Knee pain - will it go or should I stop?

Hey everyone,

I'm pretty new to exercise. I've only been doing 30 Day Shred for four days and went for a run today.

My knees are in agony!! Is this common? is this purely just because I have only just started and my knees aren't used to this kind of exercise? or am I doing myself damage by continuing through the pain? I really really really don't want to give up before I begin but obviously don't want to injure myself. I know there are other exercises I could do which have less impact on my knees but I think I would find it hard to find activities/work outs that I enjoy that wouldn't use my knees. Do you think knee supports of some sort would/could help?

Sorry for all the questions.
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Replies

  • gracetillman
    gracetillman Posts: 190 Member
    I would probably wait a few days and see if the pain subsides. If it does I would start to exercise again but maybe not as intense as before. I would probably also take a supplement that helps with joints.

    If the pain persists or returns as soon as you start exercising again I would make an appointment with your doctor.
  • shivles
    shivles Posts: 468 Member
    Stop, now!

    RICE - rest, ice, compression, elevation. Don't do anything strenuous until the pain is gone then start up very gradually. If it niggles, slow down, take a step back.

    I've had a bad time with shin splint training for marathons in the past and I can tell you the last thing you want to do is ignore a pain. Try swimming, it's great low impact exercise and will still keep you fit. If the problem persists go see a doctor, they can get you some physio.
  • gracetillman
    gracetillman Posts: 190 Member
    Posted to fast -- I meant to add --

    My knees hurt when I exercise if I do a high impact exercise. I can weight train, Zumba, Elliptical, Swim, Walk, and low impact aerobics and it is not bad at all -- if I try to run or do high impact aerobics forget about it my knees are screaming out in pain and I cannot continue.

    I know my limits and I know what I cannot do. You may need to figure it out for you as well -- assuming you don't have an injury which is why you need to wait it out a bit.
  • hazellac
    hazellac Posts: 90 Member
    Thanks everyone. I think I knew the answer before I asked but was hoping I was wrong.

    Going to skip doing my nightly 30 Day Shred and will see what the pain is like in the morning. I think I'll still do Shred as I really enjoy it but switch the jumping jacks for something less strenuous on the knees and see if that helps.
  • Stop, now!

    RICE - rest, ice, compression, elevation. Don't do anything strenuous until the pain is gone then start up very gradually. If it niggles, slow down, take a step back.

    I've had a bad time with shin splint training for marathons in the past and I can tell you the last thing you want to do is ignore a pain. Try swimming, it's great low impact exercise and will still keep you fit. If the problem persists go see a doctor, they can get you some physio.

    My knees hurt because of arthritis, walking helps mine after two knee surgeries. walking and biking are the only exercises my orthopedist recommends. Rest, elevation and ice in 20 minute intervals helps immensely. Also compression. And when they are bad I do a hot Epson salt soak before elevation and ice.
    Hope they get to feeling better.
  • shivles
    shivles Posts: 468 Member
    Also do you have good trainers? That might help
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Posted to fast -- I meant to add --

    My knees hurt when I exercise if I do a high impact exercise. I can weight train, Zumba, Elliptical, Swim, Walk, and low impact aerobics and it is not bad at all -- if I try to run or do high impact aerobics forget about it my knees are screaming out in pain and I cannot continue.

    I know my limits and I know what I cannot do. You may need to figure it out for you as well -- assuming you don't have an injury which is why you need to wait it out a bit.

    This!^

    30 DS is high impact ...... I trade off mixed impact days with low impact days (I'm older .... so this is as much as I can handle)... YOu will need to find your limit as well.

    collagevideo.com is a website that reviews workout DVDs and rates them for impact level. If you have any questions about a particular DVD ..... look it up if you can.

    Also, to swtich out moves ...........here is a LOW impact circuit workout (it should give you some ideas) I really like the workout and Chris Frytag is very motivating

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm0C8awjNIQ
  • michail71
    michail71 Posts: 120 Member
    Knee issues are often caused by inflexibility, shoe issues or muscle imbalances. I had problems with my hamstring tendon (behind the knee on the outside) and finding the right hamstring stretch cured the issue. Make sure the quads, IT band and hamstrings are well stretched.

