Saving the knee

Workouts for Arthritic Knees
7 workouts that are easy on knees (and what to watch out for)
by Martica Heaner, M.A., M.Ed., for MSN Health

Q. I feel limited in my ability to exercise with arthritis. What are some workouts that I can do with arthritis in my knees?

A. You may have a wider array of fitness options than you realize. Some people think that the only safe exercise is swimming or stretching. But that’s not the case, and even those can also strain the knee.

What you should be on the lookout for are the key stressors for your knees: Some exercises or movements may be painful because they bend the knees too deeply, twist the knees, or put too much body weight pressure or impact on the knees. Sometimes you’ll know right away if a move is potentially harmful: You squat deeply in a yoga move and ouch! But some workouts might feel stressful when a simply body-positoning djustment is all you need to relieve the joint stress.

Different types of knee problems may react differently to various modes of exercise. So tread gently but experiment with a variety of possible activities. Whatever type of exercise you do, it’s important to make sure that you position your body in the ways least stressful to your knees. Here are 7 workouts that may work for vulnerable knees:

1. Muscle-strengtheners
Certain exercises that target the muscles in your butt and thighs can improve range of motion and strength in the knee joint. These might use body weight only (such as a lunge). Some might use resistance in the form of dumbbells or other weights or resistance bands. But you need to make sure that you perform them correctly so that you do not strain the knees when you do them. I’ve written about how to safely perform squats and lunges, exercises you might do in a fitness class or when following a fitness DVD at home. When you use added resistance, always start easy and work up to heavier loads gradually. Your muscles should get stronger with a small dose of resistance exercise. As they do, you can gently increase the load to help them become even stronger.

2. Walking
Some people with achey-knees find it difficult to do higher impact exercise like running or boot-camp style exercises that involve jumping. Sometimes simply exercising in new, quality sneakers on a shock-absorptive surface (sprung wood floor or dirt path instead of concrete) can minimize knee stress, allowing a person to run. But if jumping is not an option, walking may be. Of course some people with knee problems also find it tough to walk, too. Experimenting with newer walking sneakers and a good walking surface can help. But if not, that’s OK: You still have plenty of other options.

3. Cycling
Riding a bike is a low-impact option that allows you to get a cardio workout without bearing any body weight on your knees. But this option isn’t guaranteed to be stress-free because, whether you’re riding an outdoor bike or an indoor stationary bike, if the seat is not adjusted to fit your body, cycling can still strain your knees. Usually people have their bike seats too low. I’ve written about how to spot and fix a bike-seat problem.

4. Cardio machines
Your knees may feel fine on some cardio machines, but not others. Your options include rowers, steppers, elliptical trainers, upper body ergometers like arm cycles and rope-pullers, as well as treadmills and bikes. Most machines allow you to adjust the speed and resistance, or intensity level, of the workout. It might be that you can safely use the machine at lower speeds or easier effort levels. Or it might be that you can use a machine for 20 minutes, but your knees start to ache at 25.

Some machines may bend the knees more than others. And some may have a motion that is more ( or less) stressful to the knees. The Cybex Arctrainer, for example, distributes it’s resistance in a way that may be easier on your knees. So this machine may be a less stressful variation of elliptical trainer/stepper. Experiment with different machines and the aspects of each workout that you can vary like resistance and speed to see if you can identify the formula that allows you to exercise comfortably.

5. Swimming or Aqua Exercise
People tend to assume that swimming is the safest workout that you can do for your joints because the buoyancy of the water gives the body so much support. It’s cushiony, for sure. But like every other workout, the specific movements you do in the water will still affect the stress your knees feel. In fact, the frog-like leg kick in the breaststroke actually puts torque, or slight rotation, on your knees that can be aggravating. The straighter-leg flutter kick may be a better option.

Aqua aerobics workouts or those that use foam water tools to do exercises may be easier than on-land cardio or resistance workouts.

6. Stretching
Stretching can help increase the range of motion in stiff joints. So workouts that include lots of flexibility exercise like yoga, Pilates or basic stretch classes are a good option. But as with any workout, avoid assuming that all stretches are safe. Just because they are slow doesn’t mean they can’t hurt your joints.

And there are certain poses you may wish to avoid as they tend to put excess strain on the knee joint. These can include cross-legged positions like the lotus pose, or moves where you bend your knees deeply—especially when you sit or lunge with your body weight bearing down on the bent knee.

http://health.msn.com/health-topics/pain-management/arthritis/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100271016>1=31004

I ran across this article on my MSN home page and have copied it for you. I am going to have surgery on my knee Tuesday and am on the lookout for anything that can help me get moving again without angering my arthritis that I just found out about.

