Improving Knee Strength
DeserveVictory
Posts: 133 Member
I’ve been having awful pain in my left knee and my doctor has informed me that I have joint space narrowing. She’s given me an anti-inflammatory cream and told me to walk more and strengthen my knees.
My understanding is this means I’m wearing out the cartilage in my knee. Has anyone else dealt with this? Any recommendations on how to improve this? I’m 33, I really don’t want to rely on anti-inflamatories and eventually need surgery.
PS - I’m broke! So as much as I’d love to go swimming or buy a gym membership again, I literally can’t pay rent if I spend any money.
My understanding is this means I’m wearing out the cartilage in my knee. Has anyone else dealt with this? Any recommendations on how to improve this? I’m 33, I really don’t want to rely on anti-inflamatories and eventually need surgery.
PS - I’m broke! So as much as I’d love to go swimming or buy a gym membership again, I literally can’t pay rent if I spend any money.
3
Replies
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Lost 90% of one meniscus at age 31 and prediction was total knee replacement by 50. But in reality after rehab from a very low performance start I played 10 years of competitive squash, took up cycling seriously in my 50's and do 5,000 miles a year. Predictions of "doom" don't always come true, I'm 59 and still going strong.
I did some running (5k mostly) but it took too much of a toll on my knee, same level of soreness from a couple of miles running as 100 miles cycling.
Stairs are free and a good quad exercise - make it your default choice rather than taking lifts/elevators.
Walking hills again works your quads uphill but can be tough on knees on the way down.
Bodyweight squats, lunges if they don't aggravate your knee.
Do you have access to a bicycle? The no impact circular motion can be very kind to damaged knees while getting your leg muscles that support your knee strong.
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You need to work on the whole leg, really, and include glutes with stuff like glute bridges.2
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I would highly recommend resistance training as the doctor suggests.1
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Lost 90% of one meniscus at age 31 and prediction was total knee replacement by 50. But in reality after rehab from a very low performance start I played 10 years of competitive squash, took up cycling seriously in my 50's and do 5,000 miles a year. Predictions of "doom" don't always come true, I'm 59 and still going strong.
I did some running (5k mostly) but it took too much of a toll on my knee, same level of soreness from a couple of miles running as 100 miles cycling.
Stairs are free and a good quad exercise - make it your default choice rather than taking lifts/elevators.
Walking hills again works your quads uphill but can be tough on knees on the way down.
Bodyweight squats, lunges if they don't aggravate your knee.
Do you have access to a bicycle? The no impact circular motion can be very kind to damaged knees while getting your leg muscles that support your knee strong.
My story is very similar. Blew the ACL at 21 and didn't have health insurance. 20 years later, while coaching B-Ball for my son, while doing an easy drill, dislocated the knee. Sheered off the meniscus (completely shredded) and had two or three consultations to decide just what to do. Doc wanted a full replacement but I was only 41 at the time and replacements were only 15 year life expectancy at that time.
They ended up replacing the ACL on the second surgery along with microfracture (drilling holes and praying meniscus might grow back). I was true bone on bone at 41. Took four months to bare weight and around a year to walk with a severe limp. Two years without a limp.
Fast forward to today -- I row 6 hours a week. Not terribly fast but I get in Regional competitions with Indoor rowing. I'm 55. I lift, walk, row and enjoy life with no pain. I don't take prescriptions or even NSAIDS. One doc said I might not need a replacement till I'm well into my 60s.
I've dropped 80 lbs (65 net after putting back on 15 in muscle over five years). That helps tremendously too. Yes, my knee creaks and makes all kind of gross sounds, going down stairs especially. I can't even bend it without feeling grinding. But it doesn't hurt.
Don't let a bit of inflammation stop you. Joints like movement and weight loss. I take supplements -- Boswelia, Tart Cherry, Turmeric and some antioxidants. I also know my limits, which is important. Sijomial gave some good suggestions. I find wide, forward lunges are less stress. I find Stairmasters great (steps would be great). Find a hill and walk uphill. Goblet Squats with just body weight are fantastic. If you can eventually add weight do it. I even do Box jumps now (not real high and I'm super careful getting down).
Oh, and bikes are great too. Sijomial mentioned that as well. Just remember bikes will take some time to get acclimated to and start slow. I did a spin class early on after joining a gym and the instructor decided to do a freespin with little resistance standing and I was an idiot and did it too! That night, after watching a movie, I couldn't hardly walk to the car. My petite wife had to nearly carry me! Be smart about it. Even this year, I considered getting a "Sissy Squat Machine". That was a moment of insanity based on my knee's condition.
