having knee issues

[jnka825]

Hi everyone! how many of you have knee issues. I don't think it is serious for me, yet, but my knees are hurting a lot. I am doing 6 workouts a week, Low Max (2x), Body Max 2 (cardio $ weights premix 1x), ME (1x), SS 91x), and then Low Max (just the step combos with ME Upper Body Split). I was running outdoors until the middle of May. I hit a weightloss plateau and decided to do more Cathe cardio dvds. It seems to be working. Since then I dropped an additional 10 pounds, but now I am afraid I am damaging my knees. Do any of you wear those knee brace thingees that are velcro on and off?

Kristin

 

[marnold]

Kristin, it is funny that you should write this...as of late, my right knee has been giving me trouble. I have been stepping with Cathe since the beginning and Reebok, Gin Miller, before that. I don't think my knee issues are serious at this point but I have been icing it and taking ibuprofen for the last week. I have always focused on my form, but for the last two weeks, I have been really focusing on it. I don't have the answers; I just wanted to let you know you are not alone. A PT friend of mine said that knee issues are quite common in women and suggested that I change out my shoes. I was wearing Rykas and have since changed to Asics upon her recommendation due to the nature of my exercise. I have been curious about those "thingies" you mentioned, but I have not researched them. I will be interested to see what others contribute to the thread.

Hi everyone! how many of you have knee issues. I don't think it is serious for me, yet, but my knees are hurting a lot. I am doing 6 workouts a week, Low Max (2x), Body Max 2 (cardio $ weights premix 1x), ME (1x), SS 91x), and then Low Max (just the step combos with ME Upper Body Split). I was running outdoors until the middle of May. I hit a weightloss plateau and decided to do more Cathe cardio dvds. It seems to be working. Since then I dropped an additional 10 pounds, but now I am afraid I am damaging my knees. Do any of you wear those knee brace thingees that are velcro on and off?

Kristin

 

[lightening16]

Hey Guys

I have had knee problems since I was a teenager and tried those "knee thingies" when I was younger. They really did not make any difference for me and my issues. I overpronate so my arches fall as I am doing any sort of bouncing which then pulls up into my knee and torques it enough that it is not working properly. The best thing for me has been really good shoes and inserts. The superfeet have been great! Aligning your foot properly and supporting your arches may help alleviate your problems but seeing a PT would help to diagnose what your problem really is.


Good luck
Heather

 

[syzygy314]

I had significant knee issues in my mid-20s. Not sure what happened, but my knee just started swelling all the time. The doctors never drained it and all the x-rays and scans didn't show anything wrong. I went to a sports medicine clinic that treated a lot of big athletes and all they could come up with was that my hamstrings were really tight.

So, I just kept icing and using heat when necessary, elevating it, etc. Now, it only bothers me now and then and rarely swells. Go figure!

I occasionally wear a knee brace, but usually the pull over ones just for support. Don't know if it really helps, but I think it gives me some psychological "support" when I wear it. Actually, last year, I twisted my knee playing tennis and so, out of fear of a real injury, went to my doctor. Thank goodness it turned out to just be a strain! Wore my brace just for support for a little while and all was right again!

It couldn't hurt to have it checked if only to assure yourself that it's nothing serious. The last thing you want is to have knee surgery!

 

[spyrosmom]

My knee issues have been in check recently, thank goodness!!!! Although sometimes they ached like the dickens the day after the elliptical. No impact - can't figure that one out - I think that's a muscle issue. But only sometimes, anyhooooo...... You actually may want to lay off the LM, that one can cause knees aches for me, too. Maybe just once a week. I don't think its the impact, I think its all the deep, low movements. Just a thought. Also, my PT and Dr stated a brace should not be worn long term when working out/exercise. Yes, to getting over a temporary weakness, injury, set back, but if you wear it too often, your body learns to use the brace for support instead of your own muscles and then you make the problem worse. I wore mine after 2 knee surgeries for maybe the 1st 4 weeks I was back to exercising, mostly for cardio, not for wts, just to avoid any tweaking or twisting on step moves. That helped, but it drove me crazy!!!! Hot, sweaty, and itchy!!

Hope you feel better soon. Knee issues are a huge pain in the tush!

