knees

[olga]

Dear Cathe,
Yesterday I did Cardio kicks for the first time and I liked it!!! But today I have pain in my right knee (I think slightly above the knee; the left one is just a little bit sore) - do you think it is normal to have it the day after the workout, or is it a sign that I am doing smth wrong? I am not a beginner to exercise and high-impact (have been jogging, doing aerobics), so it is not that the tape is too advanced for me. It is tough, but doable.
I had this pain in the knees before when I was trying to do intense step (I am beginner with stepping) - but then I figured my knees are bad for stepping but fine with hi-lo high impact. I always had problems with some yoga poses involving lunges though.
And although I am moderatly flexible overall, my knees are totally inflexible.
Is there any way to make my knees stronger? Special exercises?
I hope it does not mean I have to modify everything to low-impact now - is it the only way? I LOVE high-impact so much ...

Thanks a lot for any advices!
Olga

 

[Sonnenschein]

Hi Olga,

Obviously not Cathe here, but I couldn't resist butting in. If you do a search on knees on this board, you'll find that several of us are dealing with challenging knees. Some have had excellent results with Glucosamine Sulfate or Glucosamine/chonroitin supplements, some have been helped by knee strengthening exercises (mostly concentrating on improving the strength of the quadriceps muscle, especially the portion of it toward the inner thigh), some wear knee braces, some have to continually modify toward low-impact. Right now, the best help I'm getting is from a book called Peak Performance Fitness by Jennifer Rhodes (I really recommend this book, I bought mine at Amazon). In it I found that a lot of my particular knee problem is caused by the stress my muscles and joints undergo to compensate for my flat feet; so in my case, I add orthotics (special shoe inserts) and foot and ankle exercises to the knee exercises. Knee problems can be quite a challenge to get to the bottom of since they can have so many causes. You may have to become a bit of a detective to find out what's best for you. Best of luck! Karen

 

[olga]

Thanks for all suggestions, Karen!!!

Olga

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Hi Olga! In addition to doing a search on the "knee" thread, be sure that you do not lock out your joints when doing any kicks or punches. Also, try starting all new workouts at half of your normal intensity (for the first couple of workouts)to let your body acclimate to the new activity. Sometimes diving into a whole new activity or movement style will throw your body off regardless of how fit you are. Good luck!