Exercises to strengthen bad knees

I have found the Elliptical Trainer the easiest thing on my knees and joints. I have had 3 knee surgeries now so I deal with knee issues all the time. When i was going to the gym I was doing very light weight on the machines and was seeing some results. On some machines I would not use any added weight at all.

JOdie

water aerobics and any stretching workouts, especially Pilates. I would say a good 90% of my exercise is water aerobics and I have been losing steadily. My orthopedic says the tread mill or any high impact activities are not good for it and prefers I stick with the water aerobics and pilates.

I have weak knees because of severe chondromalicia (loss of pad cushion behind my knee caps.) My knees get irritated if I run on hilly surfaces or hike on steep inclines. I got a DVD designed by a pilates, physical therapist and massage therapist called "Save you Knees" by bodyinsight.com Your suppose to do it every other day. It worked great for me. I knee to start up again not because I am having problems, but so I can prevent knee pain. The DVD strengthens every muscle around your knee cap so your knee cap does not get out of alignment. When it gets out of alignment, you got bone rubbing on bone which can cause pain. Good luck! :drinker:

Also, take a chondroitan/glucosamine supplement...it will help to build a cushion in the joints and help with the pain....

I'm 'bumping' so i can do these! I'm having ACL surgery in 2 weeks. thanks for all the posts.

You're doing the wrong exercises. Read this (http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=fitness_defined_open_and_closed_chain_exercises) , and focus on closed-chain kinetic exercise.

Start small. Do isometric lunges instead of walking lunges. Move up to adding weight, and doing lunges in other planes of motion.

For squats - start with bodyweight only. Go down as far as is comfortable, slowly rise back up. Progress to front or back squats.

You can try one legged squats, but those may be too advanced for the time being.

Read this (http://www.afpafitness.com/articles/articles-and-newletters/research-articles-index/sports-medicine-rehabilitation/closed-chain-exercise-for-legs-and-knees/) for additional closed chain exercises you can do.

As for cardio, you can try wearing a leg brace for stability. I was in a car accident 11 years ago and had a smattering of tendon, nerve, and cartilage problems that never got a formal diagnosis (my knee also swelled up to the size of a grapefruit!). After standard rehab involving underwater stretching I was on my own & started walking around with the brace on, then jogging. It honestly took years to be able to run pain free, but I did it through slow, slow progress.

Message me if you have any specific questions about the kinetic chains, I know they're not commonly discussed (I'm a NSCA-CPT).

I have Chondromalcia and I wear knee straps, not knee braces, when I walk or ride my bike. I also found that the Bowflex Tredclimber is easy on my knees, but sadly I do not have one of my own due to the outrageous cost. I just try to do low impact activities. I don't avoid hills when I walk but I just don't do as many as I used to. I also used to walk 12 flights of stairs in my building but I can't do that anymore.

The Sketchers Shape-Ups were really good to my knees. Only downside is that if you wear them everyday, they tend to wear down in just a few months. They can become expensive to to purchase a new pair every 4-5 months. If you don't replace them, the humped padding in the shoe ends up wearing down and having the opposite effect (making my knees and feet hurt worse).

I don't know if I really offered any good suggestions for you, but I do feel your pain...literally. LOL

My knees are also iffy. so I had a really hard time finding exercises, then I started gold's gym cardio workout on the wii. the cardio there starts you off doing nothing but shifting your weight back and forth from front to back like a boxer. that's all. it moves you up stepping forward and back, left and right, and then to ducking and weaving. Those can be hard on your knees, but if you take it slow you'll be just fine. Total sweat bomb.

walking, progressively faster, with smaller, faster steps, will do a lot to jack up your heart rate and give you a good sweat.

in another workout program, i discovered that if you drive your weight down through your heels instead of your toes when you're doing exercises involving the knee, you do a lot to protect your knees - also never bend the knees more than 90 degrees.

in squats and lunges, you go down just enough to feel it, to build up your hamstrings, quads, and glutes. you'll be going deeper as those muscles, and the smaller stabilizers, get stronger.

then there's the weight loss. i had completely given up ever running again. seriously. then, after i'd dropped about 25 pounds, I had the urge to jog, and I happened to be on a nice mulched trail instead of a paved one. Made all the difference in the world. I'm running again - who knew???

So this is a terribly jumbled reply, but I figure you're going to take what works for you from all these responses anyway. Good luck - there's hope!

My knees are also iffy. so I had a really hard time finding exercises, then I started gold's gym cardio workout on the wii. the cardio there starts you off doing nothing but shifting your weight back and forth from front to back like a boxer. that's all. it moves you up stepping forward and back, left and right, and then to ducking and weaving. Those can be hard on your knees, but if you take it slow you'll be just fine. Total sweat bomb.

walking, progressively faster, with smaller, faster steps, will do a lot to jack up your heart rate and give you a good sweat.

in another workout program, i discovered that if you drive your weight down through your heels instead of your toes when you're doing exercises involving the knee, you do a lot to protect your knees - also never bend the knees more than 90 degrees.

in squats and lunges, you go down just enough to feel it, to build up your hamstrings, quads, and glutes. you'll be going deeper as those muscles, and the smaller stabilizers, get stronger.

then there's the weight loss. i had completely given up ever running again. seriously. then, after i'd dropped about 25 pounds, I had the urge to jog, and I happened to be on a nice mulched trail instead of a paved one. Made all the difference in the world. I'm running again - who knew???

So this is a terribly jumbled reply, but I figure you're going to take what works for you from all these responses anyway. Good luck - there's hope!

Thanks, no excuses! You sound like your in the same boat as me! I also notice the difference in running on pavement vs. soft ground. Unfortunately the soft places are limited where I live. Going to have to make effort to get creative with time and busy schedule.. I do have a treadmill at home but its just not the same as the soft turf. I also love boxing and tae bo because it's mostly hip action and less stress on the knee.