Hints/Tips for exercising with osteoarthritis of the knee?

Laura S. · 08-25-10, 06:23 PM

My knee was really bothering me late last week. Figuring that I had strained it, I went to see my rheumatologist as she's my "go to" person when it comes to joints in general. I've had psoriatic arthritis for 24 years and that mainly affects my hands and wrists. This doctor is an incredibly good doctor who has seen me through a LOT in the past 12-13 years that I've been her patient.

The rheumatologist surprised me and even herself with a diagnosis of osteoarthritis of the knee. She said I have very little cartilage left in my knee, so it has been deteriorating for awhile, even though it just started hurting me last week. She told me I need to lose the weight I have put on in the past few months, strengthen my quads (which I feel I have already done with regular exercise), and regularly exercise.

She's a great doctor, but is a bit weak on the details about exercising, especially when it comes to a home exerciser. I'm big on having ALL the details. So, I'm trying to wrap my brain around what exactly this might mean in the exercise arena for me. I figured I'd ask here for those of you who have experienced osteoarthritis of the knee for your tips and experience as to what works and what doesn't when exercising with osteoarthritis. Specificially, I'm looking at my step workouts wondering if they are just out or if they would help strengthen my legs. What else do I not know?

If you have had experience with this, what tips might you have with me as far as what to try and what to avoid?

cpcathy · 08-25-10, 06:35 PM

Laura, I have RA, not OA, and my knees are not damaged at all (keep my fingers crossed) but I just wanted to drop in a empathize with you. You're quite strong for working out with your PA, so I hope you find a way to keep on working out without hurting your knee!

gmfreund · 08-25-10, 06:55 PM

I injured my right knee in February -- when they finally did an MRI all it showed was that I have arthritic knees. It's a bit mysterious because I really didn't know in advance -- I never had any knee trouble to speak of.

Anyway, he gave me the following advice -- strengthen my quads, avoid kneeling, and never squat/lunge below 90 degrees (where the knee joint is the 90 degrees, not the angle of your butt to the ground). The MD is a fitness enthusiast.

So as I have been recovering I started with side lying floor work and "firewalkers" to strengthen my hips, and standing quad work like Cathe has in Kick Max and some of the Meso 1 Leg workouts. I then built back up to doing squats and lunges, being exceptionally careful with my form. I will NEVER again try leg presses a la THE FIRM. That's the exercise I was doing when I hurt myself and I just don't think I'll be able to convince myself to ever try it again.

For cardio, I rode a lifecycle (loathed it, but it worked). I then moved on to kickboxing, and I now do a lot of it. I have avoided impact, although I'm slowly able to add that back in. Turbofire, of all things, has been great because the pace is such that even at low impact I can get in a great workout. I have not tried step aerobics yet because my knee is still making some crunchy noises when I tried it.

I'm actually really pleased that I'm able to do as much as I can!

HTH,

Gwynn

Laura S. · 08-27-10, 07:12 AM

Gwynn,

Thank you so much for the detailed information. It really helped clarify some of the details of what I will try. I need to sit down and think about specifics and plan on what I will and won't do so that it just becomes automatic and I'll use your info. I was thinking about your post this morning as I looked at my tall step. I decided to keep it because I may want to sit on it in some workouts.

It's a bad way to find out about knee issues - injure yourself and then find out it's permanent. I hope your efforts pay off for you.

Cathy - Thanks for the support. I appreciate it. It's always something, isn't it? I hope things are going well with your RA.

kitty12 · 08-27-10, 07:23 AM

I'm just curious, how did she diagnose that you have very little cartilage left? My left knee tracks poorly and MRI showed that I have some cartilage damage. Did you actually have an MRI? Just wondering if there could be something else going on too.

You might find the Strong Knees DVD helpful for starting off. It covers all of the basic excercises. I also do squats now, including single leg squats. Depending on where you are, you may not even want to go down to 90 degrees with squats. Even half squats. But the Strong Knees DVD uses wall slides instead of squats which might be a good starting point.

You might even want to ask for a reference to a physical therapist. They could help come up with an exercise program.

