Arthritis in the Knees... Can anyone suggest exercises

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beckyplummer
beckyplummer Posts: 17 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have Arthritis in my knees and the cold weather is finally setting in here and the pain is manageable but it limits me to doing low impact.

Any ideas of DVD's or routines that anyone would know of... I carry my weight from Below my belly button to my knees... If I could turn that section of my body into SEARS and get one a few sizes smaller that would be great... but I don't think they have that return policy...

Any help would greatly be appreciated.

Replies

  • JennaM222
    JennaM222 Posts: 1,996 Member
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    do you have a gym membership? Swimming is GREAT exercise, and easiest on the joints :)
  • stacy_1971
    stacy_1971 Posts: 104 Member
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    Leslie Sansone has some walking DVDs, which would keep you out of the cold. She's not too rough.
  • dutchman24
    dutchman24 Posts: 108 Member
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    I agree...SWIMMING!! Right now, I'm dealing with spinal stenosis...so this helps me out a lot. Right now, I swim 3X a week and do 7 laps per morning...my results show how well it works!
  • sing4me4you
    sing4me4you Posts: 88 Member
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    I agree with the previous post regarding a gym. There are now many machines that can be used that focus the workout in the thighs and glutes and are easy on the knees. I have arthritis in my knees as well and with consistent exercise, don't suffer much pain. I do however, live in the southern part of the US so the cold is not so much a factor as it was when I lived in the Boston area. Consistent exercise is really helpful for keeping the joints flexible. Best of luck.
  • MSam1205
    MSam1205 Posts: 439 Member
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    ditto on the swimming. I joined my local fitness center specifically for the pool. started out swimming laps, then joined their water aerobics class. Amazing what my knees can handle under water than they can't on land :wink: If not that, maybe resistance bands or Wii fitness. the Wii has levels of step aerobics, and other cardio that doesn't require a lot of impact on the joints...... good luck!
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    I have Arthritis in my knees and the cold weather is finally setting in here and the pain is manageable but it limits me to doing low impact.

    Any ideas of DVD's or routines that anyone would know of... I carry my weight from Below my belly button to my knees... If I could turn that section of my body into SEARS and get one a few sizes smaller that would be great... but I don't think they have that return policy...

    Any help would greatly be appreciated.

    I have had gouty osteoarthritis for about twenty years and, until recently, it was slowly getting worse. But I started losing body fat (by following a lower carb diet---only 100-200 grams of carbs per day of non-wheat carbs and absolutely NO sugar of any kind) taking herbal products a couple of years ago bromelain (an extract from the pineapple plant), boswellia (a form of the ancient tree extract, frankincense) and a combination of the spice turmeric, and MSM, glucosamine and chondroitin. My joints have been slowly improving (and hooray, they don't even "crackle" when I move anymore) from the herbs alone but I wanted to step up my exercise in order to accelerate fat loss. I just started doing aquatic exercise about a month ago and already, there has been a dramatic improvement in my range of motion (it is back to what it was when I was a teenager) and the strength of my muscles (very important for supporting joint health) has increased dramatically as well. I supplement my non-dairy diet (I discovered that cow's milk exacerbated my arthritis) with about 1200 mg. of calcium and 600 mg. of magnesium per day. Sugar of any kind will raise uric acid levels (uric acid causes gout) because of the fructose it contains. I do need to limit my intake of fruit to one or two servings per day. When I got the initial diagnosis, I thought I was doomed to end up in a wheelchair the way my mother did (I have the same sort of arthritis she did). But I was determined that I would fight it. I read volumes of information to pursue alternative treatments of one kind or another and this combination works for me. The aquatic exercise class that I go to is especially designed for arthritis sufferers---check out your local public pool. You'll be glad you did. :smile:
  • ShiraDarling
    ShiraDarling Posts: 232 Member
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    Do you take glucosamine for your joints?? If not, you should :) (I have had 3 surgeries on my knee and have arthritis starting also. yay. not. haha)
  • LisaLouisiana
    LisaLouisiana Posts: 145 Member
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    I agree with swimming, too. If you're not inclined to go to a gym, you can do calisthenic and isometrics. Lay down on the floor or a mat and start lifting your limbs. Adjust your position (lay on your side instead of your back or bend your legs or arms) and lift your limbs again. Do what you can and use your imagination. Calisthenics are no to low impact exercises that use your own body's weight and can be done in the privacy of your own home. I have bad joints, too, and it's amazing how strong and fit I have been able to make my body using just calisthenics, isometrics and eventually resistance bands and small dumbbells. I try to ask something from all of my different muscle groups. You'll be able to feel which muscles you're asking to work. Calisthenics are more than push ups, pull ups, sit ups and squats, too. Those I actually consider more advanced. It will all depend upon your fitness level.

    You can pick out one or two from this list that you can do and go from there. Many of these are higher impact, more advanced exercises, but not all of them. http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=234320#Post234320 Google some, too.

