Suggestions, Ideas, Info on weak & sore knees (not a runner)

braces don't help with the pain. I had/have bad knees. When I first started getting serious about exercising again, i couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without getting a jarring pain in my left knee. After I lost about 25 lbs my knee pain is gone for the most part.
I hate doing the eliptical and treadmill to but I tough it out. I have found by doing the workout that scooby recommends for cardio
the time flies by alot faster..

It doesn't matter if you're a runner or not, strengthening exercises for you knees will help as well as good shoes. I had to run with a high arched shoe during basic training. It killed my knees. As soon as I could convince the DS to let me switch out to the Adidas that I brought with me to processing I was in heaven. You can do body weight squats against a wall. Take a ball, maybe a soccer ball, bouncy ball, whatever, and place it behind your back. Squat down and stand back up again. Doing this will help increase strength in your knees.

So, shoes. Well, you really need to go to a runners store and get fitted and have your gait checked. It could be that you need a stability shoe and you're wearing a shoe designed for somebody with a normal gait. Don't worry about them being more expensive, as I've found they're competitive with retail chains. Understand though that they don't carry lower quality shoes. Expect $90-$120 range. If you're scared by the price at least give it a try. Nobody is going to make you buy them.

Onto the moan/groan.... Have you tried fish oil? I was surprised at how much better my joints feel. GNC 1240's are good, and half the size of normal fish oil pills. I am currently taking Muscle Pharm fish oil and like them. It's normal sized but the price is a little cheaper and the quality the same.

They say that every single pound you lose takes four pounds of stress off of each knee. I know that when I started my weight loss journey at about 250 pounds, I couldn't do much high-impact stuff or my knees ached. Now, around 180, I can do pretty much anything. But that makes sense, as I've removed almost 300 pounds of pressure off my knees! So, don't worry if your exercise options are more limited right now, as I'm sure more things will open up to you as you progress.

As regards the other part of your question, I have weak wrists. I've broken both of them many times and they're just sort of lousy. Pushups, for example, are pretty tricksy for me, and so are some plank/walking plank-type manouevers. So, I just don't do those things. Or, I modify them. For example, I do pushups on my fists so my wrists can stay straight, and I do planks on my elbows. There is no shame in having to modify exercises (and I'm only 26!). Remember that you're working out to make your body better, not to mess it up more.

I don't know anything about anything, but you had no replies so here is an unscientific anecdote to be refuted haha.

I play tennis with women in their sixties who have sore knees - some have had operations on their cartilage, etc. Tennis is very hard on knees because of the propping and changes of direction.

Most of them do wear knee braces under physio directions; some of the braces are extremely industrial. I was talking to one lady last week and she said that the brace helps the cartilage and little muscles around the knee with supporting the joint and keeping everything tight and in the right place. A couple do squats against a wall for strengthening, one swears by sprinting up and down in a pool. Some of them are overweight and have been told losing weight would help a lot, and they sigh.

None of them say that the brace helps with the pain. That is what the drugs are for. It just helps prevent further damage, so that they can continue to play a sport that they love.

This is my totally non-scientific personal experience, so take it with a grain of salt. I have had knee problems for a while, but recently they have gotten better through lifting. Specifically, although my quads were fairly developed, my hamstrings were not and the back of my knees were not very flexible. The thing that helps the most is deadlifts with a barbell, both standard and Romanian. Those have helped develop my hamstings and the backs of my knees are more flexible. It may not work for everyone, of course, depending on what is causing the knee pain.

something else i wanted to add --

i also noticed that i'd often sit in odd positions, like with my leg under me at full or near full knee closure. i decided that might be putting strain on my knees, and now actively avoid those positions. now i try to sit with my legs either straight out (on a foot rest) or at a normal 90 degree angle, not ever bent underneath my other leg. this also seemed to help me. totally unscientific, but worth a thought.

Hello TheBaileyHunt,

I think it all depends on your diagnosis (i.e. what your doctor advises). It's a fact that losing weight will alleviate the pain / weakness, but I don't think you should go on any supplements or choose an exercise routine before getting medical advice, as there are various knees conditions. In my case, I have osteochondritis. I was advised not to put any extra weight on knees and avoid squats for a while, and to do stationary bike (no resistance) EVERYDAY, to improve knee lubrication. HIH.

I agree with this. I have fibromyalgia, which means that my joints hurt but there's nothing actually wrong with them. So whatever exercise feels ok is ok. But for my friends with rheumatoid arthritis it's a different story because there's actual damage and inflammation going on. I'd ask your doctor.

It depends on what kind of knee problems you have. I have had chondromalacia since I was a teenager, and there are exercises I can do to strengthen the tendons to help keep my knee cap from sliding the wrong way. I do run which is not great, but I just got one of those straps to support it which seems to help.

A lot of times losing weight helps, but it could be a chronic problem that you could be making worse. Go see an orthopedist and don't let him bully you into surgery! If your insurance is good, you could go get a little PT and learn how to strengthen your knees without doing further damage.