My KNEES! I feel so old....

[sweetgirly1]

Originally Posted by kma415

I'm only 22 and have knee problems. I used to play basketball in high school and was rammed by a boy on my team (who often expressed how girls shouldn't be aloud in sports) and landed bad on both knees. I went to the doctor and he told me I had Chondromalacia which is where the cartilage goes soft from injury and causes the bones to rub together. It hurts just to go up stairs and doing anything where any weight is put on my knees while bending, they pop constantly. I kneel on the floor and sound like a fire cracker going off. Basically all this crappy doctor did was give me a piece of paper saying what I had and told me there was some exercises I could do to help it, but I guess he just assumed I find out what they were on my own (this same crappy doctor swore I was on meth when I came in about my migraines, even went so far as to do blood work on me). Anyone know some good exercises? Or was this doctor stupid and doing those exercises going to make it worse?

I'm 22 as well and have knee problems too : ( I find doing the elliptical makes me feel better and isn't hard on the knees at all. : ) as far as exercises I try not to do anything really involving my knees such as squats, lunges, etc. Basically anything having to bending the knees. It aggervates it more. As far as strengthening it I don't really know any workouts. But all I do is just make sure to workout. : )

[emasptv]

Take care!

[Tekakwitha]

Originally Posted by sweetgirly1

I'm 22 as well and have knee problems too : ( I find doing the elliptical makes me feel better and isn't hard on the knees at all. : ) as far as exercises I try not to do anything really involving my knees such as squats, lunges, etc. Basically anything having to bending the knees. It aggervates it more. As far as strengthening it I don't really know any workouts. But all I do is just make sure to workout. : )

I'm 21 and have had knee problems since I was in elementary school. Went to the doctor for them and was diagnosed with Oshgoodshlaughters disease. Without getting into all the technical mumbo jumbo it basically caused a bump below my knee cap on both knees and I was in quite a bit of pain. I was told I would eventually grow out of it. Fast forward to the age of 16 when I was supposed to grow out of it and I was still have tremendous pain in my knees after activites. I'm 21 now and still have pain quite often. My knees pop all the time and swell. My doctor diagnosed me with athritis and gave me a pill, which generally helps.

I happen to be training to become a police officer and part of the training includes a 1.5 mile run so I really just have to suck it up for now.

[justhamade]

Big thread, I didn't read it in detail but did skim most of it.

First off the cause of knee issues (that are not related to an acute injury) are 2 fold.

1-being something arthritic, this is caused by low level systemic inflammation and can be fixed/cured with a proper diet, (avoiding foods high in lectins and making sure omega-3/6 is balanced).

2-related to a muscular imbalance laterally or front to back. There is a test called the functional movement screen that tests for these types of imbalances that has exercises corresponding to each specific imbalance.

The most common imbalance is weak gluteus, pelvic tilt and poor thoracic mobility, which causes the hamstring to bear more load then they should. This is due to sitting for long durations, and heel striking when running or walking.

The goblet squat is probably the best exercise to improve knee range of motion and the muscles around the knee to support it. I can not post links but there are youtube videos you can easily find.

Foam rolling is also a great way to help with this issue, especially for runners or people with tight IT band (iliotibial band).

I would suggest finding a physical therapist or chiropractor that is familiar with Active Release and the FMS.

[Tekakwitha]

I'm sorry but I find it hard to believe that you can make arthritis pain in the knees go away with a special diet...

Just my opinion.

[zukachicks101]

find a really good joint supplement! i have had 3 knee surgeries and i couldn't live without TRIPLEFLEX. it contains glucosomine, clondrotin and MSM (i think i spelled those right) these were recommended to me by my orthopedic and have made a huge difference. the combination is meant to encourage the healing and lubrication of tired joints. if you watch kmart they have them b1g1 all the time.

[flourless]

Originally Posted by Tekakwitha

I'm sorry but I find it hard to believe that you can make arthritis pain in the knees go away with a special diet...

Just my opinion.

It depends. Arthritis is joint inflammation, so anything that reduces overall inflammation can help. For me, potatoes make my knees ache, swell and rub. So I don't eat potatoes. I suspect that other nightshade vegetables have a similar effect, but it's not as strong, and I don't tend to eat much of them at any one time. There's no particular reason to believe that other people ought to avoid potatoes to improve joint health, but it's worth being aware that something in your diet may be aggravating things.

At the moment, my knee problems are caused primarily by not squatting far enough "back" in my exercise routine. Nothing to do but take the time to fix my form and do some basic PT (electrostim/heat/cold/stretches/etc). Until I get it right and rehab my knees a bit, they'll be achy and catch in the mornings and when I bend them too much. I'd be glad for a diet bullet to make it easier, but there really isn't one.

[FattyFatFat]

The best recommendation I could give for knees due to personal experience would be a sufficient amount of quality glucosomine products. I prefer the liquid forms as they seem more direct to the joints (it's a mind thing I think) but after using some products 1-2 weeks I stopped hearing the pops so much in my knees and it felt no where near as bad as it did to get up off the sofa or floor or wherever. The only problem is that when I stop taking the products, eventually the pains in my joints starts to come back so it sucks that you have to add it to your regular regime.

I do believe some exercises help strengthen those areas, but it seems like once it gets too bad, you're just kind of stuck to relying on products. If anyone knows of a better method, plz do tell.