Need help for dealing with bad knees

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GA72189
GA72189 Posts: 16 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am obese and desperately wanting to lose weight. I have changed my eating habits but I need to exercise too. Unfortunately, I have bad knees which is making exercising hard to do without causing more damage. I had a bad fall when I was in middle school and after that my left knee has always been prone to pain but when I started gaining weight it has gotten worse. I did a Julian Micheal's dvd and my knee hurt for about 3 weeks. My husband and I have been walking about 2 times a week about 5 miles a day, which makes my knee sore but not too bad. I am looking for more exercise I can do at home, that won't kill my knee and that doesn't require a lot of equipment because we are a one income family and money is tight. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I plan on going to the doctor to have it looked at I just don't have the money now.

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  • wkwebby
    wkwebby Posts: 807 Member
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    Have you tried bicycling? This would be lower impact for your knees than even walking. Swimming at the Y? Good luck in your search! :flowerforyou:
  • GA72189
    GA72189 Posts: 16 Member
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    I have a stationary bike but I took it apart to fix it lol and now I need help putting it back together. We don't really have a place like that to swim, I live in a very small town, wish we did cause I really like swimming.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    What has helped my knees has been a mix of:
    Running
    Swimming
    Biking
    Squats
    Lunges
    Box jumps
    Losing weight.

    YMMV
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    Do you wrap your knees at all? You can find fairly inexpensive compression sleeves at the drugstore, or even cheaper bandage strips. I have a bad knee from a botched ACL repair and I don't do any exercise without wrapping it. It makes all the difference for me.

    http://www.wikihow.com/Wrap-Your-Knee
  • e_daffodil
    e_daffodil Posts: 1 Member
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    I would actually like to hear some advice as well. My mum has got very similar situation, needs to lose weight but knees are so bad by now that any cardio is out of question. May be someone heard of/ used DVDs for exercising at home with minimum involvement of knees?
  • machinistgoalie
    machinistgoalie Posts: 17
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    Some low impact stuff as mentioned. You can still move and be active with less strain on your joints, then you can build up to more as you lose weight.

    I know you said swimming is a no go, but the bike idea is a good one, or even they make these like little, I'm not sure what to call them, they are just like a set of pedals like on a bike, but on a base or a stand, and you sit in a chair and pedal.

    I had really bad knees, but it was mainly all due to weight. As I lost weight and exrcised more, the pain has decreased, to the point I play hockey 8 hours a week with no issues, unless it's due to an injury. I stand on concrete all day in boots, so at over 250lb, my feet and knees will start to bark at me after a shift, but rest and/or sleep seems to cure that. I have found that heat, either heating pad or wearing sweatpants, helps sooth them as well.

    You're not local to south central PA are you? I'd fix your stationary bike right up for you! Are you able to take a pic or convey whats' wrong? Maybe I can help get it back together for you.
  • cantfail
    cantfail Posts: 169 Member
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    I highly recommend DDP Yoga. It isn't like regular yoga. It is a really good cardio workout with virtually no joint impact. It was developed by a former professional wrestler (I almost ignored it because of that) who blew out his back. He is really good at explaining and encouraging modifications to fit whatever limitations you might have. Check out this video:

    http://youtu.be/qX9FSZJu448

    I have personally met Arthur (the man in the video) and several others who have had amazing success either with relieving chronic pain or losing weight or both.

    The workouts are on DVD and you can get them at ddpyoga.com. If money is a serious issue, I believe they have a "hardship" program. Contact them and they may be able to help you with that.

    I have been a fitness trainer for almost 15 years and I've been doing DDP Yoga myself for a little more than 7 months and I can't say enough good things about it.
  • GA72189
    GA72189 Posts: 16 Member
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    I'm down here in GA but I talked to the hubby and he thinks he can help me fix it. I want to thank y'all for the tips and ideas. I have never really tried to wrap my knee, when I hurt it I didn't even go to the doctor. How tight would I need to wrap it? I have lost 2 lbs, not much but it's 2 lbs less on my knees! I am going to try these ideas so I can lose even more.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    I wrap mine super tight, but it's wobbly as well as painful so I need all the support I can get. Plus I learned how to wrap in surgery recovery so again, super tight. You can always adjust it, it's actually very easy once you've done it a couplefew times. Or get a sleeve, they're also really effective for me, just sweatier :)

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