Pain in knees during stability ball work in PLB

[KonaKelly]

Hello everyone - I'm new here. Although some of you probably know me from the YaYas message board.

I have a question for Cathe or anyone else knowledgeable about the stability ball work in Pyramid Lower Body.

I've been doing this tape now for about a year - rotating it and perhaps doing it maybe two to three times a month in my monthly fitness rotations. I love this tape SO much.

Anyhow, my only problems with this tape come when I start doing the stability ball work. More particularly, it's during the first segment when working the hamstrings on the stability ball - one foot on the ball, the other up in the air.

I find while doing this, the leg that's on the ball that I'm supposed to be working starts to feel pain on the outer side of its knee. There must be something I'm not doing right. I try to make sure my foot stays flexed on the ball and that I drive all the pressure down through the heel. I do have a hard time keeping my lower body lifted completely off the floor like they do in the video. I tend to relax my lower body to the floor more. Could this be screwing up my form and causing the knee pain?

Or, is it just that I'm having too difficult a time keeping the ball stable beneath me, and thus it's screwing up my knee?

I'd love some suggestions with this. I'd like to keep using the stability ball, but maybe I just need to substitue with the high step for a while longer until I can keep my lower body suspended off the floor the entire time...

Thanks so much for your help! And thank you, Cathe, for creating such WONDERFUL workouts!!

 

[mtnmom99]

Hi KonaKelly, and welcome!

Keeping my butt closer to the ball helps. So does having the raised foot angled slightly forward (towards my chest, rather than straight up).

Diane

 

[Timber99]

I have a hard time with this work as well because I have a knee injury. I am pretty much rehabilitated but at times, I can feel the injury creeping back. In PLB for that segment with the stability ball, I started out modifying the move by using my step instead of the ball. I then moved to using the ball but I put the opposing foot in the floor instead of in the air (the foot that Cathe has in the air on the floor instead). I still do it this way b/c it is much more confortable for me. I hope that I am not cheating too much and will try to work up to the foot in the air, but for now, it works for me. For me, it just feels like there is too much strain in the leg that is on the stability ball when that other leg is in the air.

Maybe one of these two modifications would work for you? You can try them and see if you get a better range of motion on your lift from the floor and are more stable and maybe work up to the foot in the air later.

Good Luck
Christine ;-)

 

[KonaKelly]

Thank you for your suggestions - I think I'll give all of the advice given a try...

I'll try it first with my butt closer to the ball... and if that doesn't do it, then I'll try it with one foot on the floor - and if it's STILL uncomfortable, then I guess I'll go to the step and work that way until I can comfortably keep my lower body suspended, then go back to trying it on the ball.

Again - thanks a bunch!!

 

[Soosan]

Another modification would be to to butt the ball up against a piece of furniture so that it's more unstable than the high step but more stable than the ball by itself. I still do it this way because I feel it in my knees otherwise too.

 

[1gruntgal]

Hi Kelly! Nice to see you over here. There was a recent post @the YaYas in search of you
Hope you are doing well.
Have you seen any shooting for the show "Lost" over there in Hawaii?
Lynne

PS - That PLB stability ball work is a killer!