So disappointed...

L

likes2bfit

Cathlete
I had my knee looked at today by an orthopaedic doctor. The good news is it is normal, EXCEPT there is probably some softenening of the cartilage behind the knee cap. This has been giving me pain on squatting, doing stairs and kneeling.

The recommendation by my doctor is to STOP step aerobics, all squats and lunges. I LOVE Cathe step workouts & Power Hour & MIS etc.

Not only that, I have the intensity series ordered on DVD!
I need a new rotation, where I don't loose muscle strength in my legs and maintain my current level of fitness!

I am willing to compromise and do step only one day per week. But how can I work my legs with no squats or lunges????

BTW I have a treadmill, and a semi-recumbent bike.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Judy
May God grant you a sunbeam to warm you, a moon beam to charm you & an angel so nothing can harm you :-shy
 
No advice, just wanted to tell you how sorry I am. Hopefully you will find something to do that won't agrivate your knee but will make keep you happy and healthy!
 
Jilly & Anna
Thank-you for the kind words.

I like swimming, however my schedule dictates that I workout early in the morning and keep an ear out for my kids getting ready for school. I can't really leave them to go to a pool. So, while swimming will be a great occasional workout, it won't work for me as part of a rotation.

Judy
May God grant you a sunbeam to warm you, a moon beam to charm you & an angel so nothing can harm you :-shy
 
Judy,

I have knee problems too and can no longer do step videos. Sigh!!! I know how you're feeling. It's tough giving up on something you love doing. I also have Cathe videos I haven't ever done and I have promised myself that their day will come! I'm hoping I'll be able to do step workouts again at some point.

This is what works for me: I joined a gym and I'm doing 20 minutes elliptical trainer, 20 min recline bicycle and a full cycle on the weight machines (about 30 minutes) 3 times a week. Once in a while I will do the low-impact class called Newbody. It's not super fast or super demanding but I do work up a bit of a sweat. (The group class instructor is 7 months pregnant and not pushing hard but I use weights). I find that the weight machines isolate the muscles without straining the knees and the aerobic machines I use are low-impact on the knee joints. I used the services of a Master Trainer whose specialty is people with injuries for 3 sessions in order to create my program.

The best advice I can give having gone through a period of trying to figure out what I can do without causing pain and swelling is to try different things and see what works for you.
Please let us know how you're doing and keep coming to the boards. Don't fall off the bandwagon!

Good luck!
Hélène
 
Thank you Helene

I'm not one to fall off out of the exercise habit. I've been at it for almost 2 decades! However, I am used to advanced workouts (mainly Cathe's) and feel like I won't get the same level of a work out as I am tuned to.

Judy
May God grant you a sunbeam to warm you, a moon beam to charm you & an angel so nothing can harm you :-shy
 
Hi Judy! I'm so sorry to hear about your knee. Have you considered doing the second half of Pure Strength "Strong Legs" tape (the floor work) using the body bar. Also, on the Pyramid Lower Body tape Cathe does the second half using the stability ball. Excellent and challenging workout. There's always Pilates leg work too. As for cardio, why not take brisk walks instead of worrying about biking, etc. Consult with your doctor about my ideas and see what he/she has to say. Hoping you have a speedy recovery! Take care, Kathy
 
About 10 years ago my left knee grinded out of alignment when I slipped on ice. It was awful. I had been doing step 6 days a week and I did have an intuition that it was not the best idea, so I wore an elasticized knee brace. So I see an orthopedic surgeon on a referral, and he tells me to quit step and do the stationary bike or Nordic track. I do this for about a year, and eventually I am so bored, I am going crazy. I decide to do physical therapy to find out if there are things I can do to strengthen my knee, and here I am, doing lunges, leg presses, squats, PLUS stepping up and down to strengthen the muscles around my knees. So, gradually I begin to go back to the step, but I don't do it every day, I take 1500mg. of glucosamine everyday, I begin jumping with Cathe, I am now doing the Intensity series and feel like my knees have never been in better shape. I think the secret for me was doing much, much more strength work along with the aerobics-step I did before everyday, with only a little bit of upperbody strength work. I think my orthopedic surgeon (like most) is very conservative (which is probably wise), but I also think you might look into physical therapy and find out what can be done there.
 