    If you can anatomically pinpoint the problem the solution is usually easy to find.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Knee pain is not common. RICE em, and then make sure you are using good form, or you may run the risk of causing some permanent damage.
  • hazellac
    hazellac Posts: 90 Member
    Also do you have good trainers? That might help

    I do 30 Day Shred barefoot but for the run I had to use a friends trainers as I didn't have time to buy any today, they were a little loose so that probably didn't help at all. Will buy some knee supports and decent trainers tomorrow and see how I get on, maybe slow down a bit and if it's not improved in a week I'll definitely go to my GP and see if he can just give my knees a once over to make sure they're okay :-)

    Thanks so much everyone for your advice.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    Google 'knee injuries' and 30DS....
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    The number one thing you should do is go to a running store and have your feet and stride analyzed (they do this for free). Then they will recommend the shoe you need. There are 3 basic types of runners: Pronators, supinators and neutrals. If you don't have the correct shoes, it will put your entire leg out of alignment and cause pain and long term damage.

    Best of luck!
  • JewelsinBigD
    JewelsinBigD Posts: 661 Member
    You might be surprised by what is causing the pain - for example I found out that I didn't need to stop (in fact my ortho said PLEASE DONT!) I just needed to stretch - you have tendons in your knees that need stretching and if you don't stretch them they feel like you are injured or have arthritis.
  • Factory_Reset
    Factory_Reset Posts: 1,651 Member
    30DS is NOT meant to be done everyday.

    Having the right shoes for running helps too

    And resting is always a good thing, especially if you're in pain.
  • jfrankic
    jfrankic Posts: 747 Member
    Soreness (DOMS, delayed onset muscle soreness) = normal
    Pain (ouch, ooh, yikes) = not normal

    Never train through an injury. You can train around one, though. Hurt knee? You can still train you upper body, for example. BTW, I've attempted to train through many injuries and regretted it every. single. time.
  • jessykab74
    jessykab74 Posts: 167 Member
    Posted to fast -- I meant to add --

    My knees hurt when I exercise if I do a high impact exercise. I can weight train, Zumba, Elliptical, Swim, Walk, and low impact aerobics and it is not bad at all -- if I try to run or do high impact aerobics forget about it my knees are screaming out in pain and I cannot continue.

    I know my limits and I know what I cannot do. You may need to figure it out for you as well -- assuming you don't have an injury which is why you need to wait it out a bit.


    This is the same exact thing I was going to say. Don't give up, no your limits and listen to your body! There are so many things you can do that won't be hard on your knees.
  • CorlissaEats
    CorlissaEats Posts: 493 Member
    Please take knee pain seriously.

    I twisted my knee very gently opening a door while trying out those balance-ball style shoes and the swelling didnt go down for 5 months. Yes, months! Every day things hurt. I could hardly bend my knee by 10 am most days. I had x-rays and an MRI. I still have to be careful and pay attention to pain signals. I have a knee cap that is serratted or jagged instead of smooth and a condition called chondromalacia patella which basically causes "Abnormal "tracking" allows the kneecap (patella) to grate over the lower end of the thighbone (femur), causing chronic inflammation and pain."

    Please see your doc!
  • hazellac
    hazellac Posts: 90 Member
    The pain is more a dull aching all in the general knee area (kind of how I imagine arthritis would feel), almost how my legs felt when I had growing pains in my legs as a teenager. It's not sore to touch or swollen or anything.
  • swat1948
    swat1948 Posts: 302 Member
    I have had my knees replaced, and I am sure I am quite a bit older than you, but my point is I have done 30 day Shred level 1 and I do modify the jumping jacks so that the impact is less, the rest of the stuff like jumping rope doesn't hurt my knees. I just kind of bounce and keep moving as fast as they do but put out one leg at a time instead of jumping. The rule of low impact is one foot on the ground at all times. I do keep those arms moving. I would recommend that you do as much low impact as you can handle until the knee pain subsides and an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen works wonders in keeping down the pain. I have modified lots of these kinds of workouts so that I can do them and alternate with walking and elliptical. One of my favorites at the moment is Jillian's kickboxing that is on YouTube. Good luck!
  • tallulah81
    tallulah81 Posts: 15 Member
    I'm also doing 30 DS, my trainer has told me while doing this 2 things:

    1- make sure when doing your squats, that your knees do not come over the toes... you need to push your butt out to wards the wall to avoid your toes going over your knees... or don't do a deep squat until you can do them properly...
    2-do nothing else, if you are new to exercise... that set of dvd's has so much high impact action, it's not even worth doing anything else. (Although I still walk my dogs) the only knee pain I have at this point is a bit of stiffness when I first get up, but then it goes away. My trainer said it was from the high impact nature of the dvd set.