Try something and if it hurts too much don't do it. Try to differentiate from exercise soreness and something being wrong, if that makes sense.2 -
Lost 90% of one meniscus at age 31 and prediction was total knee replacement by 50. But in reality after rehab from a very low performance start I played 10 years of competitive squash, took up cycling seriously in my 50's and do 5,000 miles a year. Predictions of "doom" don't always come true, I'm 59 and still going strong.
I did some running (5k mostly) but it took too much of a toll on my knee, same level of soreness from a couple of miles running as 100 miles cycling.
Stairs are free and a good quad exercise - make it your default choice rather than taking lifts/elevators.
Walking hills again works your quads uphill but can be tough on knees on the way down.
Bodyweight squats, lunges if they don't aggravate your knee.
Do you have access to a bicycle? The no impact circular motion can be very kind to damaged knees while getting your leg muscles that support your knee strong.
Thank you sijomial! It's comforting to know there is hope! Everything I've read makes it sound like cartilage damage is unfixable. My doctor did tell me absolutely no running (my asthma doesn't mind that!) but that I was ok to continue hiking. I don't have a car so I walk almost everywhere, but I can definitely make a point of walking more. And to walk in the river valley more so there are more hills and stairs.
I don't have a bike, but we have too much snow to use a bike right now anyway. I'll start looking for a used one for this summer.
Did you find that this is a situation where you should work through the pain? My knee is alway achy and sometime's its downright painful and nothing (moving, stretching, resting, etc) helps. I'm pretty reliant on the anti-inflammatory right now.0 -
MikePfirrman wrote: »Lost 90% of one meniscus at age 31 and prediction was total knee replacement by 50. But in reality after rehab from a very low performance start I played 10 years of competitive squash, took up cycling seriously in my 50's and do 5,000 miles a year. Predictions of "doom" don't always come true, I'm 59 and still going strong.
I did some running (5k mostly) but it took too much of a toll on my knee, same level of soreness from a couple of miles running as 100 miles cycling.
Stairs are free and a good quad exercise - make it your default choice rather than taking lifts/elevators.
Walking hills again works your quads uphill but can be tough on knees on the way down.
Bodyweight squats, lunges if they don't aggravate your knee.
Do you have access to a bicycle? The no impact circular motion can be very kind to damaged knees while getting your leg muscles that support your knee strong.
My story is very similar. Blew the ACL at 21 and didn't have health insurance. 20 years later, while coaching B-Ball for my son, while doing an easy drill, dislocated the knee. Sheered off the meniscus (completely shredded) and had two or three consultations to decide just what to do. Doc wanted a full replacement but I was only 41 at the time and replacements were only 15 year life expectancy at that time.
They ended up replacing the ACL on the second surgery along with microfracture (drilling holes and praying meniscus might grow back). I was true bone on bone at 41. Took four months to bare weight and around a year to walk with a severe limp. Two years without a limp.
Fast forward to today -- I row 6 hours a week. Not terribly fast but I get in Regional competitions with Indoor rowing. I'm 55. I lift, walk, row and enjoy life with no pain. I don't take prescriptions or even NSAIDS. One doc said I might not need a replacement till I'm well into my 60s.
I've dropped 80 lbs (65 net after putting back on 15 in muscle over five years). That helps tremendously too. Yes, my knee creaks and makes all kind of gross sounds, going down stairs especially. I can't even bend it without feeling grinding. But it doesn't hurt.
Don't let a bit of inflammation stop you. Joints like movement and weight loss. I take supplements -- Boswelia, Tart Cherry, Turmeric and some antioxidants. I also know my limits, which is important. Sijomial gave some good suggestions. I find wide, forward lunges are less stress. I find Stairmasters great (steps would be great). Find a hill and walk uphill. Goblet Squats with just body weight are fantastic. If you can eventually add weight do it. I even do Box jumps now (not real high and I'm super careful getting down).
Oh, and bikes are great too. Sijomial mentioned that as well. Just remember bikes will take some time to get acclimated to and start slow. I did a spin class early on after joining a gym and the instructor decided to do a freespin with little resistance standing and I was an idiot and did it too! That night, after watching a movie, I couldn't hardly walk to the car. My petite wife had to nearly carry me! Be smart about it. Even this year, I considered getting a "Sissy Squat Machine". That was a moment of insanity based on my knee's condition.
Try something and if it hurts too much don't do it. Try to differentiate from exercise soreness and something being wrong, if that makes sense.
