No Impact Exercise

Lesliecs · August 2011

So.... I get really jealous when I read all the posts about how and what kind of exercising everyone is doing. I USED to be that person..... but I had to have arthroscopic knee surgery in January for a torn meniscus and even know I am unable to do any kind of exercise that impacts my left leg or knee. It seems that not only did I have a torn meniscus (which they fixed), i have severe arthritis in that knee and the doctor says they only thing that will help is a total knee replacement.... which I'm really not ready for. I can't run at all.... I can walk, maybe 2 blocks at the most without it becoming painful..... and I still have trouble walking up and down stairs. I am going to an arthritis specialist this week for a 2nd opinion and/or to see if there is anything else that can possibly be done besides another surgery. I take Glucosamine Chondroitin, which I believe helps a little.

My question (after that long drawn-out story!) is this...... does anyone have ideas for non-impact exercising? I was told by a family member who had the same surgery that about the only thing he can do is ride a bicycle and that helps. I am planning on getting a bike as soon as I have some extra money. But didn't know if anyone else had any other ideas or has the same problem as me.

Thanks for listening!

ninerbuff · August 2011

So.... I get really jealous when I read all the posts about how and what kind of exercising everyone is doing. I USED to be that person..... but I had to have arthroscopic knee surgery in January for a torn meniscus and even know I am unable to do any kind of exercise that impacts my left leg or knee. It seems that not only did I have a torn meniscus (which they fixed), i have severe arthritis in that knee and the doctor says they only thing that will help is a total knee replacement.... which I'm really not ready for. I can't run at all.... I can walk, maybe 2 blocks at the most without it becoming painful..... and I still have trouble walking up and down stairs. I am going to an arthritis specialist this week for a 2nd opinion and/or to see if there is anything else that can possibly be done besides another surgery. I take Glucosamine Chondroitin, which I believe helps a little.

My question (after that long drawn-out story!) is this...... does anyone have ideas for non-impact exercising? I was told by a family member who had the same surgery that about the only thing he can do is ride a bicycle and that helps. I am planning on getting a bike as soon as I have some extra money. But didn't know if anyone else had any other ideas or has the same problem as me.

Thanks for listening!

Straight up boxing with gloves on a bag. You don't even have to stand to do it. I currently train a client with one leg, and he's lost more weight boxing than from rowing on a machine and bicycling.

MarieNevada · August 2011

swimming

djcon · August 2011

water aerobics is great....if you can find a gym and have access to a pool, they usually offer water aerobics or water pilates.... swimming or anything in the water is non impact and easy on the joints

RachelJE · August 2011

I second water aerobics. I've been doing it for about 4 months, 4-5 times a week and notice a huge difference in my body shape and my energy level. I have a bad knee and a bad ankle as well. I have started transitioning to dry land exercise (after losing 120 pounds) in the last week, and its amazing the difference in my knee and ankle. Virtually no pain. Also amazed at how good shape I'm in after the aerobics.

JCPruitt · August 2011

water aerobics is one of the best things you can do. You can try skating, but I am not sure how you would fair. I had my meniscus scoped out in '97 and it really needs it again. I also tried destroying both ACL's when I was younger, so I get knee pain. You may not be ready for a replacement, but in terms of being encouraging about it, the goalie for my hockey team had both her knees replaced and does awesome. Not sure how long ago they were done though.

chevy88grl · August 2011

Swimming/water aerobics. A gym near me actually offers a arthritis water class. Call around and see if you can find somewhere that offers something like this.

luckyduck768 · August 2011

Everyone has made great suggestions here. I had knee surgery also, and the best low-impact exercise is either biking or swimming. Swimming you can do water aerobics, just simply treading water, or laps (with a kickboard too if you want to start out easy). The other things I can think of is perhaps yoga or pilates, but they do have some strain on your knees (as my knee sometimes hurts when I do these). Hope this helps!

stc74 · August 2011

swimming. that's how i recovered from back surgery

sherrillg · August 2011

Deep water aerobics is the bomb! I have rheumatoid arthritis (20+yrs now) and was just diagnosed with OA in my knees. (I broke both kneecaps in HS and had two scopes prior to RA.) For me, bicycling has not been fun...it still causes me problems so I avoid it. I am able to use some elliptical machines but I have to be careful. Each one seems just a bit different in how my knee reacts. I will say that beyond a shadow of doubt, do all that you can to get moving again. If you can only walk 2 blocks w/o pain, then walk 2 blocks every day! Most likely you will see that you can walk 3 blocks in a few weeks. Your knees have to get stronger and the stronger they are when you decide to have a replacement done, the better your recovery will be. Feel free friend me if you'd like to chat some about this!

