Help - knees.
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You probably should see a orthopedic doctor for your knee who will do x-rays and a MRI to see what is really going on. Maybe more than just arthritis. I have osteoarthritis quite badly in my knees and often my knee will buckle (though not to often) however they hurt all the time and the motion (bending them) is not good. I am trying to lose weight to help plus I am going to physical therapy right now. They have me doing some resistance exercise on them and I must ice them daily to keep inflammation and swelling down. I just started so the jury is out. I am also taking meloxicam which is a anti-inflammatory, it helps a little. For me if I had to get up in the middle of the night I could not straiten or stand on my leg for several minutes. Once I have it moving I m ok to walk around thought I still have discomfort. I recently joined a gym but now am told I can only do recumbent cycling as I could damage more in my knees, hips and back. I go back to physical therapy (PT) 2x a week starting Monday. You can friend me if you want and I can keep you informed as to how well it is working.
Thanks for your reply. It's sounding more and more like i might need to be referred to a specialist. It's very frustrating because I do want to do some exercise but I'm too nervous. I think cycling will be my best option from the sound of it.
Although I don't really have much pain I can't straighten and bend my leg properly, though again I think fear is playing it's part. It sounds like you have really suffered a lot with your knees. Good luck with your pt this week and I have sent a friend request.0 -
Madelinec117 wrote: »I agree with Ming, a specialist would be a good idea and can probably suggest exercises to strengthen the muscles to help support the joint. Also as Ming mentioned, cycling without a lot of tension on the bike is very knee friendly - it's usually part of the therapy for person recovering form knee surgeries.
Thanks for your reply. I think you're right about maybe needing to see a specialist. I'll see what the physio says when I get an appointment and take it from there. I just thought that because my main issue was when I was weight bearing then me being too heavy had to be affecting my knee.
I think an exercise bike is also something I'd find useful.
Thanks again.0 -
sparkymolly wrote: »I've got pretty awful knees (3 major and 3 minor injuries) and losing weight (30lbs) did help.
Moderate knee arthritis in our 50's isn't unusual. Would be surprised if that is the cause of your knee buckling.
But more significant than weight loss was working really hard on getting and keeping my leg muscles strong.
Quad muscles in particular are really important for knee stability which in turn gives you confidence to do more - a beneficial circle if you like.
I had appalling knee stability after 3 months non-weight bearing and major muscle loss.
Rehab was first in a gym (straight leg lifts, resistance bands, pulleys, then progressed to stairs then to cycling.
If a brace gives you confidence your knee won't collapse then wearing one during exercise may help.
Would advise doing as much as you can (carefully!) to avoid losing more strength. Avoiding exercise may make things worse.
Hope your Physio appointment gives you the answer to your problem.
By the way I progressed from having to relearn to walk to playing 10 years of competitive squash and am now a 100 mile + cyclist. Keep on pushing, where you are now doesn't mean you can't improve. (Pushing sensibly & progressively of course!)
It sounds like you've had a fairly awful time with your knees. I do think I need to work at strengthening my leg but I'm just so fearful about hurting myself or making it worse. But I know I have to do something. I'm hoping when I see the physio they'll give me exercises I can do. When I had my one appointment with the NHS physio he only gave me a couple of exercises, including reverse lunges as he said I had mild ligament damage. But lunges make me very nervous with bad knees so I'm reluctant to do any more til I see another physio.
I'm thinking maybe an exercise bike will be my best option so I'll have to try and find one suitable for short people.
Thank you so much for your reply, it really has helped.
Any time you bend your knees when weight bearing you work your quads. If you are nervous about lunges then just a very slow motion stair climb or bodyweight squats (don't go for advanced range of movement unless your Physio clears you to do so) will help.
If it turns out to be meniscus / cartilage repair (from the clicking and buckling that might be my non-medical guess) then it can be a breeze.
One of my knee ops was a trim up of a torn meniscus - both the operation and the recovery were a walk in the park.
Thanks, that's good to know that the operation wasn't too bad. That's a good idea about the slow stair climb, I'll definitely give it a go.0 -
Extra weight is awful for knees. I destroyed my left knee and my doctor told me the best way to delay needing surgery was to get the weight off and build the supporting muscles. This year I tore my meniscus in my right knee (causing me to carry the bulk of my weight on my already bad left side) so now I have 2 damaged knees. I'm working hard doing modified Insanity and counting calories to get weight off. I still really want to avoid surgery until I hit 40 because I know it needs to be redone every 10 years or so. Im in pain every day0
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Extra weight is awful for knees. I destroyed my left knee and my doctor told me the best way to delay needing surgery was to get the weight off and build the supporting muscles. This year I tore my meniscus in my right knee (causing me to carry the bulk of my weight on my already bad left side) so now I have 2 damaged knees. I'm working hard doing modified Insanity and counting calories to get weight off. I still really want to avoid surgery until I hit 40 because I know it needs to be redone every 10 years or so. Im in pain every day
It sounds awful for you. I can't imagine being in pain every day. I certainly wish when I was younger I'd given more thought to how my being heavy would affect my joints. It's only when there's a problem you realise how much we take our joints for granted. I hope you get some relief soon. Take care and thanks for replying to my post.1 -
Extra weight is awful for knees. I destroyed my left knee and my doctor told me the best way to delay needing surgery was to get the weight off and build the supporting muscles. This year I tore my meniscus in my right knee (causing me to carry the bulk of my weight on my already bad left side) so now I have 2 damaged knees. I'm working hard doing modified Insanity and counting calories to get weight off. I still really want to avoid surgery until I hit 40 because I know it needs to be redone every 10 years or so. Im in pain every day
Don't know what type of knee surgery you're talking about, but never heard of any that needs to be redone every 10 years.