Thank you MikePfirrman! I'm sorry you had to go through so much! I've done some research and read about the microfractures, I intend to talk to my doctor about it or other treatments next time I see her. I have started taking a supplment compound for osteoarthritis that includes some of the supplements you mentioned. With daily use of the anti-inflammatory I can't tell if the supplements are helping yet.
Right now my pain is constant and will slowly fade or increase. I don't get pain with specific movements. Did you find that exercising (lightly!) despite the pain helped? I know joints and weightloss need movement, but I'm also worried that using my knee will accelerate the damage....0 -
I would highly recommend resistance training as the doctor suggests.
Thanks Cheiflrg! I had actually forgotten about resistance training! All of my research has talked about body weight strength training and biking. Do you know of any specific resources, routines, or bands that would be good? I had considered buying resistance bands for traveling but there are so many to choose from! And I can't afford to experiment too much.0 -
Movement, with a bad joint, does hurt at first. So take it slow. Also, ice after. Some like compression, I personally don't, but it might help with inflammation. Follow the 10% rule, but maybe even more cautiously (that's an old rule for runners, but it's a good one for anyone) -- don't add in more than 10% more per week. Listen to your knee and back off if necessary. As you get more acclimated to working out, it hurts less and less. The stronger the supporting muscles are around your knee, the better.
Thanks for the nice comment, but when I was going through my knee pains, we were just getting involved in overseas wars and a lot of people over there losing limbs. I had quite a few disabled vets in my gym working out daily. What I dealt with was nothing compared to that, so kind of hard to complain. Lots of folks that have been through way greater challenges doing incredible things. Your body is an incredible machine. Even injured or not perfect. Most of us never see it to its full potential. Chief is a great example of overcoming obstacles and high levels of performance.1 -
I had this happen to me in late October and some days could barely walk. Started physio, taping my knee, ice, heat, etc. Finally saw a specialist and got some guidance on exercise, and stretching as due to the injury I lost a lot of muscle in my quad. Daily exercise bike and stretching got me to where I could start leg exercises at gym (lunges, various leg machines, and eventually squats) and am finally back to being able to take my crazy dog on her daily 7-10km walks. I am continuing to use the gym for the bike and machines to make sure I keep both legs strong.1
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DeserveVictory wrote: »Lost 90% of one meniscus at age 31 and prediction was total knee replacement by 50. But in reality after rehab from a very low performance start I played 10 years of competitive squash, took up cycling seriously in my 50's and do 5,000 miles a year. Predictions of "doom" don't always come true, I'm 59 and still going strong.
I did some running (5k mostly) but it took too much of a toll on my knee, same level of soreness from a couple of miles running as 100 miles cycling.
Stairs are free and a good quad exercise - make it your default choice rather than taking lifts/elevators.
Walking hills again works your quads uphill but can be tough on knees on the way down.
Bodyweight squats, lunges if they don't aggravate your knee.
Do you have access to a bicycle? The no impact circular motion can be very kind to damaged knees while getting your leg muscles that support your knee strong.
Thank you sijomial! It's comforting to know there is hope! Everything I've read makes it sound like cartilage damage is unfixable. My doctor did tell me absolutely no running (my asthma doesn't mind that!) but that I was ok to continue hiking. I don't have a car so I walk almost everywhere, but I can definitely make a point of walking more. And to walk in the river valley more so there are more hills and stairs.
I don't have a bike, but we have too much snow to use a bike right now anyway. I'll start looking for a used one for this summer.
Did you find that this is a situation where you should work through the pain? My knee is alway achy and sometime's its downright painful and nothing (moving, stretching, resting, etc) helps. I'm pretty reliant on the anti-inflammatory right now.
Yes definitely - as my current rehab physio (for a back injury) says "pain is just a feeling".
But there is a learning process where you have to learn the point where pain indicates damage being done and it's time to ease off. Often for me that's swelling rather than aches and pains.
Getting quads strong / keeping them strong was/is a big factor in reducing pain although there was pain during the process of strenghtening.
Running was a case in point. Hard surfaces weren't good for me, grass or treadmill was OK. Running slow was awful for my knee but running briskly wasn't. But over an extended period of time the balance of the fitness reward of running compared to the soreness/inflamation caused simply wasn't worth it.
8 mile hilly walk today and I can feel a slight discomfort but from experience I know it will be fine in the morning although it's sensible not to train this evening.
