Painful joints from exercise, DESPERATE FOR HELP!!

ankles and knees swelling can have other causes besides the exercise. r u sure its from the exercise ???

I going to assume that it's the torquing on your knees and ankles from dancing. Dancing takes correct form too and over rotating with fast moves on your knees and ankles is possibly the problem.

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

Ouch! Could it be arthritis?

A few years ago, after doing years of impact exercise including step aerobics and vigorous walking, I was about to take a walk up Dunns River Falls in Ocho Rios, my knee failed me. I later found out that I had osteoarthritis. So,in the interest of preserving my joints and strengthening the muscles around them, I switched to water aerobics and lap swimming with an occasional, slow paced walk woven in.

So, I suggest a visit to your doctor. But even if it's not arthritis, a change to exercise with less impact could do you well.

All the best.

I have weak ankles so I use a good ankle brace to help and noticed the difference. I wear my brace especially when I do Zumba. I also go to water aerobics which I get a great workout and it is not hard on my knees are ankles.

Epsom Salt bath.

Fish Oil, daily. I take like 3,000 mgs minimum.

I was just going to mention omega fatty acids. They do amazing things for your body. Your skin gets soft and lovely, any stomach issues are helped and the biggest thing is it really helps with joint pain. They're great for your whole body and are relatively cheap if you can go to Costco. It's $15 for a large 350 capsule bottle of Wild Alaskan Salmon oil caps.

Ouch! Could it be arthritis?

A few years ago, after doing years of impact exercise including step aerobics and vigorous walking, I was about to take a walk up Dunns River Falls in Ocho Rios, my knee failed me. I later found out that I had osteoarthritis. So,in the interest of preserving my joints and strengthening the muscles around them, I switched to water aerobics and lap swimming with an occasional, slow paced walk woven in.

So, I suggest a visit to your doctor. But even if it's not arthritis, a change to exercise with less impact could do you well.

All the best.

I strongly agree with the above poster, a lot of wisdom in what they've shared! I too do mostly water aerobics, water jogging, water walking and aqua Pilates...more workouts can be done in the pool than you might imagine.

I've started swimming again and aqua jogging and my knees have less and less pain in the joint area. Working to strengthen your calves and thighs can really help with knee joint issues. I simply can't say enough good about pool workouts and then if available spending time in the hot tub after a workout.

I could never run on pavement....my knees would not be able to take it but running in the pool..it's exhilarating and really strengthens my entire body. I'm a bit older than you and I realize Jazzercise and all that high impact exercise has gotten me to where I am now. High impact can be really hard on our bodies... not matter what weight, some of us it's just not a good fit.

Don't know if you have use of a pool or can get a pass for a week or so to try out a gym that has one? I noticed you're pretty young but there are some ppl that deal with arthritis even at a younger age. If the workouts you're doing now are painful...I suggest stopping them until you figure out what's causing the joint pain. This is a BIG deal, not just a little pain but it's something that can effect your joints and entire body for the rest of your life.

Not worth a gamble, not for me and I really should only be speaking for myself. But please be careful, we only get one body and pain simply isn't worth it.

I know that some can do dance workouts, Zumba etc. Some simple can't because of knee issues or the fact that quick movements of the knee can often times mess up our knees pretty badly.

I wish you well, you've got some great advice on this thread... really glad you posted about the issue rather than pushing through. Joint issues are NOT something to push through without checking with someone first, perhaps a trainer to get assistance on form, a doctor etc. Our bodies being sore after a workout is one thing but pain is a signal something is wrong and our bodies way of letting us know.

*****Oh and ice ice ice! Helps with the joint inflamation..heat can work for some, ice seems to be best for my knees.

I will try the bath salts and fish oil, thank you! Also, ninerbuff, I was wondering if that was it too. I've been trying to work on form, but I'm a newbie doing this in my basement, so I do the best I can. I see you are a kickboxing instructor, any suggestions or thoughts are appreciated. Should I wrap them? Do smaller movements until I am comfortable with the choreography? Anything helps.

A knee joint doesn't rotate when it's extended which is why it ligaments and tendons tear when enough force is put on them. Especially with kicking where one has to rotate their hips into the kick, many don't rotate on the balls of their feet, but leave their standing foot planted to the ground. So the torsion goes to the hip and knee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgCmg35q8bs

I know the video is cheesy, but look at how the standing foot rotates on a round house kick. Keeping one's hips open is how to develop a good kick.

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

Sorry to hear you're having problems. No one here can accurately diagnose you without a) being a trained health professional and b) meeting you face to face! I suggest you go to your doctor or a physiotherapist to get checked out. There are several reasons for sudden inflammation, some of them minor, some not so minor.

Good luck!

I agree with the suggestion about seeing a doctor to rule out any health issues. Sudden swelling could indicate circulatory problems or even a kidney infection. Rule out health issues first.

If all comes back ok, start a stretching routine. If you have Time Warner Cable, go to their free OnDemand and do the ballet stretch (it's only 11 minutes long), or incorporate some yoga and/or pilates workouts into your routine. For your ankles, you can sit on your knees with your but on your ankles, toes under. See if you can hold that pose for 30 seconds and the see if you can do it up to 3 minutes. The Frog stretch is a great overall stretch - it's really good for loosening hips (tight hips are a big problem for many women and this leads to knee pain).