Hey 20-somethings. I'm new here, and looking for friends who can feel my pain.
I have spent my life stressed and sick, and getting healthy is such a long tiring process. lol.
I have knee problems, back problems, neck problems, digestive problems, headaches, belly fat from stress, and I used to have joint pains all the time (although that has gotten so much better from cleaning up my diet). I used to get sick all the time too - colds, allergies, whatever - but that has also improved with changing my diet.
I have not yet gotten to the point where I'm happy with my weight, and my knees are just getting worse, but my health has improved so much over the last year and I blame salads and healthy eating :P
Anyone else with knee pain? I need tips for improving my knees. Its not an injury - its a long term problem that has slowly gotten worse. Started out as clicking and pain going up and down stairs, and now its a more specific pain in my ACL that just wont go away.
Anyone else with belly fat that just wont budge? Silly stress!! I live a fairly low-stress life compared to how I used to live, but that belly fat just wont go away. Its not growing anymore (thank goodness) but its not shrinking with my weight loss. I'm tired of looking like I could be pregnant in tight clothing!
Have you tried seeing a physio for your knees? If they are getting worse, it might be good to check all the easily fixed stuff- make sure you have supportive shoes, check posture/gait, learn about exercises that are low impact (like swimming and cycling, rather than running and jumping)
For stubborn fat, the only thing that has really worked for me is a nutritious but calorie restricted diet and lots of high intensity exercise that really pushes you to your limits sorry!
I am not a 20 something (just on the other side of it), but I wanted to say that fish oil supplementation either in fatty fish form or supplement form makes a big difference for some people. The supplement SAM-e helps some people, but you need to read about it and its interactions if you decide to take it- it also usually helps arthritis more than soft tissue injury.
If you went to a doctor that could prescribe physical therapy for you (and give you an exam), you might be able to get a therapist to help the knee pain. The biomechanics of the knee joint is often affected by muscular imbalance, and if you were overweight for any amount of time, that may have contributed to it. Sometimes specific leg exercises done to correct the imbalance can be just as effective as medications, and may prevent surgery. This is, of course, if you haven't got a specific injury that needs correction first.
As far as belly fat, if you are just doing cardio, you may want to add some weight lifting into your exercise routine. Weight lifting improves the way your body looks. Overall, less jiggling. You can't spot train an area, but strength training will add muscle, which makes you smaller as you burn off the fat, because it is more dense. Muscle is metabolically active, so it burns calories 24-7, whereas fat does not.
Good luck on your journey. I will go back to the old people section now and stop hijacking you youngsters' thread.
A vitamin D deficiency can cause joint pain. I had the same issue when I was your age. If you aren't taking a multivitamin every day, try it for awhile. It's so easy to do and can prevent and/or cure all kinds of annoying problems like muscle cramps (potassium), joint pain (vit D), dry skin (fish oil), etc. Getting all the vitamins and mineral through diet alone is HARD.
I have a SEVERE Vitamin-D deficiency to the point where it's causing a whole host of problems, including hyperparathyroidism. I'm on prescription supplements of 50,000 units. I also have iron-deficiency anemia, which just adds on the health issues. I've been seriously taking supplements for about a month now and I hope after another month or so, I'll see some marked improvements in my general health.
Maybe I just have a good muscular skeletal structure (doubt it as I have mild cerebral palsy) but I have weighed more than you for most of my life and I have not had any of your problems! Is something else at work? Maybe an allergy or an overactive immune system destroying certain tissues? You need more answers because as someone who is the same height and weight as you (with cerebral palsy!), I haven't had those problems.
The localized stomach swelling can be a sign of ovarian cysts or some kind of womb problem. I used to have problems with my knees after I dislocated my kneecap but it went away when I strengthened my thigh muscles (to stabilize the knee) through physio. If you still have knee problems then maybe you have cartilage erosion which can be corrected through surgery. Whatever you do, don't exercise on a hurt knee or you will wear it away even more.
I realize what I have said may be upsetting but I don't want you to hurt yourself even more. I think there might be an undiagnosed problem with you so you must see a doctor.
Sounds like you have patellofemoral pain syndrome. I have it too, doc says to strengthen the quads to support the knee as it is a "tracking issue". I get sharp pains mostly going down stairs, and some times when I pivot or hit the ground too hard when I'm walking. That may not be caused by being overweight but it certainly can aggravate it. Apparently women get it more often if they are active/play sports, and women more so than men due to the way our hips grow super-speed at puberty. Try some quad strengthening exercises. Although my knees crunch and it freaks me out when I do squats, it doesn't actually hurt. But yes, if you can, try to see a physio therapist about it.
side note, a friend of mine says she also had patellofemoral pain syndrome but the pain symptoms went away when she started running (see strengthening quads).
I am not sure if this is your problem but it may help. I was having knee pains for a while and couldn't figure out why. I recently when dairy and gluten free and the pain when away. If you have had stomach issues before, you may be allergic to something and the reaction is joint pain.
A more holistic or alternative type doctor could help you figure out what type of vitamin or nutritional deficiencies you might have. This could helpful in finding the root cause to your health problems. Good luck!
I've struggled with knee pain since my early twenties - I think I did some damage while cycling. A physiotherapist made some good suggestions about awareness, exercises to increase strength in muscles that support the knees, and how to massage tight mussels pulling at my kneecap.
A year ago I did a six-month stint of kung fu. Though it was really really uncomfortable (and made my knees sore in different way for a while) my chronic knee issues disappeared. \
I try to maintain certain exercise, avoid jogging on concrete (grass only, occasionally asphalt) and controlling my body weight/limiting inflammatory foods and has really improved my quality of life.
Way too young for health problems
sorry!