Total knee replacement generally lasts longer than that.
Total joint replacement lasts 15-20 years. A more accurate way to think about longevity is via the annual failure rates. Most current data suggests that both hip and knee replacements have an annual failure rate between 0.5-1.0%. This means that if you have your total joint replaced today, you have a 90-95% chance that your joint will last 10 years, and a 80-85% that it will last 20 years. With improvements in technology, these numbers may improve.
Source: http://www.aahks.org/care-for-hips-and-knees/do-i-need-a-joint-replacement/total-knee-replacement/
I've have friends that had ligament repairs done 30-40 years ago that are still fine.0 -
Packerjohn wrote: »Extra weight is awful for knees. I destroyed my left knee and my doctor told me the best way to delay needing surgery was to get the weight off and build the supporting muscles. This year I tore my meniscus in my right knee (causing me to carry the bulk of my weight on my already bad left side) so now I have 2 damaged knees. I'm working hard doing modified Insanity and counting calories to get weight off. I still really want to avoid surgery until I hit 40 because I know it needs to be redone every 10 years or so. Im in pain every day
Don't know what type of knee surgery you're talking about, but never heard of any that needs to be redone every 10 years.
Total knee replacement generally lasts longer than that.
Total joint replacement lasts 15-20 years. A more accurate way to think about longevity is via the annual failure rates. Most current data suggests that both hip and knee replacements have an annual failure rate between 0.5-1.0%. This means that if you have your total joint replaced today, you have a 90-95% chance that your joint will last 10 years, and a 80-85% that it will last 20 years. With improvements in technology, these numbers may improve.
Source: http://www.aahks.org/care-for-hips-and-knees/do-i-need-a-joint-replacement/total-knee-replacement/
I've have friends that had ligament repairs done 30-40 years ago that are still fine.
I need a knee replacement on the left. My doctor said its recommended to replace at 10-15yr for most so at 32 when I was first injured that would have been a lot of surgeries and expense. My hope is to wait until Im at least 40 and only get it done as few times as possible.0 -
I had horrible knee pain and problems a little over a year ago. I have some arthritis in both knees and at least one torn meniscus. I was very careful not to run, kneel on the floor, or make sudden knee movements. As I lost weight and paid attention to my diet, my knee problems gradually disappeared. After dropping a little over 100 pounds this past year I have increased my walking to 10km one day per week with two other days of 3-5km. I even started running a portion of these walks. I am, however, seriously thinking about scaling back the running and concentrating on just walking and bicycling so I don't reinjure my knees.
I did not have surgery to fix my knees but if it's available I do recommend having it. The reason I chose not to have surgery is because the pain has not returned since my weight loss. Even after running I had no knee pain but now my ankle is acting up. That's why I will continue walking but cut out running.
One thing that helped me was a change in my diet. My knee pain got worse after eating foods like tomatoes, eggplant, red bell peppers and potatoes so I avoided them as much as possible. They are called nightshade vegetables. I ate more fish like tuna, salmon, scallops, herring, and trout because the omega-3's inhibit inflammatory proteins in our bodies. Red and purple fruits like blueberries, strawberries, and cherries are also great anti-inflammatory foods that I love to eat. Olive oil is good because it has a compound that inhibits inflammation and reduces pain sensitivity and I use in in place of butter in most of my cooking. Beans and whole grains are also great anti-inflammatory foods.
So to answer your question, yes, 35lbs made a huge difference in my knees. It was after my initial 30-35lb loss that I started walking more. I also used an elyptical machine that I had bought second-hand. Now I also love bicycling. I hope you have the relief from pain with your last 35lbs that I experienced.2 -
I have two forms of arthritis, and yes, weight has a huge impact on your knees -- on all your joints really. While it sounds like you have additional issues to worry about that need some looking at by a specialist (that collapsing thing never happened to me and likely involves more than I'm familiar enough with to discuss), I can recommend, once you're sorted out, the idea that you need to strengthen the muscles around your knee and take up regular exercise.
Once you have arthritis, maintaining a healthy weight and regularly moving the arthritic joints is part of managing your condition. I run just about daily now, but I started out walking. If walking is all you ever do? Walking is great exercise, and I still do an awful lot of it because it keeps my hips from stiffening up.
