Exercises for Knee Replacement Canidate

fireengineer
fireengineer Posts: 5
edited September 20 in Fitness and Exercise
I may regret opening up myself for this but here goes nothing.

I am a almost 38 years old male who has had 5 knee surgeries on one knee. The doctor is now wanting to replace my knee. Obviously at my age, I am not ready for a knee replacement since my understanding you can currently only have it done twice in a lifetime and they only last 15 years at best. This means I would need to be dead by 70 which I'm not ready to admit. In the meantime, I have to wear a knee brace like football players wear 24/7.

The doctor does not want me to do the following exercises due to further knee damage: squats, walk (even on a treadmill at no slope), leg lifts, elliptical, stairs, bicycle, run, etc. Even swimming hurts my knee. I am allowed to do the Nordic Track Ski Machine.

I use the ski machine three times a week for 10-15 minutes per time. I don't really feel my leg getting any exercise and my good leg tires out from doing most of the work. The other parts of my workout include Stability Ball with weights and using the Bender Ball for abs.

All this to say is I'm not seeing much results in the weight loss column. Technically I'm not overweight but the doctor wants me to get as much weight off as I can to help with the knee.

Any suggestions MFP users?? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,333 Member
    :laugh: I'm only laughing because you said you were afraid to open yourself up to us! We aren't that mean!


    I don't really have an answer for your exercise dilemna other that to say, "Do what the doc tells you." Though I agree, replacement surgery should be the very last drastic measure.

    I assume you've had Physical Therapy? If you are talking surgery, then I would imagine you've tried everything.

    How about a Nutritonist for the optimum diet for healing?

    Good luck. :flowerforyou: With all these people here, someone will have ideas for you.
  • Hermit4Hire
    Hermit4Hire Posts: 197
    You're not allowed to walk? That sounds extreme...how do you get around?

    Anyways, I would personally reevaluate swimming. You can purchase ($10) a leg buoy which you squeeze between your thighs and it will elevate your legs so you do not have to kick -- you can burn significant calories swimming with your upper body and torso glide (twisting your core). I train this way for my triathlons to minimize energy loss and save my legs for bike/run.
  • fireengineer
    fireengineer Posts: 5
    You're not allowed to walk? That sounds extreme...how do you get around?

    :wink: Good point but walking as in for exercise (medium to fast walking is what I intended). Luckily my job is fairly stationary but with my knee brace I am fairly mobile. I don't typically walk fast and not for long periods of time.

    I may have to try the buoy idea. Thanks,
  • gurgi22
    gurgi22 Posts: 182 Member
    Some gyms/fitness placeshave hand bikes that are like stationary bikes but for your hands and arms. You can get a very good cardio workout with one of thoes. They are also pretty inexpensive if you wanted to purchase one. I have seen them for less than $200.
  • rlower78
    rlower78 Posts: 5 Member
    Focus on your core muscles. I had some issues with my knee (chondromalacia of the patella which is basically my knee cap and leg bones were rubbing together). My kneecap was out of wack and also not tracking properly. I started PT and injections. That doctor also wanted me to strengthen my leg. Well, we did that for 8 weeks and I was almost worse off than before. I saw a new MD and she said to focus on core, hips and glutes. In 6 weeks, I was back to my old self. I was able to slowly start running again and such. She explained that if the core, hips and glutes are not strong, the knees take the stress. So there are several strengthening exercises you can do without the knee involved. Think strengthening, not aerobic exercise. The program my PT put me through (once we were focusing on the right area) was called Myokinematic Restoration. My MD was absolutely floored how quickly things resolved with that program. I was only allowed to do the ski machine if it had absolutely no incline.

    Good luck!! Make sure you get a second opinon too!! Remember that Orthopedic Surgeons are pretty much that....looking for surgeries to make things better. Check out a MD with specialty in Sports Medicine.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,333 Member
    rlower78

    Such good advice!


    And on the pool thing- -- -I use the buoys too, and to incorporate the two posts here, your core gets a good workout when you use the buoy. So we've come full circle.
  • fireengineer
    fireengineer Posts: 5
    Thanks for the advice. I cannot find anyone local who does that type of therapy. Where did you go to get it?

