Question: Knee hurts, Need advice

Gerkenstein
Gerkenstein Posts: 315 Member
edited 6:32PM in Fitness and Exercise
I need some advice and am hoping you all can help me. I'm 305lbs and the weight has done some damage to my knees. Is it okay to wear a knee brace when I work out or when it's sore? If so, where can I find one that is big enough (upper knee/lower thigh measures 22.5")?

Replies

  • ArmstrongAlexis
    ArmstrongAlexis Posts: 6 Member
    I see a lot of people who wear the flexible knee braces at the gym, so I wouldn't think it would be a bad idea to wear at all! I think if you searched on Amazon you could find something that could help that wouldn't be too expensive!
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    you should not work out when your knees are sore, pain is an indication of something wrong. If they aren't sore and you want that support, compression, warmpth etc you can find large sizes of knee sleeves on the elitefts website.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    My physiotherapist taught me low impact modifications I could use until my weight got less dangerous.

    I cannot stress enough the importance of building up your core strength and flexibility to prevent further injury.

    Yoga is good for this.

    https://www.doyouyoga.com/6-big-and-beautiful-yogis-you-should-follow-on-instagram/
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Get a diagnosis for the knee pain, don't just put a brace on.

    Stick to low impact exercise in the meantime
  • STEVE142142
    STEVE142142 Posts: 867 Member
    Let me give you my background. This will help explain my thinking pattern and my advice to you. Double hip replacement and I have an arthritic knee and arthritic shoulder that eventually need to be replaced.

    January 1st 2016 my starting weight was 288 my current weight is 208 which I've been maintaining for over eight months. I can confidently say there was a time when I probably weighed about 320 pounds.

    Now my advice please see an orthopedic surgeon and figure out what's going on with your knee. It'll give you peace of mind to know what you can do and you can't do. The knee is a highly complicated joint and the orthopedist was able to explain how it functions and it really helps me understand the kind of workouts and what I can do.

    Now let me give you a hope. losing the weight will dramatically take a lot of stress off your knee and it will lessen the pain. I've read articles saying that for every pound of weight you lose it's the equivalent of taking 7 PSI off your knee.

    I'm a big fan of Tony Horton and I've done a couple rounds of P90X. One of the workouts is Plyometrics jump exercises and one of them moves is a 180-degree spin jump. A year-and-a-half ago all I could do was move my feet to replicate the movement. Now I can do multiple 360 spin jumps.

    Yes the brace will help you it'll keep your knee warm during the workout but it probably won't stop the pain that's why I'm telling you to see an orthopedist and a physical therapist who can give you a workout to strengthen the knee joint

  • pomegranatecloud
    pomegranatecloud Posts: 812 Member
    You should not just randomly start wearing a brace unless you've been advised to by a doctor or PT. Make an appointment with an orthopedist who can advise on you on what is causing the pain and how to fix and prevent it.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Losing weight might relieve many of your knee issues. It did for me. Strength training concurrent with weight loss also helped A LOT. Wearing a knee brace can change other body mechanics & create other issues. DO get advice from a doc & therapist. Mostly, do exercises that don't affect your knee. Lots of modifications be done.
  • kavahni
    kavahni Posts: 313 Member
    Get thee to a physical therapist! Please do not take advice here (except for that advising you to get professional assessment). It is a great way to aggravate what's already hurting, or injure yourself when you may not yet actually have an injury.

    A PT will be able to assess exactly why you are having pain--it could have something to do with your weight, or it could have to do with specific problems with your body mechanics. A PT will help you strengthen your weak places, and that alone may resolve the pain. There are people at the track where I work out who are 300 lbs plus. Some of them are joggers, and I know they have worked hard to strengthen their knees.

    Really, get a professional assessment. It will set you on your way to a happier, healthier, bodacious bod. ❤️
  • Gerkenstein
    Gerkenstein Posts: 315 Member
    Thank you all for your advice! Guess I need to make an appointment with an ortho doc and maybe a PT. Didn't think the pain was that big of deal, but I guess so! In the meantime, I am definitely sticking to low impact exercise. Might be time to try out water aerobics!
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