    Biggest things to remember when embarking on a new routine: DON'T OVER DO IT!!!!

    BEST OF LUCK!!!
  • HollisGrant
    HollisGrant Posts: 2,022 Member
    Hey everyone,

    I'm pretty new to exercise. I've only been doing 30 Day Shred for four days and went for a run today.

    My knees are in agony!! Is this common? is this purely just because I have only just started and my knees aren't used to this kind of exercise? or am I doing myself damage by continuing through the pain? I really really really don't want to give up before I begin but obviously don't want to injure myself. I know there are other exercises I could do which have less impact on my knees but I think I would find it hard to find activities/work outs that I enjoy that wouldn't use my knees. Do you think knee supports of some sort would/could help?

    Sorry for all the questions.

    Read the 1-star (negative) reviews for this DVD on Amazon. Lots of knee injuries. Be careful. I would see a doctor if it doesn't clear up.
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
    If the knee pain is dull and achey (kind of like a headache in your knee) I tend to just push through. If it is sharp and sudden, I will stop immediately.

    The achey pain in joints will get better with more usage. Pay close attention to sharp and sudden pains in joints. That is not good.
  • hazellac
    hazellac Posts: 90 Member
    If the knee pain is dull and achey (kind of like a headache in your knee) I tend to just push through. If it is sharp and sudden, I will stop immediately.

    The achey pain in joints will get better with more usage. Pay close attention to sharp and sudden pains in joints. That is not good.

    That's just how I'd describe it, a headache in my knees. I'm thinking it's all just because my body (particularly my knees) just aren't used to this kind of exercise. I'll slow down but won't stop completely unless the pain doesn't subside after getting better running shoes.
  • Gnawcraft
    Gnawcraft Posts: 777 Member
    If in doubt, visit a doctor. Better safe than sorry.
  • kiesha22001
    kiesha22001 Posts: 70 Member
    Swimming and bike riding are easy on my knees. I was told by my doctor that bike riding is a wonderful exercise because it works both sides of your knees equally. Swimming is great because it doesn't feel like work to me!
  • I've had bad knees all my life and the 30DS wasn't very soft on them either.

    I took a day off 7 days into the shred and things went uphill from there. I made it through level two without any pain until the end when I took a couple rest days, and I bought a knee brace for my left knee (the one that needs the most support). Also, for the more jarring knee activities such as plank jacks or mountain climber I either followed Anita or I did them a bit slower than Natalie.

    Wearing a tensor bandage was probably the best though. And if it starts to feel like it's starting to hurt... STOP!
  • poedunk65
    poedunk65 Posts: 1,336 Member
    I would say go to an orthopaedic doctor before you do cause any permanent damage.
  • bodiva88
    bodiva88 Posts: 308 Member
    If you have sharp pain, swelling, or stiffness in the joint, I agree with those who say see a doctor. I went to a sports doc who specializes in nonsurgical treatment when I was having trouble with my knees. He recommended I ride an exercise bike or do other low impact excersice to strengthen my quads. And I went to physical therapy to get excersizes to use.

    You can also walk (gently, not thumping) up and down steps.

    Then ease into higher-impact work. Strengthening your quads will reduce the stress on your knees when walking and running. It certainly helped me with walking. Now I cycle a couple of times a week and swim, and have had no problem walking or climbing stairs since well before I started losing weight. I have arthritis in my knees, though, so I don't run. But I used to have trouble just walking until I worked on strengthening my thighs (and calves).
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,029 Member
    Knee pain is probably because of incorrect form on 30DS. I've heard more people say this on this program than any other.

    Stop doing 30DS or modify the jumps until you learn correct form.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • ShellyBell999
    ShellyBell999 Posts: 1,482 Member
    Form, form, form:

    Something similar happened to me last winter while trying Insanity. 3 weeks in to the program and added running outside, I was in pain in my right knee. Turns out I had torn my meniscus and aggravated an old ACL tear.

    I switched to weights and now can squat 130lbs for up to 10x5 because of proper form.
    I still have a torn ligament and meniscus, for which I'll be having surgery on next month, but, I am not in pain and do not experience any swelling with lifting and good form.

    I would find out why you're having the pain and adjust your routine from there, always building off bona fide form.