    Thanks everyone for their advice!!:happy:
  • onehealthymama
    onehealthymama Posts: 1
    I am a Pilates instructor with my own knee issues (osteoarthritis in both!) and I have trained a handful of pre- and post-knee replacement folks over the years. Pilates is completely non-impact and can be done by anyone. That being said, I would recommend a qualified instructor and private instruction as opposed to group class or dvd. You can find one in your area at pilatesmethodalliance.org (the umbrella organization for certified instructors). I know how frustrating knee issues can be when you are trying to get fit... not only do I have knee probs, but my dad has had total replacement of both! Good luck!!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,333 Member
    Thanks for the advice. I cannot find anyone local who does that type of therapy. Where did you go to get it?

    Thanks everyone for their advice!!:happy:

    I just did a bing search on Myokinematic Restoration and there are many references.

    There is a class being held in Richmond Va in June (for prospective practitioners, but might be interesting regardless):
    ~~~~~~~~~
    from http://www.trumba.com/events-calendar/va/richmond/sports/medicine/richmond/virginia/cjw-sports-medicine
    ~~~~
    Myokinematic Restoration - An Integrated Approach to Treatment of Patterned Lumbo-Pelvic-Femoral Pathomechanics
    See course website for specific details and registration information. Presenter: Postural Restoration Institute. Age Range: Adults. Ticket Web Link: http://posturalrestoration.com/courses/myokinematic-restoration/. Saturday, June 26, 2010, 8:00 AM – Sunday, June 27, 2010, 5:00 PM. CJW Sports Medicine 500 Hioaks Rd, Suite A Richmond, VA 23225. For more info visit posturalrestoration.com.

    ........the web address at the end of that paragraph is a link to the "training" organization, apparently. Here's their home page, which includes "Find a Clinician" at the top index

    http://posturalrestorationinstitute.com/

    It sounds like it could be a disipline related to chiropractory.
  • xonophone
    xonophone Posts: 474 Member
    You've had some great suggestions here - swimming with a pull bouy and Pilates are two great ways to stay fit. You can even try yoga, just let the instructor know about your knee issues first so that s/he can modify poses for you. Perhaps you can try aqua-jogging. It's done in the deep end of a pool, with a flotation belt to keep you bouyant. It's an amazing cardio workout with no impact on your joints. Also, have you thought about rowing? Most gyms have a stationary rowing machine, but this time of year is great for kayaking!
  • fireengineer
    fireengineer Posts: 5
    @ cmriverside - I did the website prior to my post and there are no clinics in Knoxville, TN.

    @ xonophone - Rowing is out of the possibilities also. It has to do with the constant movement of the knee joint and not as much as the impact of the joint.

    @ onehealthymama - Pilates is an option I have not considered but will investigate further.

    Thanks everyone for their input so far!
  • paddlemom
    paddlemom Posts: 682 Member

    @ xonophone - Rowing is out of the possibilities also. It has to do with the constant movement of the knee joint and not as much as the impact of the joint.

    Kayaking requires far less knee movement compared to rowing. You do alternate pushing with the legs and hips to leverage the paddle, if you are employing a full technique, but the flexion is much less than rowing. We also accommodate limited moblity paddlers who can't use their legs, so you can kayak using upper body only.

    If even that limited amount is too much for you - check out Dragon Boat. It's becoming more and more popular, it's a great upper body workout and a really social form of exercise. I did a search for Dragon Boat in Knoxville and there seems to be a pretty active community! http://www.knoxville.org/events/30480546/
  • rlower78
    rlower78 Posts: 5 Member
    Sorry for my late late late reply. The PT that I went to had gone to one of the courses but was not a fully certified MKR clinician. Call around to some of the PT clinics in your area and ask if anyone has experience with this. A lot of times to be on the websites for certain specialities, you have to pay money and such. Many of us (therapists) have experience with several different things, just don't go whole hog on a specialty.
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