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I had knee reconstruction done after I tore the ligament that runs from the kneecap to the femur. Everytime I moved my leg, my kneecap would dislocate. For about a year after surgery, my knee would buckle because I didn't follow through with the PT. Once I built up the muscles around the knee, the buckling stopped.2
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Do you have access to a stationary bicycle ? I had a lot of trouble with a painful / giving way / locking knee and find that doing 20 mins on the static bike daily really strengthened the muscles around my knee ( taking away need for a brace)1
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Losing weight does help with knees, however if your knees are anything like mine (spend years in knee braces as a kid and now get cortisone injections every now and then), your knees may not be so forgiving. Knees can be jerks.
What has been helping me on top of actually losing weight was to build up muscle in the knee area and legs. 1 -
One side note: You mentioned trying tai chi. Generally, I'm a tai chi advocate (late husband was a tai chi teacher).
But tai chi may not be an ideal choice for those with certain knee problems - many forms have you turn while you have weight on the knee. I have a torn meniscus & arthritis, among other issues, and find this kind of motion aggravates my knee pain.
You may be able to gently experiment to see which types of motion cause problems. For me, impact & weighted twisting/torque are Bad Things. Ditto full range bends (like full squats). But straight-line hinge motions are doable, within a slightly limited range. So running & most dance aerobics type things are out, but rowing & biking work OK. Your problems are different, so your solutions will be, too.
For me, getting stronger leg muscles has definitely helped, but getting to a healthy weight has made a huge improvement.
Good luck!1 -
One side note: You mentioned trying tai chi. Generally, I'm a tai chi advocate (late husband was a tai chi teacher).
But tai chi may not be an ideal choice for those with certain knee problems - many forms have you turn while you have weight on the knee. I have a torn meniscus & arthritis, among other issues, and find this kind of motion aggravates my knee pain.
You may be able to gently experiment to see which types of motion cause problems. For me, impact & weighted twisting/torque are Bad Things. Ditto full range bends (like full squats). But straight-line hinge motions are doable, within a slightly limited range. So running & most dance aerobics type things are out, but rowing & biking work OK. Your problems are different, so your solutions will be, too.
For me, getting stronger leg muscles has definitely helped, but getting to a healthy weight has made a huge improvement.
Good luck!
Thanks for replying. It's interesting what you say about tai chi. Since September I've done a 10min gentle daily tai chi routine I found on you tube. But a couple of weeks ago I bought the tai cheng system which seems more difficult. It was after I'd done five days of this that I started getting knee twinges again so I did think it was probably linked. I quite enjoyed doing it so I was disappointed to have to stop but I do think it might have affected my knee.
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k9education wrote: »As has already been said, excess weight can have a significant impact on your joints. My mother-in-law can barely walk at all due to the damage caused by being significantly overweight for so many years.
Now as far as having bad knees or any joint for that matter (and as someone who has bad knees), the best advice I can give is to lift weights. Building up the muscle around the joint will have a huge positive impact.
It often read about the results people get from lifting weights but I've never thought of doing them myself. I suppose it's me being wary about hurting my knee again. I'll definitely have to find out more about what I can do to strengthen my legs.0 -
cerise_noir wrote: »Losing weight does help with knees, however if your knees are anything like mine (spend years in knee braces as a kid and now get cortisone injections every now and then), your knees may not be so forgiving. Knees can be jerks. What has been helping me on top of actually losing weight was to build up muscle in the knee area and legs.
There definitely seems to be a common theme of building up muscles around my knees so that's the direction I think I need to go. Thanks for replying, hope your knees aren't too bad at the moment.0 -
Do you have access to a stationary bicycle ? I had a lot of trouble with a painful / giving way / locking knee and find that doing 20 mins on the static bike daily really strengthened the muscles around my knee ( taking away need for a brace)
I have a mini cycle thing where you just sit on an ordinary chair so I might use that for now. Sometimes when I use it i must sit in the wrong position and get a bad back so I'll have to be careful not to do that. I think I'll definitely have to look into getting a proper stationary bike, though as I put in my original post I struggle to find one where I can reach the pedals! I did wonder about a recumbent bike and whether that would be better for me so I'll have to have a think.
Has the bike stopped all your knee troubles?
Thanks for your reply, it's really helped me.0 -
Stationary bike will do wonder for you, while watching your favourite programme,10 to 20 minutes, will rienforce the muscle and tendons around your knee and help you in your weight loss journey. also a knee support during the day, will help you feel more stable.......I also have knee problems.....1
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Stationary bike will do wonder for you, while watching your favourite programme,10 to 20 minutes, will rienforce the muscle and tendons around your knee and help you in your weight loss journey. also a knee support during the day, will help you feel more stable.......I also have knee problems.....
I'm beginning to realise that an exercise bike is definitely the way to go. I might use my mini one for now but need to look into whether a recumbent bike is better than an upright one in the long term. Thanks for you reply. Bad knees suck don't they?0
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