Joint Aches

I have really bad pain in my knee joints - I do not do lunges because of this. I know that the pain will get less as I lose weight - but is there anything else I can do?

Thu. Mar 9, 2:09pm

Try to focus on exercises that are low impact and don't put alot of strain on your knees. Nothing says you have to do lunges right from the beginning, there is nothing wrong with waiting till you dropped some pounds and relieved some of the pressure on your knees. If you go to a gym with a pool swimming is low impact and a great way to exercise. If you don't go to the gym go for lots of walks outside. If you have a dog or kids make them go with you so you don't get bored. If you have a destination while walking it will make it seem less like a chore. For example I walk to and from a church meeting every Thursday night, it saves gas (which is always good), and when the night is over and I am home I just walked 2.8 miles and hardly even felt it. You might enjoy some nice east stretching, it helps your muscles and blood flow. Nothing says you have to be able to stretch the freaky yoga way with body parts all over the place to the point you look like a human pretzel, start out slow and then gradually push yourself more. I hope I have helped.

-alias1013

Thursday, March 9, 2006, 2:26 PM

typo....I meant easy stretching not east stretching. I don't want people to get confused and think I invented some new stretching technique.....hmmm...unless they are willing to pay me big bucks, including celebrities, and then maybe I will create an east stretching program. It will be the new yoga. :D

-alias1013

Thursday, March 9, 2006, 2:29 PM

Thanks! Stretch while facing in an easterly direction - got it! :<)

Thursday, March 9, 2006, 2:42 PM

I have had issues with knee pain for the past few years. i went into physical therapy and was given specific exercises to do to build up strength in my knees as well as in my hips and thighs to support those muscles. If it's bad enough, a physical therapist can help.

Thursday, March 9, 2006, 2:44 PM

I noticed last night, I was at Walgreens, and kept squatting down to look at things on the bottom shelves. My knees hurt to stand up! Now, it was way more of a squat than one would do for exercise, and I stayed down for a longer time, but is that normal?

And the response of, it'll get better as you lose weight, isn't true in my case. I'm already down to 120 lbs.

Thursday, March 9, 2006, 3:50 PM

Well in some cases dropping the weight will help but your right sometimes people just have bad knees for one reason or another, those people should see physical thearpists.

-alias1013

Thursday, March 9, 2006, 4:33 PM

My husband has been a runner for years but lately noticed knee pain. He was able to get several exercises from our physician and after doing them for 2 weeks reports no more knee pain. So another ++ on seeking some guidance on this.

However for joint health in general I have had several people recommend Glucosamine and since many of them are in the medical community I think I may just look into it. That might be something else for you to look at too, but I would do that in addition to seeing a Dr or physical therapist.

Thursday, March 9, 2006, 5:42 PM

Leg extension help if you have weak knees, which can lead to aches.
I had aches when I took up tennis (probably due to being overweight and the connections to the muscles not being strong enough to take the impact of my bouncing around). Leg extensions helped make that area stronger.

Do talk to your doctor though, if it's chronic.

Thursday, March 9, 2006, 9:27 PM

I take glucosamine & msm for aches in my knee and I think it has helped. I have been running for a long time and I injured it slightly which causes occaisional aches. It's not cheap, but I think it is worth it.

Thursday, March 9, 2006, 10:12 PM

Once upon a time, I weighed 230 lbs and found all kinds of things painful, like walking down a flight of stairs or even walking. I found out that my critical weight -- the weight at which my joints go from painful to not painful -- was 208 lbs, and I will NEVER cross that line again.

So assuming you don't have a specific knee problem, I really would just focus on controlling your food until you cross that threshold for now. If you can find a piece of cardio equipment that doesn't aggravate the problem, terrific (I'm a big fan of the elliptical), but don't force the issue. With any luck, your knees - like mine - are actually in decent shape and will be ready for use soon.

Thursday, March 9, 2006, 11:25 PM

i take Glucosamin/Chondroitin daily and it has been helping me. I have knee pain as well that has been caused from the strain of exericise.

Friday, March 10, 2006, 8:40 AM

just went to the doc

She said that my thighs were not strong enough and that was putting pressure on my knees. Told me to DO lunges, squats, and "swing" my legs in a chair w/ a 4lb ankle weight. Also, make sure you drink plenty of water. We need this, and if we get thirsty, it means we are 7x's lower than where we need to be. At this point your body is choosing where to put the water, and the joints are on the bottom of the list. She told me to never let myself get thirsty.
Also, the glucosimine is great!!!

Friday, March 10, 2006, 12:06 PM

I have found using a recumbant bike set to a moderate-to-somewhat-firm resistance has done wonders for my thighs and behind. Just a thought.... Glad you talked to your doc on this and she was able to offer some helpful suggestions. Joint pain seems to be pretty common, so please feel free to update us with your progress from time to time.

Friday, March 10, 2006, 12:22 PM

leg swinging = leg extensions

Yep, that's exactly what I meant. If you have access to the gum you can just use their leg extension machine instead of getting ankle weights.
Hope you get better soon!

Friday, March 10, 2006, 2:35 PM

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