Cardio suggestions after knee injury?

Kaolru
Kaolru Posts: 30 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So a while ago I decided to do a Couch to 5k program. I'm about 137lbs and 5' 2". I hate jogging/running, but I wanted to start. I was following the program and starting off slow and doing really well. I lost about ten pounds over the summer, but while jogging my left knee started to hurt. I tried to jog through it, but over the course of a few minutes the pain got to the point where I had to stop. It was on the outside of my knee and radiated down the outside of my shin. I decided to just walk for a bit and it was fine, tried jogging again and it came right back. I haven't been able to jog since.

Now, more than a year later, I still can't jog and I can't "hike" either. Anytime I'm walking in the woods if I go more than a mile or so my knee will start to do the same thing. I think it's because of the varied terrain. It's a dull ache that will randomly explode into a jolt of sharp pain, usually when I'm lifting that leg, not when I put it down.

I don't know what is wrong and I don't have the money to see a physical therapist, and the primary care doctors are fairly useless around here.

So I'm trying to look for something I can do that won't aggravate that knee. Before I stopped jogging I had gone down to 125lbs, and I'd like to be able to do that again. I do count calories and such, but without exercise I really struggle with it since my limit is 1200 calories per day.

Thank you for any advice you can give.

Replies

  • amorfati601070
    amorfati601070 Posts: 2,890 Member
    edited June 2021
    After breaking my patella I started skipping rope again. You know your own body best but in my experience that was great way to get back into cardio. If you have a good technique you only jump a couple cm of the ground and there isn't much impact on the knees at all. The weight is more evenly dispersed in jump rope..compared to cycling or running where its one of the joints doing all the weight bearing in one stride or stroke.
  • wi1234567890
    wi1234567890 Posts: 57 Member
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yLTFUaO7ty0
    I have osteoarthritis in my knees, previously had both medial collateral ligaments ruptured, had a torn meniscus and surgery to remove. I find the above workout and similar ones quite gentle and easy on my knees.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Cycling.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Without a diagnosis obviously there's going to be guesswork plus trial and error....

    If it's not just an issue with a certain ROM I'd take away impact forms of cardio.
    Try alternative non-impact cardio such as cycling, rowing and swimming for example.

    I have a multitude of knee injuries but can cycle 40 hours / 600 miles a month with no reaction, or I can run one mile and be sore for days.

    Also don't neglect strength training to keep the major and minor muscles strong and supportive of your knee(s).
  • Kaolru
    Kaolru Posts: 30 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Also don't neglect strength training to keep the major and minor muscles strong and supportive of your knee(s).

    That's the plan. I don't get too crazy into strength training simply because I don't have anyone to help make sure I'm doing everything correctly and with proper form, but I do what I can from home with weights and resistance bands.
  • astod4
    astod4 Posts: 49 Member
    *Disclaimer* I’m currently working on my DPT and coming from a pro-physical therapy standpoint. It’s very common for new runners to develop pain at the knee, particularly the lateral (outside) knee. Something you can do is stretch more of the quads and glutes, and strengthen the gluteus medius. You could probably search videos online to strengthen the glute med to help.

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