    Here's a scissors kick you might be able to do: http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/scissor-kick. If you can't do it like that, lift your legs higher so that there is less resistance.

    http://calisthenicsdaily.com/

    Ah, here's a great website. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/workout/exercise.html You can pick your exercise by body part.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    Do you take glucosamine for your joints?? If not, you should :) (I have had 3 surgeries on my knee and have arthritis starting also. yay. not. haha)

    I take it--but glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM (you will often see it packaged in one combination pill) does not work for everyone. It does not seem to work for those with rheumatoid arthritis, for example. Arthritis(es) could be as many as 100 or more diseases. My osteoarthritis is (fortunately) responsive to glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM but not glucosamine alone. Because of my high uric acid levels (high uric acid is responsible for the "gouty" portion of my arthritis) I have to use something to lower my levels. Drinking lots of water helps but I also take a pineapple extract called bromelain (on an empty stomach for maximum effectiveness) to help bring down uric acid (avoiding fructose helps as well because fructose leads to excessive uric acid production--table sugar is 50% fructose. And one can of soda has as much fructose as a dozen oranges). I also take additional herbal anti-inflammatories like the spices, turmeric and ginger and I take an herb called boswellia. Between all these and pool exercise my joints feel as good as they did when I was a teenager and my fat loss has accelerated. :smile:
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    Options
    I agree with swimming, too. If you're not inclined to go to a gym, you can do calisthenic and isometrics. Lay down on the floor or a mat and start lifting your limbs. Adjust your position (lay on your side instead of your back or bend your legs or arms) and lift your limbs again. Do what you can and use your imagination. Calisthenics are no to low impact exercises that use your own body's weight and can be done in the privacy of your own home. I have bad joints, too, and it's amazing how strong and fit I have been able to make my body using just calisthenics, isometrics and eventually resistance bands and small dumbbells. I try to ask something from all of my different muscle groups. You'll be able to feel which muscles you're asking to work. Calisthenics are more than push ups, pull ups, sit ups and squats, too. Those I actually consider more advanced. It will all depend upon your fitness level.

    You can pick out one or two from this list that you can do and go from there. Many of these are higher impact, more advanced exercises, but not all of them. http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=234320#Post234320 Google some, too.

    Here's a scissors kick you might be able to do: http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/detail/view/name/scissor-kick. If you can't do it like that, lift your legs higher so that there is less resistance.

    http://calisthenicsdaily.com/

    Ah, here's a great website. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/workout/exercise.html You can pick your exercise by body part.

    Great advice. Congratulations on your weight loss by the way! :smile:
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    I have Arthritis in my knees and the cold weather is finally setting in here and the pain is manageable but it limits me to doing low impact.

    If you find that your arthritis is worse in the winter months, you are probably vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D has amazing properties in the human body (it actually acts as a hormone in the body) and is an important part of many functions. One of those functions is to help down-regulate an overactive immune system. It is the aberrant immune system that causes the body to pump out inflammatory cytokines in abundance. All autoimmune disease (of which arthritis is one) seem to be helped by vitamin D therapy. I take 3000 units per day from Sept through April. Then, depending how much sun exposure I get (sunlight on one's skin helps one to manufacture vitamin D) I step it back to 1000 units per day, in the summer months. You can safely take up to 8,000 to 10,000 units per day but most people find that they get relief from bone pain (and that is osteomalacia, not arthritis) and reduce the amount of joint inflammation at around 2,000 to 3,000 units per day. Get a doc to check your vitamin D levels. It is an easy and cheap blood test. An optimum level is around 70 mu/ml of blood. Most N. Americans are very Vitamin D deficient---especially since everyone got paranoid about skin cancer and started slopping on sunscreens (which block the production of vitamin D in the skin). Tanning parlors do not help because most of them only utilize UVA radiation. It is the UVB radiation (contained in sunlight) that produces the Vitamin D in one's skin. There are very expensive UVB units available (around $1,400) but I never heard of a tanning parlor that advertises UVB radiation.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Leslie Sansone has some walking DVDs, which would keep you out of the cold. She's not too rough.

    This is a great idea .... these DVDs are low impact and totally "modify-able" to your condition.

    I have 1 wonky knee .... (nothing major) .... just start out with "smaller" moves & work up to where you feel comfortable. "Walking" on thick carpeting does cushion everything a bit ..... but be sure to pick up your feet. Here's a couple of video clips to give you an idea .....

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjduJjO1pLg&feature=related


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqWhX-RB1s0&feature=related
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    Options
    Leslie Sansone has some walking DVDs, which would keep you out of the cold. She's not too rough.

    This is a great idea .... these DVDs are low impact and totally "modify-able" to your condition.

    I have 1 wonky knee .... (nothing major) .... just start out with "smaller" moves & work up to where you feel comfortable. "Walking" on thick carpeting does cushion everything a bit ..... but be sure to pick up your feet. Here's a couple of video clips to give you an idea .....

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjduJjO1pLg&feature=related


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqWhX-RB1s0&feature=related

    And good well-padded shoes are important too---even when not exercising. I wear New Balance walking shoes whenever I go shopping etc. They are the best, most comfortable walking shoes EVER!

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