Laura S. · 08-27-10, 09:09 AM

I had an x-ray and then she did a sonogram of the knee. She was pointing out the different parts of my knee (what was there and what wasn't) while she was putting a syringe in my knee to drain the fluid. It was actually pretty interesting.

Thanks for the recommendation of Strong Knees. I had wondered if it would be a good choice.

antbuko · 08-27-10, 10:00 AM

I have OA in my knee due to a very bad break I had in my wreckless youth. I have no cartilage on one side of the knee and other damage as well, include some scar tissue. I do not have full range of motion - can't sit on my heels or fully straighten it. I am not terribly hindered by the arthritis at all. If anything, regular exercise makes it feel better. The only thing I do do is wear an ACE knee brace when exercising because I do think it helps me to keep the knee in good alignment, otherwise I'm vulnerable to torquing it. Most of the time the pain is either tolerable or non-existant, but I do have occasional bouts of some serious arthritic pain. I take anti-inflammatorys and ice it when this happens and it could take a few days sometimes to get rid of the inflammation. When my knee is in that state I just can't exercise until it subsides.

ETA: Laura, I just re-read your post. I do step - I love it! I can do some impact too. I enjoy plyometrics and feel it actually makes my joints feel better. I have OA in my ankle too. The main thing that could give me a problem is twisting moves or anything that might torque it, and the brace helps me to avoid that.

Regarding weight loss....I had arthroscopy about five years ago and my PT told me even 5 lbs. makes a significant impact on the knees.

Vintage VFer · 08-27-10, 10:05 AM

(((HUGS))) Laura.

I have that Gaiam Strong Knees DVD I'd be happy to send you. Let me know.

gmfreund · 08-27-10, 10:41 AM

Helen -- thanks for the good news! I love step and I'm hoping I'll be able to get back to it. I really am encouraged based on how much I've improved over the last six months.

Kitty -- what types of exercises are included in the Strong Knees DVD?

Gwynn

neatski · 08-27-10, 11:18 AM

Stretching, stretching, stretching!

I have cranky knees due to past running injuries, and I stretch at least 10-20 minutes every day. It makes an incredible difference.

Also, I've done a lot of leg strengthening exercises (making sure to both sides of the leg), and those seem to have made a difference too.

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08-25-10, 06:23 PM
Laura S. VF Supporter Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Raleigh, NC	Hints/Tips for exercising with osteoarthritis of the knee? My knee was really bothering me late last week. Figuring that I had strained it, I went to see my rheumatologist as she's my "go to" person when it comes to joints in general. I've had psoriatic arthritis for 24 years and that mainly affects my hands and wrists. This doctor is an incredibly good doctor who has seen me through a LOT in the past 12-13 years that I've been her patient. The rheumatologist surprised me and even herself with a diagnosis of osteoarthritis of the knee. She said I have very little cartilage left in my knee, so it has been deteriorating for awhile, even though it just started hurting me last week. She told me I need to lose the weight I have put on in the past few months, strengthen my quads (which I feel I have already done with regular exercise), and regularly exercise. She's a great doctor, but is a bit weak on the details about exercising, especially when it comes to a home exerciser. I'm big on having ALL the details. So, I'm trying to wrap my brain around what exactly this might mean in the exercise arena for me. I figured I'd ask here for those of you who have experienced osteoarthritis of the knee for your tips and experience as to what works and what doesn't when exercising with osteoarthritis. Specificially, I'm looking at my step workouts wondering if they are just out or if they would help strengthen my legs. What else do I not know? If you have had experience with this, what tips might you have with me as far as what to try and what to avoid? __________________ Laura Laura's Workout Mantras: Something is better than nothing The best workout is the one you will DO

08-25-10, 06:35 PM
cpcathy Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Southern California	Laura, I have RA, not OA, and my knees are not damaged at all (keep my fingers crossed) but I just wanted to drop in a empathize with you. You're quite strong for working out with your PA, so I hope you find a way to keep on working out without hurting your knee! __________________ Cathy Nobody Said It was Easy.... --The Scientist