Nan

 

[clothesminded]

I can't say this enough- listen to your body and don't overtrain! Gosh, I wish I had listened to that! I thought I could just jump back into running 5 miles a day because I was in shape and could do it-mentally and physically with every part of my body EXCEPT my knees! So, now I have to constantly be aware of how much cardio and what type I do.

I totally agree with the comment about tight hamstrings being a problem. For some reason, doing STS has really shown me how tight mine are, and really how tight everything is Now that I've added stretching twice a day for about 15 min. my left knee feels much better. I also think that the muscles around the knee, the stabilizers, have gotten stronger from the exercises in Meso 1, especially the wall squats.

I wore a stretchy knee brace and also have one that my doc gave me, which is pretty hardcore with the things that tighten. I've found that both don't really help too much. For me, it's been a combo of the stretching, watching my form, not overtraining and focusing on what I CAN do and not what I can't (Imax workouts are totally out but Lowmax is fine, but only once a week or once every two weeks).

Best of luck to you. I've suffered with knee issues for years, but I'm hopeful now.

So, STRETCH!!!

 

[JanetP1507]

I have not tried the knee braces but I do take glucosamine supplements every day. I find that if I miss taking them for 3 days or more in a row, my knees will start hurting again. I also find when the support in my crosstrainers start to wear out my knees will start hurting...that's how I know it's time for new shoes!

 

[jnka825]

thanks

Thanks for the input, everyone. You know, some of you mentioned hamstring tightness, and I have to say that my knees were hurting, but the back of my legs were hurting too. We went away to Hershey Park and Sesame Place for 4 days and I didn't work out during that time (lots of walking though). Eventually the pain in the back of my legs went away. I did ME on Thursday, and my knees hurt a little bit then, did Low Max yesterday and today so far eveything is fine. Maybe I am overtraining the legs. I need to get an upper body workout, Pyramids?

thanks again,

Kristin

 

[Ann Reynolds]

Knee Issues

Hi jnka825,

I have only just recently recovered from a knee injury on my right knee, the pain seemed to be on the LHS of the knee and then gradually got worse. I was doing very High Impact exercise at the time. I also went to an osteopath who had previously helped me with the same problem about three years previously. I can only speak for myself but i would highly recommend visiting one, as they helped me recover and i was back exercising within 2 wks of seeing him. Also as previously suggested you defiantly have to listen to what your body is telling you.

It was actually through this knee injury that i found out about Cathe's Fitness DVD's, i wanted a low impact workout and Cathe's Low Impact Circuit seemed to be the only Low Impact Fitness DVD out there. So i purchased this, and i am currently trying to find supportive shoes as well. Having this knee injury has made me more cautious regarding footwear as well.

Good luck with your knees

Annie

 

[kathryn]

I think in general, the knee braces can sometimes help with the symptoms, but they don't get to the cause.

I recommend getting a rehab-type DVD, like Gaiam's "Strong Knees" or Debbie Siebers' "Total Body SOlution" (I think that's the name: it has prehab/rehab-type exercises for several body parts).

Knee pain often comes from tracking issues, which are brought on by imbalances in the muscles around the knee. You need to both strengthen and stretch.

As others have mentioned, orthotics or other inserts can also help. (There are some running shoe stores that have you walk on a treadmill so they can see what your stride is like, then they can recommend shoes and/or inserts to help with your problem).

I also find that it's not necessarily impact that is the problem (though women often land incorrectly from jumps and stay too straight-legged: it's a problem that women basketball players can have, and I've seen it in some Tracie Staehle workouts as well, where she sometimes lands without enough bend in the knee so that the muscles, rather than joints, take the brunt of the impact).

Be careful of torquey moves or potentially torquey moves (in several of her step workouts, Cathe goes from a move off the side of the step to a move behind the step, and I find it's easy to put the knee in a position that would lead to torquing. The workouts need cuing that anticipates where we are going and tells us to step back or side more to get in safe position).

Icing after working out can help prevent swelling, and anti-inflammatory foods (like omega 3s from flax) can help as well.

When my knees (or other joints) feel a bit twingy, I sometimes rub in some Celadrin (a lotion that contains MSM and arnica). http://www.amazon.com/Fast-Acting-C...ef=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1261263140&sr=1-7

DMSO (a precursor of MSM) has been used to treat lameness in horses (but be careful not to use it over anything else you wouldn't want in your system, as it is a very potent solvent, and will transport whatever it is in contact with deep into the tissues.)