MaryTuttle · August 2011

Deep water running/jogging. You will need a belt but if you love running, you can keep those running muscles with out impact. I watched instructions on YouTube when I was injured and went to the highschools diving pit to "run". Swimming is an awesome sport. I bike almost everyday as means of transportation/fitness/fun! Good luck on finding your niche, and speedy healing to you.

mmstgr · August 2011

water aerobics is great....if you can find a gym and have access to a pool, they usually offer water aerobics or water pilates.... swimming or anything in the water is non impact and easy on the joints

agreed

Lesliecs · August 2011

Thanks everyone! It seems swimming is a big consensus! I'll have to check around here...... used to have a nice above ground pool when my son was young, but have since taken it down..... wish I still have it now! I appreciate everyone's input!!

koosdel · August 2011

So.... I get really jealous when I read all the posts about how and what kind of exercising everyone is doing. I USED to be that person..... but I had to have arthroscopic knee surgery in January for a torn meniscus and even know I am unable to do any kind of exercise that impacts my left leg or knee. It seems that not only did I have a torn meniscus (which they fixed), i have severe arthritis in that knee and the doctor says they only thing that will help is a total knee replacement.... which I'm really not ready for. I can't run at all.... I can walk, maybe 2 blocks at the most without it becoming painful..... and I still have trouble walking up and down stairs. I am going to an arthritis specialist this week for a 2nd opinion and/or to see if there is anything else that can possibly be done besides another surgery. I take Glucosamine Chondroitin, which I believe helps a little.

My question (after that long drawn-out story!) is this...... does anyone have ideas for non-impact exercising? I was told by a family member who had the same surgery that about the only thing he can do is ride a bicycle and that helps. I am planning on getting a bike as soon as I have some extra money. But didn't know if anyone else had any other ideas or has the same problem as me.

Thanks for listening!

Straight up boxing with gloves on a bag. You don't even have to stand to do it. I currently train a client with one leg, and he's lost more weight boxing than from rowing on a machine and bicycling.

Boxing can be hard on the ankles and knees, if you're really boxing (weight bag, or sparring). I wouldn't suggest boxing without proper training, the chance of injury is simply to great.

tameko2 · August 2011

Thanks everyone! It seems swimming is a big consensus! I'll have to check around here...... used to have a nice above ground pool when my son was young, but have since taken it down..... wish I still have it now! I appreciate everyone's input!!

.I actually think boxing is a really good suggestion - rowing was also briefly mentioned. You will get a lot stronger doing those things, especially your back and chest and those are really core areas. Try mixing up the swimming/water aerobics with some boxing and weight training.

ponzini · August 2011

My knees are in bad shape as well. OA in one and not much cartilage in the other. Doc can only replace it. Cycling has been great for me. Spin your pedals at 60+ rpm and there is littlte load on your knees. Ive been cyling one year and just finished a 175 mile tour in 3 days. My knees felt great. Butt... another story LOL.

chezst33 · August 2011

Knee pain is the pits! I've had 5 knee surgeries on my left kee (first surgery was similar to yours) & recently was diagnosed with severe arthritis in my knee. I'm currently waiting to see if Synvisc injections work, if not, it's a knee replacement for me too. Are you doing any PT? They have me doing some strength exercises that are just using my own body as resistance. For me, the elliptical is actually easier than a bike as the ROM is less extensive. I don't think this is the case for everyone. A recumbant bike seems to work better for me than a more upright stationary bike. Like everyone said, water aerobics is good-- the deeper you go, the less resistance. When I joined the Y last year I had a broken toe so that was the only thing I could do. Walking on land was hard, but jumping around in as deep of water I could go and still touch (otherwise, take a deep water class) worked really well. Also, with this post, you'll get so much strength & encouragement from others!!

No Impact Exercise

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