Sore knees & ankles - do I need to worry?

mewk
mewk Posts: 13
edited September 30 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi, I've been doing Jillian's 30 Day Shred (just finished Day 13) and noticed that my ankles and more so my knees have been especially sore lately. I'm wondering if this is something I need to worry about. The truth is, I'm sore all over (LOL) these days, so I'm not sure if my knees are yet just another part of my body that's sore or if I need to worry about injuring my knee. Or will I actually develop stronger knees after all this?? (Sorry if that's a stupid question... I'm absolutely clueless about this stuff!)

The soreness in my knees are especially noticeable when I walk up or down a step/stairs. It borders on a bit painful but not unbearable or anything. Should I worry?

Other exercises I do on various days are Jackie Warner's power circuits, some walking/jogging, yoga/pilates, basic aerobics, and a bit of interval elliptical. I think it's the 30 Day Shred that made my knees sore though. I'm very careful about my form and make sure to do them properly when weight training - I always double-check and have my sister check for me as well, so I'm fairly sure my form is on par.

In short, am I going to injure myself? Is this bad for my knees (and ankles)? Should I not keep going? Ugh, I would hate it if I have to stop halfway into completing the 30 Day Shred...

Replies

  • jlynnmclaughlin
    jlynnmclaughlin Posts: 27
    The past few weeks my ankles and knees are hurting as well, especially going up stairs. I think it's all part of the workout and just that. However, if it does start to impede you from doing things and really turns into pain and/or swelling, then I would consult a Dr.

    PS,,, ibuprofen and heat pads help a lot :)
  • momma_roo
    momma_roo Posts: 146 Member
    My knees hurt a lot when I work my hamstrings, I find it helpful to stretch really well by putting my leg up on the couch and touching my toes. Hope this helps.
  • mewk
    mewk Posts: 13
    Ah, glad to know I'm not the only one - I was afraid I may be injuring my knee and perhaps making it worse by continuing to do the 30 Day Shred. I wasn't sure what constitutes as a "red flag" so to speak.

    jlynnmclaughlin - Thanks for the heat pads tip! I didn't think of that - which reminds me, when are we supposed to ice or heat muscles? I remember reading conflicting advice... some say ice and some say heat. Ibuprofen, I probably won't take as I try my best not to take painkillers if I can bear it. Plus, I'd be afraid that I was masking pain that could be a signal for something I might need to watch out for. :\

    momma_roo - I'm going to have to try that stretch! Do you lie flat on your back, prop your feet up on the couch, and then reach to touch your toes? Or am I misunderstanding? Thanks!
  • atla_moves
    atla_moves Posts: 54
    Just be careful. I stopped doing 30 DS once my knees started hurting.. but I injured mine once before and know that once you injure them, they'll never be quite the same. It's a lifelong battle to not over-work them.

    If you read amazon reviews of 30DS, you can see that quite a few people injured their knees doing it. It wasn't worth the risk, in my opinion.
  • mewk
    mewk Posts: 13
    atla_moves - Thanks for the warning. That's exactly what I'm afraid of actually. I did read the reviews at Amazon, so I went into this a bit wary and also very very careful about making sure my form was correct. It's also the main reason I'm worried that the soreness in my knees (and ankles) right now could be a sign for trouble... but I'm not really sure if it's "bad enough" to worry.

    How should I say this... I guess I'm wondering what is considered "normal" soreness and when do I know I'm in danger of injuring my knees? Or is any soreness at all in the joints just a bad sign overall?
  • atla_moves
    atla_moves Posts: 54
    In my experience, I never had any soreness in joints until I injured them. And I didn't do anything hardcore to injure them.. just pushed myself too hard on my bicycle with the seat too low. I didn't know I needed to have the bike properly fitted before then. Now I know.

    It's not a big deal for them to be sore, but it might lead to injury if you repeatedly put too much strain on them. Personally, I'd let them rest from high-impact stuff.. like some of the stuff in 30DS.

    Here are a couple of informative articles:

    http://www.boxinginsider.com/training-and-conditioning/taking-care-of-sore-joints-after-a-workout/
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/111706-sore-joints-after-exercise/
  • mewk
    mewk Posts: 13
    Yikes, I'm sorry you injured your knee like that, especially when it didn't seem like it was anything "hardcore" like you said. Though I've never really had sore knees either, I've always thought of myself as one with not-so-strong knees. It's probably wishful thinking on my part that I might be strengthening my knees a bit with these exercises. :P

    Much thanks for the links - they were very helpful! Looks like sore knees, while not a huge deal, is definitely not something to sneeze at either. I'll keep a close monitor of my soreness as I continue the 30 Day Shred then. If it doesn't let up after some treatment and icing that were suggested in the articles, I may give the workout up after all. :(

    Once again, thank you for taking the time to help me out and answer my questions. :)
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