What kind of activities do you do to exercise with knee pain?
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Do you think your chronic knee pain has cont... - Stand Up 2 OA
Stand Up 2 OA
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Do you think your chronic knee pain has contributed to you having a less active lifestyle?
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CalvinHU
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Hi CalvinHU, I can only do exercises in water so I swim and go to Aqua Aerobics classes. I cycle through the water which is a great way to strengthen ones muscles around the knee so that they protect the knee joint. I think if I had not done these exercises for the past 6-8 years I would have had to have surgery by now. I also have foot problems which really are the reason I cannot walk far, unfortunately I am still looking for answers how to strengthen my feet. For Aqua exercises I pad my feet with gel sheets prescribed by the doctor, these work well enough for the one hour class. Unfortunately they do not work inside shoes and as the NHS has paid for me to have every type of insoles available I still struggle with really bad arthritic pain. I am now 72 and my toes are beginning to curl so I am off to the doctors today to see if anything can be done. Maximonkey
Great exercise recommendations!
Good luck!
I am a little older than you Maximonkey and I have terrible arthritis in my toes and that did stop me walking for a couple of years. I was considering having an operation on them as someone I knew had had this operation and was walking well afterwards but by the time I got to seeing the consultant for the second time either I had got used to the toes or the tendons etc had stretched to accommodate the curling. The problem I do have is finding shoes which are comfortable as I have wide flat feet anyway so spend all my time in trainers. I have found a pair of skechers which ar pretty good - thing is they are not waterproof. I have tried all makes and all sorts of shoes and various straightening type things from the NHS and havev paid for quite a lot of them but none of them seem to stay in place. Still, as I always say there are a lot of my colleagues and friends who would love to be alive to grumble about these things!
Hope your Doc can sort you out.
Des
Hi Desanthony, thank you for your comments. I did go to see the doc yesterday and unfortunately he said there is nothing that can be done about my toes as they are curled so badly, surgery would mean cutting off the bendy toes (not pins to keep them straight which I thought would be possible) however, he said he can arrange for me to have injections which will help with the pain. He also asked were the supports on the bendy toes helping. Of course they are so I will keep using them and take the injections and see how I get on. He also said the cellulitis in my leg has returned and this would impact on my walking ability as my left foot is now badly swollen. So back on the antibiotics again. Ugg. I feel frustrated. I too have been down the road of looking for shoes which suit my painful feet and I did find shoes called wave walk by Clarks they were wonderfully comfortable and helped me walk, I bought 4 pairs of trainers and shoes, but you guessed it they stopped making them. I have bought Sketchers trainers and they are great if I do not have to do to much but they do not support my arches as I would like. I am now looking madly for shoes, have you tried Hotters, some of their shoes suit me. Take care, Maximonkey
Sorry ti hear nothing can be done about your toes. Have you asked to be referred to an orthopaedic surgeon. Worth a try. Hipe the injections work and you get less pain. Hope the antibiotics work quickly on the cellulitis for you. So typical that the comfy shoes you found have been discontinued. Happens all the time. I have tried Hotter Shoes but very few of them are wide at the toes though they are some of the better makes around these days. I am comfortable in my Skechers Trainers at the moment and am looking to buy at least another couple of pairs. I am amazed at how top stitching and such like can make what looks like a good pair of shoes so uncomfortable! Good Luck in your search for shoes.
Des
Sorry to hear that amputation is the only other option for you 😞 I had tendons cut on two toes on my left foot to release the pull a bit and surgeon also shaved my knuckles on the curled up toes to stop chafing. Good luck with shoes. X
I also have arthritis in my feet and have found wool socks helpful. M&S men’s, 70% lambs wool. The gym I go to has a wobble board, which I use every time. It helps too. I have had to fight for it to remain among the high tec equipment and not be put away.
Yes. That helps I have a few pairs of wool socks too but I wear them out quickly.
I am learning to swim but I struggle with pain in my back,hip and knee so exercise is hard.
I have severe back and neck problems and was told to do back crawl. It is great to do but really awkward in a packed swimming pool. I kept bumping into people and pulling them under so I stopped. Considering going to the pool near my new house as it seems quite quiet in the afternoons.
Hi try swimming backstroke in the marker lanes. Unfortunately I am not that good at swimming so I just take my chance. Maximonkey
Yeah the old pool I went to didn't put lane markers out. I asked them to once but so many people complained that only lasted a week!
By poppy, tell your instructor a out your pain certain swim strokes are very bad for people with knee pain. Breaststroke for instance makes back and knee pain much worse,try and concentrate on back stroke andcrawl. You will feel the difference. I find i cannot swim until I have done a little exercise and loosened up. Take care Maximonkey
Thanks for the advice. I already spoke to the instructor and she is good at helping me when the pain is bad🏊♀️
Hi poppy, thats great. Good luck with the swimming. Do what you enjoy. Try aqua aerobics when you finish your swimming. I hope you like it it has helped me and my husband so much and we have made new friends. Take care Maximonkey
Hi Calvin, I have already replied about my exercises for knee pain, however, in answer to your question I began having problems walking when my knees first began to ache, but I also had the foot problems and it was my feet which kept me from walking, dancing and enjoying life. I have had one operation on my right foot which was successful. Unfortunately, arthritis is causing problems with my left foot and toes. Ugg, I hate writing negatively. Take care Maximonkey
Thanks for sharing Maximonkey , I hope you can also find support for your arthritis and foot pain here on HealthUnlocked!
I don’t go out much but I keep walking about inside a lot - say to pick up 2 things from the bedroom, I’d make 2 trips, or while working at my laptop, I get up and walk around several times a day. My knees feel much better as a result and I have no pain. Except... when it rains and the weather gets damp!
