Knee Problems

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MartialPanda
MartialPanda Posts: 919 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey does anyone have any advice for strengthening your knees. I'm 21 and i already have so....so many knee problems. I had surgery on my left knee and just hurt my right knee. Any advice would be much appreciated!

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  • ryansgilbert
    ryansgilbert Posts: 4
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    I have a hypermobility joint disorder, which makes running an adventure. However, I run marathons and ultras, so keeping my supporting/stabilizing muscles strong is the name of the game.

    I do lunges, step-ups, and squats while holding light weights. Personally, I do 3-5 x 30-50+ of each...but I'm an ultrarunner. I don't recommend starting with that many. If you have a weight bench, I've found doing leg extensions--sets of 15-20 reps--and hamstring curls keep my legs happy.
  • ryansgilbert
    ryansgilbert Posts: 4
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    Also: you might not want to start those until your current injury heals.
  • possibri
    possibri Posts: 158 Member
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    Hey does anyone have any advice for strengthening your knees. I'm 21 and i already have so....so many knee problems. I had surgery on my left knee and just hurt my right knee. Any advice would be much appreciated!

    I know that a good way to get your knees feeling better is to strengthen your quads (front thigh muscles). I recall reading that some knee pain can be caused by disproportionate strength in your calves compared to your thighs. You probably can't do too many squats, but something like straight-leg raises might be a good place to start =] Good luck!
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
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    Hey does anyone have any advice for strengthening your knees. I'm 21 and i already have so....so many knee problems. I had surgery on my left knee and just hurt my right knee. Any advice would be much appreciated!

    If you've had surgery, you should be seeking advice from orthopedists, PTs, and other such specialists. If you're overweight, lose the weight because your knees don't need the stress.
  • lizsmith1976
    lizsmith1976 Posts: 497 Member
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    Don't do squats and lunges until you are stronger!

    Ride a bike! Fast! Preferably spin class and lots of them. Best way to strengthen your knees, and also really strengthens your quads, which support your knees. Strong quads take stress off the knees.

    Don't put the tension too high until you are used to it, but keep building.

    I used to have weak knees and stopped running. I started doing spin class because I wanted to start doing these long distance charity bike rides for MS, so far I've done one that was 180 miles and one that was 130 miles. A year ago I started running again and thanks to spin class, NO ISSUES at all with my knees. I started having knee problems and quit running when I was 21, and now I'm 36 and back to running, and I love it. Feel free to friend me!
  • MartialPanda
    MartialPanda Posts: 919 Member
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    I actually am decent at squats. I can do 10 reps of 135lbs for 4 sets. I can also Leg Press 320lbs. This is basically where my confusion is coming from and perhaps I should I have been clearer. I have fairly decent leg strength. I practice martial arts 3 times a week. I tweaked my knee doing a kick incorrectly (even though i have practiced it 1000s of times).

    I actually don't do the bike so maybe i'll take that up.
  • dave4d
    dave4d Posts: 1,155 Member
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    Hey does anyone have any advice for strengthening your knees. I'm 21 and i already have so....so many knee problems. I had surgery on my left knee and just hurt my right knee. Any advice would be much appreciated!

    If you've had surgery, you should be seeking advice from orthopedists, PTs, and other such specialists. If you're overweight, lose the weight because your knees don't need the stress.

    This.

    I had knee pain, so I talked to my doctor, who referred me to an orthopedic specialist, who referred me to a physical therapist. He determined that mine was due to weak quads, and has me doing exercises to strengthen them. It could be something different for you.

    Talk to a professional. They can help you to keep from damaging them more than they already are.
  • trigger2354
    trigger2354 Posts: 25 Member
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    Get a bike. My bike has become my best buddy and is now in my will. :)

    My knees have been abused and repaired over the years, and they get their revenge any time I engage in any kind of impact activity. Last January my sis asked me join her in a 100-mile bike ride scheduled for June of this year. I told her I would give it shot, but I was very doubtful (Not only are my knees shot, but I'm 58 to boot). I bought a bike and trained very hard to get in shape, expecting my knees would once again rebel. To my complete and utter amazement, I only experienced occasional, minor knee pain, and most of that was cured by tweaking various bike settings (seat and foot position, primarily, and riding at a high cadence). I was able to complete the 100-mile ride, and have since logged over 1000 miles of riding without significant pain.

    But the most surprising gift was bestowed in August when my son and I completed a 30-mile backpacking trip to King's Peak, the highest point in Utah (13,528 ft.) I had given up backpacking, an activity a dearly love, when on a trip four years ago, both knees gave out and, in an instant, I became a rather serious problem for the group I was with. We eventually made it back to civilization, but I hated the feeling of being a burden and a risk, so I decided it was time to hang up my boots. Still, King's Peak has been on my bucket list for a long time, and I felt like maybe all the miles logged on the bike had strengthened my knees to the point I could give it a shot. I loaded up my backpack and knocked off several short 3-5 mile solo hikes in the mountains close to my house to see how things went. No pain. Yee freakin' haw!! It was enough to reassure my son that I could make it, so off we went. The hike consists of a pretty mellow 14-mile approach, then the last mile to the summit is a near vertical ascent up the boulder field from Hell. All the way up I'm thinking I'd made a mistake. Going up wasn't the problem--coming down that heap of rocks, I feared, was going to turn both knees into screaming masses of retributive Jello. I'm very, very happy to report that my knees held up just fine, thank you very much.

    So consider getting a bike and start logging the miles. If your knees don't punish you, keep riding, and who knows, maybe in time your knee will allow you try other activities that may now be out of reach.
  • dave4d
    dave4d Posts: 1,155 Member
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    I actually am decent at squats. I can do 10 reps of 135lbs for 4 sets. I can also Leg Press 320lbs. This is basically where my confusion is coming from and perhaps I should I have been clearer. I have fairly decent leg strength. I practice martial arts 3 times a week. I tweaked my knee doing a kick incorrectly (even though i have practiced it 1000s of times).

    I actually don't do the bike so maybe i'll take that up.

    My squats and leg presses were fine, too. My physical therapist had me doing them in a way that affects my glutes, more than my quads. I have to make sure my knees are way forward when I do them.
  • Leahbcc
    Leahbcc Posts: 38 Member
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    Check with the person who operated on your knee and see what they say. I did a ton of damage to mine and I am to young to have a "new" one. I work with a trainer, walk, go up and down stairs...my ortho stated for every pound you take off it is four off of the knee. Best of luck

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