P90X and Insanity but I finally had to just take some time off, which is killing me. Do what the DVD says, don't compromise form EVER. I didn't do a good enough job of that. I'm sure the same could be said for knee injuries.
  • Blueberry09
    Blueberry09 Posts: 821 Member
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    I'm not doing insanity (Jillian junkie!) but my knees are always giving me problems. Invest in a good knee brace. I have a Mueller brace ($14 at Wal-mart) that has springs to support the knee and patella (knee cap).

    I can't do simple lunges or jump without it. Worth every penny.

    That's good to know. I've been doing the Shred since spring on and off. I tweaked my right knee two weeks ago during the last couple of days of the 30DS - I'm pretty sure it was improper form during a lunge or squat. I always run some intervals on the treadmill before I start the DVD and the running never bothered it. Once I finished 30DS I started her Burn Fat Boost Metabolism. I wasn't able to do the burpees or the mountain climbers because bending my knee to that point really hurt. I improvised by doing walking pushups and plank jacks instead. For the most part I could get through the workout - even the jumps - with only some mild discomfort until I tweaked my OTHER knee. Obviously I was overcompensating trying to protect one knee and injured the other. I've tried going for walks but even that hurts.

    I'm resting it this week and I guess I'll try the exercise bike for a couple of weeks before getting back to the DVDs. I don't think it's anything too serious but I will get it checked out if it doesn't feel better soon.
  • unlocke
    unlocke Posts: 149
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    I've had 3 knee surgeries (insanity in-between), so I've done lots of research on this issue. THE MOST important thing is to build the muscles that surround the knee.(Google some exercise ideas). If they're not strong or stable enough to do these strenuous exercises, you WILL injure yourself, if you haven't already. You def need to go see a doctor to find out what's going on first. Meanwhile, stationary bike on low resistance (high reps), or elliptical is great for cardio. These two put no strain on the knees.
    Good luck to you. :smile:
  • smasl
    smasl Posts: 1
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    I got to week 7 of Insanity...I had developed pain in both knees for over 2 weeks. The pain was worst when squatting, lunging, going downstairs, etc. As it turns out, I had developed patellofemoral syndrome in both knees from the high impact/pylo. The knee cap wasn't tracking correctly, and would rub against the femur during painful movements. This was as a result of NOT enough stretching. Tight hamstrings, calves, and quads all pulling at their connection on the knee joints. The only place that wasn't tight was my hip flexors. I had faithfully followed all the stretches during and after, but that was not enough for me. I was in reasonable shape before starting Insanity too. I am 20 lbs off ideal bodyweight, and always maintained good form to protect my knees.

    Lesson learned... stretch more. If you have knee pain...get it looked at, and slow down. Unfortunately, Shaun T does not offer many lower impact modifications for any of his workouts, that is my only complaint here.
  • stevegibsonuk
    stevegibsonuk Posts: 1 Member
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    Hi all,

    I have suffered from serious knee problems for the last 6-7 years. I was told by a physio that this was caused by a few years of non activity so when I did start exercising again my quads were not developed enough and my muscles had tightened causing similar problems described above. My knee joint was not being supported properly during the range of movement and causing the pain which gradually got worse during prolonged exercise.

    I tried some exercises the physio gave me but these made the pains worse so I struggled on for a number of years.

    It was only recently when I started stretching religiously morning and night that I saw improvement in my knee pain. This allowed me to increase my exercise from a couple of runs and one soccer game a week to being able to run/cycle every day, play soccer three times a week. Once I started cycling my knee pain reduced further as my quads developed to support my knee joint.

    I would strongly recommend cycling (5-10km) three to four times a week as well as stretching your legs (quads, hams, calves, groin) really well morning and night for a few weeks before starting the insanity workout again. Calves and Quads stretches are the best ones to do to relieve the pressure on your knees caused by tight muscles as well as hamstrings. Doing squats will also strengthen the muscles around your knee so Insanity will help as long as you are stretching properly.

    http://pfitblog.com/2012/01/26/a-simple-fix-for-knee-pain/

    Given my knee pain history I was apprehensive when starting the Insanity workout 6 weeks ago but as I had been following the stretching and cycling training for about 4-6 weeks prior to starting the workout I think I have prepared my body well enough to cope with the workout and the plyo moves in particular.

    6 months ago I wouldn't have been able to do this but now I can do an insanity workout in the morning, cycle to work and back (about 15kms round trip) during the day and still go to my running club and do interval training in the evenings (about 10kms of running including speed intervals).

    You don't need to stop exercising you just need to be careful and make sure you stretch properly. It only takes 5-10 mins twice a day to get rid of your knee pain completely.

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