Hi, I too find this happens to me. Try wearing tights and warm trousers. Hope you find this helps. Maximonkey
Hi Calvin, when my knees or even one knee is in pain, I do not exercise at all. I worry that any exercises may make whatever is causing the acute pain worse, so I try to relax and wait it out, and then take things easy by cycling or walking a little.
Hi joinypain, have you been prescribed gel which will help with pain? If so use it, do not sit still you will pay for it with more pain. Keep moving and if you can find an exercise you enjoy all the better. Maximonkey
So far the knee pain has reduced my active lifestyle too much. I can still strength train and even do some running. I just never know when it will flare up or when something else is going to go wrong. For example: During a run last week I was feeling slight pain throughout my left knee and left hips. After the run, I felt like I had Plantar's Fasciitus on the left foot. Hasn't gone away yet. Probably going to have to have it looked at soon.
Yes it’s contributed to a less active lifestyle because of the pain. I do strengthening exercises and have been referred by the physio to the gym to do strengthening exercises there but there’s a wait.
It sounds like strengthening exercises are really important. I wonder if there are strengthening exercises that you can do safely at home?
Yes they are but the physio said I need gym equipment
Yes, most definitely. I retired one year before I wanted to, as a home health nurse, I found steps, etc unsafe for me. Now, a year later, my knee is in much better shape due to wt loss and daily exercise but still limits me. 1 1/2 miles at a time is my max. My knee doesnt bend completely so getting in and out of small cars or low chairs is tricky. I can do all my self care fine but keeping up with grandkids is a no, lol. If it doesnt get worse, my quality of life is good enough.
I swim and follow a programme of exercises “prescribed” for me by a hydro therapist. I am only able to exercise in water but I’m totally convinced of the benefits.
I think that in the USA hydro therapist means something else and is more to do with your colon! But lots of people have aquatic therapy and I think its a really popular way to exercise for knee arthritis or chronic knee pain because there is not so much weight on the joints as you exercise.
Haha! A hydrotherapist here is generally a qualified physiotherapist (you might say physical therapist?) who is also qualified in physiotherapy performed in water. It’s also very popular with animals recovering from surgery in this country.
Do you think your chronic knee pain has contributed to you having a less active lifestyle?
My knee pain comes and goes, but when it really hurts I dont do the exercises I would normally do, so that kinda sux in those times...I sometimes just push through with pain, cause i dont want it to cramp my style...(that may or may not be a good thing)...I try to keep moving....or I would get real stiff too...
Don't let pain cramp your style is a good message because in the long run staying active keeps the pain away
I try and walk each day. I also try and use my stationary bicycle every day usually manage to exercise every other day on average. Due to my having a heart problem I have done a cardio rehabilitation phase 3 course and have just today started on the next step. I need to go to one or two actual classes with physio and cardio nurses present where you do exercises and also get various other information - on diet and such like, and also one and a half hours twice a week in the gymnasium with a rehab trainer. They know about my knee trouble and make sure I exercise without harming my knee and my heart any further. When I walk I must walk in a straight line if I twist or turn I must take my timeas a sudden or actually twist or turn a normal person would do could floor me. I have seen my GP today about pain I am getting from my knee down which is like a permanent cramping pain which frequently spasms into a worse sharp pain, as the specialist did suggest it was vascular or neurological so need to sort that out. For this I am being referred to physiotherapy where they will try and diagnose the problem and refer me on. Feel quite positive today as she has also let me go onto stronger painkillers as I was taken off some of my pain killers thanks to a heart /stomach problem. Hopefully once settled on the better pain killers my pain will decrease. I know it won't go because even on the highest doses of the strongest NSAID's and painkillers I still had pain but a little relief would be good.
When my knee was bad, my walking was very limited. I put on a couple of kilos and I got very unfit. I have improved a lot, but the kilos are still there.
Just walking.
I know swimming could help but just don’t have the energy to get to the pool, change, swim, get changed and get home. I’ve tried it but ended up in more pain and spent the next day in bed.
I bought an exercise bike but could only manage a couple of minutes on it.
I try to walk in either nice countryside or by the sea so it’s exercise as well as helping me feel more positive.
bethedifference• in reply to
Walking is the most universal form of exercise isn't it? Glad you get to do it by the sea that is particularly nice.
Hi Calvin, how can I tell if I have answered all the posts on knee pain. I have a feeling I have missed one. Thank you, Maximonkey
Hi Maximonkey , you should be able to find all the previous questions in the "Posts" page of this community!
Yes my life has changed dramatically!!!! I feel a prisoner in my body I want to move I want to go to the park and walk and run laps as I used to. I just wish I could make myself better, my husband doesn't like to go out with me no more because he says I get tired to fast, then when I do try to make it look like Im fine but inside in pain it is so hard. Once home I can't even sleep the pain is so bad. Gone to PT and that is great I do a lot of the exercise with no problem I even bench pressed 120 pounds. Im anemic got my iron infusions I feel like I can run a marathon but give it a few and bang the knees start to act up again. I am not wobbling as before I can actually walk better, c0-workers even notice and have told me how am I doing they see my walking better. Sorry I can go on and on I just want to move like I used to. Can I try Yoga, I wan to be able to squat, ouchhhh not a chance and stairs not a chance. I have a two story house and I never go upstairs due to the stairs. Please someone tell me something positive, and Its both knees. ouch even my back is starting to hurt. I was told if I lost some weight I would be better, not for me it has gotten worse. I wish everyone a blessed day and as bad as it is I am glad to see im not the only one going thru this. I just don't want to hurt no more, I don't take any medicine maybe I should ahh?
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