would like some knee pain suggestions

[WRITER]

Hi all,
I've been having some knee pain recently, and I'd like to know what you all do when you feel knee pain. It's not so much that the pain bothers me as I worry about causing damage to my knee. At the same time, it would break my heart to give up step, high impact stuff, squats, and my beloved leg presses! I'm 48, so I may be facing the inevitable -- but what do some of the rest of you do to deal with knee issues? Do you know of books or other resouces that discuss knee health? And, I was just going to order Terminator...... Carol

 

[EricaH]

I take glucosamine, NSAIDs and ice my knee frequently. Also, try to cross-train so that you are not doing high impact every day. If you are having a lot of discomfort, try to rest your knee for a couple of days and see if that helps.

Erica

 

[exercise forever]

Hi carol,

My husband was experiencing some knee pain when he would run on the treadmill. He knows that it is arthritis,but did not want to stop exercising. we went and bought a knee brace and it cuts down on the pain alot.With this giving you some support,you may be able to continue to exercise. I don't know the reason of your knee pain,so you might want to see a doctor. but getting a brace is worth a try.

If you are worried about the damage you are doing to your knees check with a doctor before doing anything else.

kim

 

[midnight]

The first thing I do when I feel knee pain is to see if my workout shoes need to be replaced. It doesn't matter how new they may look, you may have broken down the support system, particularly with high impact activity. In my case, this is almost always the issue. I go through a lot of pairs of workout shoes in a year. Also, make sure that you are a getting a shoe that supports your foot profile. You may need to go to a speciality sporting goods or running shoe store where they fit you personally.

Once you have ruled that out as a factor, you should modify your cardio routine to be lower impact and also any exercise that flexes or extends the knee (hamstrings flex, quads extend, so yes, your workout favorites would be affected). I would definitely drop down to a lower resistance. You will also need to incorporate more rest days into your workout regimen. Keep in mind that this is more than likely temporary and that these modifications may help tremendously, particularly if the problem is just plain overuse.

If after two weeks none of this helps, it's time to see the doctor. Only a doctor can rule out certain conditions.

In the meantime, elevate your knee and ice it for at least 10 but no more than 20 minutes after your workout. Being 48 doesn't necessarily mean you have an inevitable chronic condition caused by aging. I'm still on the fence about glucosamine/chondroitin supplements but they certainly won't hurt. I have heard conflicting information about their effectiveness. I give them to my dog (which really isn't relevant to anything here), but my 46 year old knees have held up quite well without supplements. However, I am hyper-vigilent about how my shoes fit and how they wear over time.

Good luck!
Lois

"If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning" - Mahatma Ghandi

 

[smoogy]

I totally agree with you Lois on the knee pain possibly being related to the type of shoe & the support it offers. I have experienced this in the past & am very vigilante about knee & foot pain & shoes.

Marla

 

[SRP]

It depends on where the pain is, to some extent. Is it the knee cap or right below it? Or is it in the ligaments to the side of the knee? That can help determine which sort of knee brace to use, if you choose that route.

If it's the knee cap, get one that stabilizes the patella - it's a thin elastic/velcro band that goes right below the knee. It helps quite a bit, especially if the damage isn't severe.

If it's a ligament thing (my usual problem), the best thing I've found is to rest it for a day or two, or at the very least, switch to a non-step, low impact exercise - fast walking, low impact aerobics, or maybe bicycle riding. I've never tried a bicycle though. You can also get one of those big elastic braces that have stabilizers on either side and a hole in the middle for the knee cap.

As other posters have said, anti-inflammatory meds and ice work wonders.

 

[kathryn]

I take glucosamine, and think it helps (I get "Mega flax joint," a vegan flax/glucosamine supplement from www.veganessentials.com , or a powdered glucosamine from the same company).

I also find that quite a few Cathe step workouts done "as-is" give me knee problems. More the torquey moves (ricochets, flying angels, etc.) than the impact perse. So I modify. I've taken out most pivots (which I hate anyway) and turned them into mambos. Flying angels stay facing forward. Ricochets become an "over-the-top-to-tap-down-with-outer-foot, back over, jack").

For weight work, I am careful not to use ankle weights when doing inner/outer thigh floor work, and instead hold a dumbbell (or put an "ankle" weight) above the knee on the thigh.

For leg presses, I make sure to vary them (for example: in the HSTA workout, there are numerous sets of leg presses, all shown at the same height, with the same ROM. I change these up, doing some on a lower height with more weight, some higher with no weight, some off the sides rather than off the back. All to vary the motion to avoid overtraining the same move.)

I posted a link to some knee books at amazon.com on another thread. I'll see if I can find that.

 

[WRITER]

Thanks for all the advice! I have made a file of the suggestions. Also, as a vegetarian, I appreciate the suggestion of a vegan version of glucosamine. My knees are definately better today, but I'm going to be careful for a few days -- and do a better job of cross-training.

For those of you who have found a really cushioned shoe, what is it? Lately, I've been wearing Ryka Rhythm II, but I have to say it's not as cushiony as I'd like -- though it is definately better than what I used to wear. Have any of you found a better shoe, including another Ryka model?

Again, Thanks! Carol