Modifying for back & knee pain???

[blonde ambition]

I need some help!!

I love, love, love Cathe's workouts, but I need to be careful of aggravating my back & knees. I was in a car accident many years ago that injured my back (not serious, but still painful). I went through physical therapy last year, and that seemed to help. But the pain still comes back, especially when I'm not paying attention to my posture!!

I also have knee pain and lots of knee & ankle popping & cracking. Unfortunately, this is due to heredity (rheumatoid arthritis runs through both sides of my family).

Anyway, I need some ideas on how to modify my Cathe cardio to be lower impact on my knees & back. I have her CTX series and her Intensity series. I'm careful with my strength work....proper form, not going too low, etc. I just don't know how to modify some of her cardio moves so that they are low impact!!

Any suggestions on how to modify some of her high-impact moves would be great!!

Thanks!
~ Melanie

 

[gelfling]

RE: Modifying for back & knee pain???

Hi Melanie,
I was in a car accident in '99 and have back problems too. These are the things that help me work out:
-- Good trainers: go to a specialist if you can to make sure you get the right size and the right type.
-- A good Chiropractor: try and see one that has been recommended by someone you know. That way you will know if they are gentle, firm and what type of Chiropractic they practice (there are several varieties.) Osteopaths are also a good bet but I've never tried one so can't tell you much.
-- Peak Performance Fitness by Jenifer Rhodes: this book is invaluable. The chapter about lower back pain alone makes it worth many times more than the price of the book.
-- Strength work: especially Slow & Heavy Back gave me a whole 24 hours without pain (it might have been three but I had two days of the monster DOMs)
-- Yoga and Pilates: wonderful for releasing a tense back, wonderful for stretching, strengthening and, I find, healing.

ATB,
- Lisa

 

[lesliew]

RE: Modifying for back & knee pain???

I'm going through the same problem. I have a herniated lumbar disc, which has given me problems for the past 6 months. At first, I avoided doing any Cathe step or hi/lo workouts. I concentrated on building core strength and improving flexibility in my hip flexors by doing yoga and pilates. Recently, I've started back with stepping. Although I'm doing what some would consider fairly advanced step routines like Imax, Cardio and Weights and her CTX step workouts, I'm limiting my workouts to only 30 min. (The DVD's are great for this!) and I'm paying strict attention to form, ie; always keeping my core braced and my spine erect while stepping lightly onto the step. This seems to be working because I'm not experiencing the back pain I used to have when doing step. Also, I keep all the impact low. I always try to keep one foot on the floor at all times. Plyos and jumps are out, but I can get my heart rate up, and even become anerobic at times, by exaggerating my arm movements. Even with these low impact modifications I still get my heart rate into my training zone, and I haven't noticed a decrease in my endurance level. I must emphasize however that a good stretching program, and yoga/pilates, are key to preventing any further problems. I usually do a short yoga routine following a step workout.