PS -
Losing weight (I only lost 30lbs) made a significant difference as did simply exercising more. My use of regular anti-inflamatories went from the majority of the time to once in a blue moon.1 -
I have a 3way lig tear (from skiing) in my left knee. Never got the surgery. Lifting (squats/dls) stengthened the knee to allow normal activity but still have a knee brace to use 2 avoid twisting while skiing or doing anything else that may cause the knee 2separate w/o the ligs 2hold it in place0
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DeserveVictory wrote: »Lost 90% of one meniscus at age 31 and prediction was total knee replacement by 50. But in reality after rehab from a very low performance start I played 10 years of competitive squash, took up cycling seriously in my 50's and do 5,000 miles a year. Predictions of "doom" don't always come true, I'm 59 and still going strong.
I did some running (5k mostly) but it took too much of a toll on my knee, same level of soreness from a couple of miles running as 100 miles cycling.
Stairs are free and a good quad exercise - make it your default choice rather than taking lifts/elevators.
Walking hills again works your quads uphill but can be tough on knees on the way down.
Bodyweight squats, lunges if they don't aggravate your knee.
Do you have access to a bicycle? The no impact circular motion can be very kind to damaged knees while getting your leg muscles that support your knee strong.
Thank you sijomial! It's comforting to know there is hope! Everything I've read makes it sound like cartilage damage is unfixable. My doctor did tell me absolutely no running (my asthma doesn't mind that!) but that I was ok to continue hiking. I don't have a car so I walk almost everywhere, but I can definitely make a point of walking more. And to walk in the river valley more so there are more hills and stairs.
I don't have a bike, but we have too much snow to use a bike right now anyway. I'll start looking for a used one for this summer.
Did you find that this is a situation where you should work through the pain? My knee is alway achy and sometime's its downright painful and nothing (moving, stretching, resting, etc) helps. I'm pretty reliant on the anti-inflammatory right now.
I absolutely disagree with working through knee pain. I still have issues with my knees, 11 years later, which might not be the case if I wasn't always trying to push it. It's not like a sore muscle.
If you have weight to lose, shedding that will help your knees.
Did you get exercises like this to do?
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Yes to the knee exercises kshama posted. That's what I did to rehabilitate after knee surgery. After say a month of these, plus turmeric and ibuprofen to get the swelling down, you can start doing the more strenuous things. All I can say is take it slow and be patient as you work up. I've had surgery on both knees and it is better to be patient but persistent. If you just try to blast through it.... well just please no don't do that. If you see swelling, sit with your feet up for a while and drain the extra blood and fluid back out of your knees. Ice packs are also a possibility. I think there's a limit to how long we are supposed to leave them on though.0
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DeserveVictory wrote: »I would highly recommend resistance training as the doctor suggests.
Thanks Cheiflrg! I had actually forgotten about resistance training! All of my research has talked about body weight strength training and biking. Do you know of any specific resources, routines, or bands that would be good? I had considered buying resistance bands for traveling but there are so many to choose from! And I can't afford to experiment too much.
The average price of a gym membership in the states is $20 a month. If you can't afford that investment....I would find something along the lines of walking, hiking, cycling, stairs etc...
Start very small with that which you can tolerate the pain and gets better over time. This would at least give you some cardiovascular work which is also very important.
I'm not a fan of bands as a sole means of resistance training in particularly for those people who have joint issues. I feel you will experience simular benefits from the things I suggested.
If in the future, you decide to invest in a gym let me know. My training would be pro bono.0 -
At 28 my knees felt 70yo and ready to quit. Going on 34 now and they’re stronger than they’ve been my entire adult life, and I credit it to walking.
WebMD has a sample walking plan (https://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/oa-start-walking-program) to help strengthen knees. I took a more aggressive approach (began with 30mins twice daily) than what’s listed, but any starting point and progress from there is good.
If you are seriously overweight, losing excess will help improve your results, and improved mobility helps improve weight loss. Went from *maybe* finishing 3.5k steps a day to finishing an average of 12k steps before noon on my days off (my all-day record is a little over 28k). Don’t forget cold to reduce inflammation (in late spring to early fall open water swimming is great, but ice packs or taking a cold bath work well too), and later heat to relax/heal (hot bath/shower, wrap knees in an electric blanket during a sit-down activity, etc). And if you get bored on walks, you can download music, audiobooks, podcasts, etc to listen to before you head out. (Check in with your local library as they will probably have an e-lending system.)
It won’t heal all the damage, but it’ll make a heck of a difference and reduce or potentially eliminate any need for pain management (ie drugs) and at least delay invasive measures like surgery for many years. Your doctor should be able to help you establish a starting point that’s safe for your circumstances.0
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