Hi,
To those of you who use them,I would like feedback on you experiences. Do they really tke stress of the knees ? I just cannot see how this is so.Does anyone with osteoarthritis use this machine and if so, has it been of benefit.
Any brand/price recommendations? Thanks

Janet

Usually stress on the knees from cardio exercise is caused by jumping and pounding from high impact aerobics or running. I have knee problems and I never experienced a problem from an elliptical machine EXCEPT for one instance. Right after an injury, my knee was causing me pain if i straightened it completely. I had to be careful on the elliptical machine not to let my leg go completely straight or else it hurt. It wasn't a problem with the machine itself but just something related to my injury.

As far as price goes, this is where I lament. Good elliptical machines cost $$, therefore I visit them at my local gym. If you want one, prepare to spend $1k or more. I don't know where it is but there used to be a website that sold used gym ellipticals for $2k and that is probably the direction I'll go towards when I do decide to buy one.

I have had bad knees for ever Even have had to go have the fluid drained and that's not fun. I have to be really careful, and the elliptical has been the best cardio for me. In the past seven months I have worked really hard to strengthen the ligements and muscles around my knees and have just started (in the past month)to incorporate the treadmill and bicycle in my cardio also. I never feel any pain or have inflamation with the elliptical but have notice some discomfort with the treadmill and bicycle. I't seems weird to me, but the elliptical is still the only thing I can do for long periods of time (40-50 min) without inflamation.

I love the elliptical, I hate the treadmill. I definitely notice the difference in impact/stress on my body. I've done a 10 min walk/jog on the treadmill and felt terrible the next day (sore knees, hips, lower back), but I do the elliptical at least 2x a week for 30-45 min and have never had a problem with strain or pain.