Hi Judy! So sorry to hear about your knee. I just want to say I can sympathize with you 100%. I have two ruptured disc and some sciatic pain.

I know exactly how you feel. I love intense sweat dripping work-outs and I'm wondering what I can do now to get one. I try not to feel sorry for myself, but sometimes I think "most people I know have no desire to work-out at Cathe intensity, and I do, but can't.

I hope your injury heals quickly and maybe you can do step once again!

Let me know if you find any intense low impact work-out.

Take care of that knee!

Best wishes,
Susan
 
I thank you all for responding and for the suggestions. I won't give up step. I will cut it down to one day per week.
I think my doctor may be conservative also. He talked about strengthening my "quad" muscles. My husband just laughed. He said the doctor didn't get a very good look at my quads. (True enough, I had on pants that I just rolled up.)

Judy
May God grant you a sunbeam to warm you, a moon beam to charm you & an angel so nothing can harm you :-shy
 
I am so sorry Judy ! I know how U feel, I had to stop everykind of exercise for months bacause of my foot....
hugs
Samantha
 
So sorry!

I would be devastated to give up step! About "what can you do to strengthen your legs without squats:" when a friend of mine was put on a similar restriction ( temporarily ) because of a knee problem, she spent a lot of time spinning. Her jeans got looser and when she was able to go back to squats and lunges, she found that she hadn't lost any strength. Just a thought. Good luck!

Erin
 
Hi Judy,
I'm really sorry about your knee. I understand. I have an injury now myself...and I can't run, jump ir kick. So, I am taking spin classes. Funny, I have actually lost a couple of pounds and an inch! Guess my body likes the change. Hang in there and let your resourceful self free!!!!!!!! dmd
 
Thanks!
I am actually adding a bike interval workout based on Cathe's treadmill interval workout 2 times per week. I'll keep you posted fitness friends!

Judy
May God grant you a sunbeam to warm you, a moon beam to charm you & an angel so nothing can harm you :-shy
 
What about dropping all the way down to a 4 inch step or even having someone make you a 2 inch step. Reason I bring this up is I know several people who have had good success with knee problems and going to a 4 inch step. I know of one who had someone build them a 2 inch one. This way they still got the satisfaction of doing step videos but at a much lower step height. I believe they still only did step twice a week however.

Do ask your DR b4 doing any step at any height, but, thought I'd throw this in, maybe a ray a hope for you at some point. After all Gin Miller developed her initial step vids while recovering from a knee injury!!!

Edith
 
Judy, I jsst want to say that I know how you feel. My problem is with my right shoulder. I have an impingement and tendonitis. I've been seeing a chiroprator and doing physical therapy, but I have a feeling it will never be 100% So, no more overhead presses or delt lifts or military presses for me! I'm struggling with my workouts, even the ones with no shoulder work involved. The impingement keeps me from doing a lot of things. I have had to quit exercising for the most part, because just getting my hands over my head without weights is a major challenge. Let this be a warning for you people that get twinges in your shoulder when doing heavy overhead presses. It's not fun!
 
I have knee problems too and cannot do the lunges period. I have found that doing step-ups (10 inch footstool) works much better for my knees. Also, you can try putting on ankle weights and doing knee extensions - go really slow up/down and it will be more challenging. Look around online for exercises for knee problems and you will likely find not only rehab but modifications you do for other moves. Plus, you will probably learn a lot more about your issue and maybe some different types of treatment - there's a lot out there!
For cardio - Most of the time I do the step tapes without a step - it's not as challenging a work out but it saves my knees. i go easy on the jumping and do not do the power scissors.
Best of luck and take care of your knees!!!
(email me if you'd like - I've learned a ton about knees in my quest for relief!!!)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top