Alternate Lower body workout?

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Carlyannabelle
Carlyannabelle Posts: 621 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I was diagnosed with runners knee the other day, basically my knee cap wants to slide to the side rather than stay in place. There is some swelling and constant popping. My doctor told me not to run for a while and to use the bike. I tried the bike and it hurt worse than running did. It's the bending motion that causes the most pain. Obviously I can't to squats or lunges or anything that requires a lot of knee bending.

Do anyone have a list of good lower body lifts/exercises that I could try?

Thanks!!

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  • Carlyannabelle
    Carlyannabelle Posts: 621 Member
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    Anyone?
  • kates232
    kates232 Posts: 8 Member
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    Try a few of the lower body machines, like leg press and leg extension. Both of those machines allow you to adjust the angle to which your knee bends and the amount of weight you are using.
  • aquarabbit
    aquarabbit Posts: 1,622 Member
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    Strength workouts? Or more cardio? Definitely check out youtube. Zuzka Light just posted a beginner leg and ab workout today, but it does have squats. Not sure if you want to avoid those. I have a bad knee (riding injury) and something that I've found helpful is to learn all the modifications and things I should avoid and that way I can modify pretty much any workout. Also learning things I can do to strengthen those muscles. I have a routine from my old physical therapist, so if the knee continues to be a problem, you might want to taalk to you doc about a referral. But do a search on youtube and they'll be a TON! I'm also a big fan of Blogilates and hers arr usually pretty low impact. And make sure to get a really good stretch in at the end.
  • jlclabo
    jlclabo Posts: 588 Member
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    also it may benefit you to try some form of knee sleeve for support and warmth. i have a slight left knee issue and it gets very tight and sore, but i can slip on my knee sleeve and in about 5 minutes the heat and compression pretty much remove the pain and stiffness. i have the heavy sleeves from elitefts.com. way way cheaper than others like rehbands, etc.... i have worn the rehbands before and the elitesfts sleeves offer greater support also in my opinion. i know this is not an "alternate workout" suggestion, but it may allow you to continue your current activities in more comfort.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
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    Straight leg ballet is great (like don't do the moves in demi-plie like they are often done). Floor barre from ballet is done on a mat and is also really great. So it's a lot of lifting the legs in different positions, and you can hit all your main leg muscles (and glutes) that way. You can add weight (plates, dumbbells, or heavy resistance bands) to the thigh area when doing the mat moves, so you can also add a good deal of resistance.

    Just don't attach the weight so that it causes any pressure on the knee if your knees are unstable that way. That's why I said put it on the thigh. Good luck!

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