I am having a problem in the fact that I can not do some of the exercises I would like to do because of pain in my knees. I am pretty sure that the knee problem is inherited from my mother and grandmother. My mom has already had knee surgery and my grandmother had a lot of knee problems. But I know that lunges, squats, leg press, jumping rope, stairs and so on burn a lot of calories and are great for the leg muscles. Anyone have eny suggestions about what to replace these exercises with?
I have a gazelle that I work with pretty faithfully but it needs a part. I have emailed the company for the part and am hoping for good walking weather. We do have a pool up in the summer months so I will be able to work in the water later this year. Thank you all for the responses and input. My husband is considering getting me a stationary bike to ride when it is too cold to be outside on my regular bike. Again thank you all.
my advise would be a stationary or regular bike that is super easy on the knees, builds endurance and burns the cals.
I have had good luck with the Gazelle machine. I have bad knees as well, so anything high impact is definitely out for me. The Gazelle allows you to work your leg and arm muscles while being minimal impact on the knees. The machine I got is about $100, but it's been worth it for me. You might see if there is a store in town where you could try one before you buy it. Good luck!
Hello N.,
The "Gazelle" is amazing for knee injuries. There is no impact on the knee and that is what you need. Be careful with any bikes, because they can put pressure on your knees and aggravate the injury and add more damage. Treadmills are good, however, the "Gazelle" is a lot less stress to your joints. I agree with the pool. I'm sure there are some websites to go to and get exercises for the pool. You can do it. Be blessed today and forever. Blessings, T. D.
I recently went through several months of physical therapy. My therapist told me that non-impact exercises would be the best. Could you swing the cost of a hot tub? If so, you could do some exercises in the water. A lot of communities have special arthritis swimming and water aerobic classes. Maybe you could do leg exercises in a hot top. Best to check it out with a physical therapist or Dr. first though prior to investing in one. Also, I learned a lot exercises on the exercise ball. They are inexpensive and you can get them online. One more idea: She told me that one of the better non impact exercises is the recumbent bike. It gives good back support and works well for all of the lower half as well as aerobic. They had one from ifit.com. Here is a link: http://www.nordictrack.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Prod...
Probably Sear would have one too. But get a good one.
Best of luck.
Read Louise B. Hayes - You Can Heal Your Life. Are you in your target weight range? I know when I lost weight a few years ago that helped my knee as well as taking glucosamine/chondroitin supplements daily. When I started jogging I couldn't go a mile without my left knee killing me after dropping weight and taking the supplements I could easily go 4 miles with out any knee pain. Don't destin yourself to knee problems because you mom and grandma had problems. Start walking it is still great for your legs, take supplements and focus on healthly knees.
N.,
Have u tried hitting the pools? Even just walking the pool is great work out in many ways. I know my local gym offers water aerobic classes and you truly burn the calories and it is great on the joints!
Hey N., from out of no where I developed a pain in my knee a couple of years ago. I have seen an orthopedic and done some physical therapy. During my therapy I did mostly stretching exercises (althought I did yoga regularly) and tightening of isolated muscles. I think it helped. It seems like nothing is happening, but I haven't had as much pain. Also, watch foods that cause inflamation. You know, all the good stuff. Coffee, chocolate, etc...
One thing I would consider doing first is asking your Dr for one session with a Physical Therapist (your doctor has to prescribe it). More than one session would be good for your knee problems but I'm assuming that if you don't live near a gym you probably don't have easy access to PT either.
Going to the PT would give you a starting point. There may be a specific muscle weakness in your legs that contributes to your knee pain. Your PT could put together a home exercise program to get you started with low-level, non-impact strengthening exercises to help you get started without flaring up your knees. You could also ask the PT to give you some advanced strengthening exercises that you could progress to once the first ones get easy.
Do you have a big exercise ball? You can put the ball on the wall, put your back against the wall and do squats that way (the motion will mimic sitting in a chair and then getting up). That will take a lot of the pressure off your knees and is a great alternative to squats. It is also really important to really watch the alignment of your knees when you try squats, lunges, etc. Your knees shouldn't go over your toes and also make sure your knees don't knock together.
One last thought for you would be to try Pilates. (Try renting one from the library first if you are unsure. I personally like Denise Austin's Pilates DVD). You can strengthen your legs while working on your arms and core. The impact on your knees is very minimal yet at the same time you are weight bearing and working pretty darn hard. Good luck!
It sounds like you need to take it down to a good old fashioned walk since you are limited on your facilities. The water is a great place to heal injuries if you have access to a pool.