This is me, soon

I went to the doc yesterday and started the process of getting my knee cut on. I have a torn meniscus. Left knee. At least I think that's what it is. Anyway, next Tuesday I get an MRI. The next Tuesday I go back to the doc to find about the plan, whatever that is going to be. And after the surgery, I'll have a couple of days on the sofa with ice on the knee and probably some adequate meds to keep me from being too mean. I had the other knee done 3 years ago. It isn't life threatening but it certainly is a bother.

Then there is the puppy. Cheyenne is about 40 pounds of rompin stompin energy now. Keeping up with her needs will be interesting. But at least I'm not doing this in the middle of the summer.

I talked to the doc about rehabbing the knee. We have decided that since I have a membership(largely unused)to a health club, I can proceed with my plan to walk the pool. It's 5 feet deep and the deepest and I'm tall enough to make it. I think it's a good way to do some aerobic exercise without putting a lot of stress on my joints. I am not a joiner so going to a class is not something I want to do until I know more about it.

I'm still working on my plan to lose some weight. I now have some help and there is now another problem. I am compulsive. Not just with my eating but with buying stuff off the internet. I shopped some when I was younger. I enjoyed it. But after having the back problem crop up, and then the knee, I don't go out much. But you could spend a year's salary on the internet and never break a sweat. Drink a cup of coffee and spend a couple of thousand dollars on stuff I don't need. I haven't done that yet. No, I'm doing it gradually. A book here, a pair of shoes there. You'd think I had money. But I guess I would if I didn't spend it so quickly. So that is another compulsion to work on.

I'll be back with news soon.

I found some pics

Exercise at home. What a concept. I read all the time that the more muscle you have the higher your metabolism. So I guess laziness is out for a while.

There are a couple of exercises that may need some explanation. One thing is, if you don't have hand weights, a couple of Campbells chunky soup cans work nicely. I have found that if I do something often it isn't a bad idea to get the real thing. But if you aspire to be superwoman you can always life gallons of milk. This works for the exercise lying down. That particular one is supposed to work on your arms and upper chest.

The exercise with the ball can be done with a footstool. I don't recommend using anything with hard edges for obvious reasons. Likewise the push up exercise. I just can't do push ups at the angle the model is doing them. So I go into the bathroom and use the edge of the counter. The kitchen countertops are too high. If you are already pretty strong why not try the edge of a chair, coffee table, or bench. Just make sure they are very sturdy.

The hip lift is supposed to be good for the stomach and back and I am going to do a lot of that one. Also, while in the bathroom or kitchen I grab the edge of the counter and lift my body till I'm on my toes. Can't hurt to have great legs.

I hope there are a few of these things that might be helpful.

Cabin Fever

One of the things that I have a greater problem with since I'm older is SAD. Seasonal affective disorder is a real problem for some people if you read the literature on depression. The winter months take a toll on folks by making the sun hard to come by and making the time spent outside uncomfortable. So we don't get enough vitamin D. According to About.com's article on longevity, just going outside is a good thing and we should consider it a part of out good health regime.

Here is what they say:

Life expectancy can be increased simply by going outside. See, what happens when you go outside is that your skin gets exposed to sunlight. That exposure triggers cells in your skin to produce Vitamin D. This vitamin (really a prohormone, but let's not worry about that here) is essential for bone health and is turning out to be important in depression, heart disease, diabetes and just about everything.

Some estimate that 50% of adults have low levels of vitamin D, because we simply don't get outside that much (sitting by a window doesn't count, the glass filters too much of the sunlight). This is a shame, because maintaining vitamin D levels has to be the easiest and cheapest way to improve your health and increase your life expectancy. Getting outside for just 15 minutes a day and exposing your hands and face to sunlight is enough to maintain vitamin D levels in most cases.

I have promised the blog and myself to find some exercises to do at home. I have to keep them simple because anything elaborate and I'll quit. I think I can, for a while, do something outside for 15 minutes a day. When the heavy heat of summer comes I may have to rethink. But for now, outside is a good thing. Of course the time outside doesn't have to be all at once. Walking through a mall parking lot to go shopping can count for a few of those minutes. Just think, a new excuse to shop!

Spring

This weekend we set the clocks forward by one hour. I am not losing sleep over it however. I am losing sleep over the coming shorts season. There are not many things that could get me outside to tan but hiding fat is one of them. I have heard that dark colors are slimming. So I figure that the darker I get the thinner I will look. Do you believe that? I thought not.

The doctor will be proud of me. I have not gained any more on the triglicerides scale. Sunday I will weigh on the bathroom scale. I am working with my daughter to lose some weight. I really need to do it even though the thought of dieting is totally abhorrent to me. I will not publish my weight but starting Sunday I will use this blog as a way to blow off steam, share trials, and recipes. And I'll not lie to the super folks who tune in. Damn, I wish I could get out of this. I am one of the folks that can focus for 2 minutes and then I chase butterflies. This will be a real challenge.