Bad Knees

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  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,843 Member
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    My fear with getting my knees checked is that I will lose motivation to work out. At one point I lost over 25 pounds. I gained all but 6 of that back due to some major life issues the past six+ months. I REALLY want to get this weight off once and for all. I'm afraid if surgery is required I will gain it all back and then some!

    I would think the fear of screwing up your knees worse by NOT seeing a specialist would be more of a concern.

    Suck it up and go to a doctor.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,843 Member
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    You should see an orthopedist. You do not "work through" knee pain. The knee is a complex joint, and muscle and imbalances can contribute. Women often have more problems than men.

    Thank you, but I already have seen an orthopedist about my biomechanical & genetic knee issues.

    I think this person was referring to the OP and not you.

    Unless you're the OP but changed your name?

    I am very confused about this post.
  • threshkreen
    threshkreen Posts: 79 Member
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    I have had one knee replaced and am scheduling the other for some time in the fall. I know what you are saying. Having said that....one thing that will help your knees is getting the muscles that support the joint stronger. Leg extensioins are good but only through the upper third of the motion. Do NOT go all the way down on the leg extention machine because that puts too much pressure on the knee - you still strengthen the quad doing partial reps. Flexability was an issue with me on the hamstring oriented machines so I opted for deadlifts (straight leg).

    Don't be afraid to go see the doctor - if your knees are grinding that is not good. There are many non surgical things that can be done. But I do know that if you need replacement you should find a good personal trainer that specializes in bad knees and get those muscles strong before the operation. Makes a HUGE difference. Good luck, but don't stop exercising. One more thing - if your gym has an arc machine use that over the eliptical and don't do a recumbant bike. My physical therapist told me that that is the worst thing someone with bad knees can use.

    I love weightlifting and love being strong. I still do squats and do use a knee wrap on the bad knee. It seems to help.
  • unlocke
    unlocke Posts: 149
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    I've had 3 knee surgeries, so I'm becoming an expert at this. :laugh
    First, go see your doctor to make sure there's nothing serious going on. Most likely not, but you never know.
    Next, do exercises to strengthen the muscles around the knee that holds the kneecap in place and causes it to "track" properly.
    Do lots of straight leg raises, calf raises, balance on the "bad" leg, mini-squats (quit when it hurts), knee-squeezes (hold something between your knees and squeeze for a count of 10), etc. The internet has tons of ideas for strengthening exercises.
    Braces also help tremendously. Also, elevate it & ice it immediately before and after a workout. This keeps inflammation down.
    If it keeps swelling, try taking an NSAID like Aleve once a day for a little while.
    Hope this helps. Good luck!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Knees are such complex joints you simply must get a diagnosis!
    Until you know what's wrong how will you ever know what you can and can't do? Or maybe more importantly the longer term prognosis.
    I've had three major knee injuries and never met anyone with exactly the same ones as me.

    Sure you could try each exercise and see what hurts but that's not the smartest option. It could be you need physio, surgery, rehab exercises a brace etc. etc.
  • rfsatar
    rfsatar Posts: 599 Member
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    My fear with getting my knees checked is that I will lose motivation to work out. At one point I lost over 25 pounds. I gained all but 6 of that back due to some major life issues the past six+ months. I REALLY want to get this weight off once and for all. I'm afraid if surgery is required I will gain it all back and then some!
    Well I am now on a waiting list to see my orthopaedic surgeon for two knee operations.
    I do low impact cardio (walk on the treadmill, use an elliptical, cycle on a Spin-bike, use a rowing machine, swim with a pull-buoy float between my knees).
    I use Wii fit to do balance exercises, muscle workouts and yoga.
    I use resistance tubes to do strength work and worked with a Personal Trainer to learn how to use TRX Suspension straps to do some squats and lunges.

    That's with knowing that I will be out of action for several weeks/months at a time when I have these operations.

    I'm doing it to make sure that the inevitable atrophy when I can't do anything immediately post-op can be quickly recovered from.
    I will try to stick to MAINTENANCE calories... and have changed how I eat well enough to probably achieve that.

    So... GET a diagnosis and then plan around it.
  • JoanB5
    JoanB5 Posts: 610 Member
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    I have had knee pain above and below my knee for three weeks. Ice, Alleve, ice, Alleve, more pain, try cross-training (Jillian and her squats are NOT helping the knees, though everything else would be fine otherwise...how do these overweight contestants handle all the squats and lunges, prey tell?) In asking myself this question, I remember reading that the contestants had personal massages.

    I decided to check out youtube. Here is an example or two that have helped pain for me today even though two ice sessions and Celebrex didn't have me "all there" (I'll keep doing them per my doctor's instructions):

    Self Massage Helped: (I used some lotion) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyLdBti9j48
    Also, another video I can't find that showed rubbing over muscles with a flat surface to get rid of "gritty" muscle that can be bound, causing pain to other ligaments and tendons. I used a long foot file, on it's side, with lotion.

    Trials, but I'm trying. And this is the first hour all day I've not been in pain. I could probably do my circuit training at this moment with some modifications.

    Also, bought knee straps this week at Wal*Mart, they seem to alleviate some pain while running. Didn't help with forward deepn knee lunges much. Seems like working up to lunges is always more difficult than it seems it should be.
  • staceybe58
    staceybe58 Posts: 8
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    I too have knee issues. Arthritis in both knees but it mostly affects my left knee. I was given Synvisc injections in my left knee and it helped tremendously! I lost weight and my doctor told me that whatever I was doing to lose the weight was going to help my knee issues and he wasn't about to tell me to stop. He did tell me that if it hurts, don't do it and not to push my limits.

    I've been pain (almost) free for 1 year and just take it day by day. I can tell you that whoever on this post suggested to switch sneakers is right, I do find that swapping them out often helps as well.

    Aqua exercise is awesome as well and just pain old walking is good too.
  • threshkreen
    threshkreen Posts: 79 Member
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    I hate to tell you this, but if you think post knee replacement involves just sitting around, you are in for a surprise. You will be told to walk on the knee as much as you can stand, they get you out of bed the next day in the hospital. physical therapy is 3 times a week. It hurts a lot at first, but I had my first knee done a while ago and my doc said there have been huge advances since then. But a better faster recovery is an active recovery. You don't want to let the new joint get stiff from scar tissue, not moving the joint etc. Additionally, I lost weight post surgery and someone has since told me that post surgery your metabolism actually ramps up a bit to get on with the work of healing. Don't know if that is true or not, but I lost a small amount of weight. Good luck with the surgeries.
  • NormInv
    NormInv Posts: 3,303 Member
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    I was a long time runner but knees are troubling now, so I bought a spinning bike. Its different and requires more effort to get the heart rate up but very very kind on the knees. In fact my knees feel better now than before!

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