Aching Knees

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erniemj
erniemj Posts: 187 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello! I have been actively trying to lose weight for about 4 months now, I do Zumba 2x a week and am on day 70ish of P90x. Zumba is done with dance sneakers on a gymnastics floor (the cushioned/bouncy spring type floor gymnasts do their floor exercises on). I do not jog or run. (But need to start again!)

The last 10 days or so, I have noticed that my knees are getting really achey and sore, most noticeable when bending them to sit down. I have no troubles at zumba or working out (or at least I am too busy to notice). My nutritrion has slacked a bit lately, but within reasonable limits. My sleeping has been a bit off too and yes, I am back up to 2 cups of coffee in the morning instead of one.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated...I am 5'4", currently weigh about 159, 35 year-old female. I have four kids ages 3, 5, 6, and 8. I am also a vegetarian.

I am not a big supplement taker or pills or medication etc, but if there is something that specifically assists with joints, please mention it. I also just made my diary public, so any suggestions are appreciated!

Replies

  • maggieschuck
    maggieschuck Posts: 174
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    It could be that you aren't supporting your arches. Do you wear inserts? Zumba is great but remember that it is a high impact dance. You can see your Dr if it keeps up but you are too young to have Arthritis. I started running 4 months ago and my feet still ache after a few miles a week.

    Switch it up to less impact exercises and see if that makes a difference.
  • Angiebug1969
    Angiebug1969 Posts: 152
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    If you're not fond of taking supplements... bananas are a good source of potassium, and that can aid in joint flexibility (and as always, lots of water!!). I've done P90X... the Plyometrics, as well as the Legs & Back workouts are tough on your knees! Be sure to NOT skip your X Stretch & Yoga days... they can be life savers! :flowerforyou:
  • lggarland
    lggarland Posts: 9
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    it may be time for new shoes, too. I notice when the support on my shoes breaks down, I feel more aches and pains.
  • mochamom3
    mochamom3 Posts: 6
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    It is possible that you may have runner's knee or more specifically patellofemoral pain syndrome. If you have this, the onset of pain will be gradual, and climbing or descending stairs may become painful. This is usually caused by insufficient arch support, esp. in people with flat feet, or people who are not wearing the correct shoes. It can also be caused by an imbalance in the strength of your leg muscles. Try to strengthen the quads (top of the tigh) as well as the inner thigh to help stabilize the patella (kneecap). Also, you may want to stop doing any exercise that causes pain until your knees are healed. You may also want to ice them for 20 min no more than 30 min after performing any exercise, and apply the R.I.C.E method for a while (rest, ice, compression, elevation). Hope this helps, and you are off to a speedy recovery!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    The floor cushioning can only do so much - and is not helpful at all with twisty moves, plyo type lunges, or bad form. I personally need to rotate low impact days with (fewer) higher impact days.

    P90X - is most likely the culprit. Maybe do 1 day fewer of P90X - and see if that helps. Make sure your form is really good for lunges, etc. I don't trust myself to do plyo type, or even quick lunges anymore.
  • erniemj
    erniemj Posts: 187 Member
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    Thank you all for your suggestions and advice - my only thing is that this is a pretty recent situation, as I have been zumba for 4 months and P90x (lean - no plyometrics) for over 2 months - the dance sneakers are supportive (and god awful ugly), but they are becoming loose now that my feet are shrinking along with everything else. I will try taking zumba with my "running" sneakers - they have a lot of shock absorbtion and great arch support (I do have inserts too)...

    Thank you all again, definitely some good insight in here!!

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