08-25-10, 06:55 PM
gmfreund VF Supporter Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: San Diego, CA	I injured my right knee in February -- when they finally did an MRI all it showed was that I have arthritic knees. It's a bit mysterious because I really didn't know in advance -- I never had any knee trouble to speak of. Anyway, he gave me the following advice -- strengthen my quads, avoid kneeling, and never squat/lunge below 90 degrees (where the knee joint is the 90 degrees, not the angle of your butt to the ground). The MD is a fitness enthusiast. So as I have been recovering I started with side lying floor work and "firewalkers" to strengthen my hips, and standing quad work like Cathe has in Kick Max and some of the Meso 1 Leg workouts. I then built back up to doing squats and lunges, being exceptionally careful with my form. I will NEVER again try leg presses a la THE FIRM. That's the exercise I was doing when I hurt myself and I just don't think I'll be able to convince myself to ever try it again. For cardio, I rode a lifecycle (loathed it, but it worked). I then moved on to kickboxing, and I now do a lot of it. I have avoided impact, although I'm slowly able to add that back in. Turbofire, of all things, has been great because the pace is such that even at low impact I can get in a great workout. I have not tried step aerobics yet because my knee is still making some crunchy noises when I tried it. I'm actually really pleased that I'm able to do as much as I can! HTH, Gwynn

08-27-10, 07:12 AM
Laura S. VF Supporter Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Raleigh, NC	Gwynn, Thank you so much for the detailed information. It really helped clarify some of the details of what I will try. I need to sit down and think about specifics and plan on what I will and won't do so that it just becomes automatic and I'll use your info. I was thinking about your post this morning as I looked at my tall step. I decided to keep it because I may want to sit on it in some workouts. It's a bad way to find out about knee issues - injure yourself and then find out it's permanent. I hope your efforts pay off for you. Cathy - Thanks for the support. I appreciate it. It's always something, isn't it? I hope things are going well with your RA. __________________ Laura Laura's Workout Mantras: Something is better than nothing The best workout is the one you will DO

08-27-10, 07:23 AM
kitty12 Join Date: Jan 2010	I'm just curious, how did she diagnose that you have very little cartilage left? My left knee tracks poorly and MRI showed that I have some cartilage damage. Did you actually have an MRI? Just wondering if there could be something else going on too. You might find the Strong Knees DVD helpful for starting off. It covers all of the basic excercises. I also do squats now, including single leg squats. Depending on where you are, you may not even want to go down to 90 degrees with squats. Even half squats. But the Strong Knees DVD uses wall slides instead of squats which might be a good starting point. You might even want to ask for a reference to a physical therapist. They could help come up with an exercise program.

08-27-10, 09:09 AM
Laura S. VF Supporter Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Raleigh, NC	I had an x-ray and then she did a sonogram of the knee. She was pointing out the different parts of my knee (what was there and what wasn't) while she was putting a syringe in my knee to drain the fluid. It was actually pretty interesting. Thanks for the recommendation of Strong Knees. I had wondered if it would be a good choice. __________________ Laura Laura's Workout Mantras: Something is better than nothing The best workout is the one you will DO

08-27-10, 10:00 AM
antbuko Join Date: Jun 2004	I have OA in my knee due to a very bad break I had in my wreckless youth. I have no cartilage on one side of the knee and other damage as well, include some scar tissue. I do not have full range of motion - can't sit on my heels or fully straighten it. I am not terribly hindered by the arthritis at all. If anything, regular exercise makes it feel better. The only thing I do do is wear an ACE knee brace when exercising because I do think it helps me to keep the knee in good alignment, otherwise I'm vulnerable to torquing it. Most of the time the pain is either tolerable or non-existant, but I do have occasional bouts of some serious arthritic pain. I take anti-inflammatorys and ice it when this happens and it could take a few days sometimes to get rid of the inflammation. When my knee is in that state I just can't exercise until it subsides. ETA: Laura, I just re-read your post. I do step - I love it! I can do some impact too. I enjoy plyometrics and feel it actually makes my joints feel better. I have OA in my ankle too. The main thing that could give me a problem is twisting moves or anything that might torque it, and the brace helps me to avoid that. Regarding weight loss....I had arthroscopy about five years ago and my PT told me even 5 lbs. makes a significant impact on the knees. __________________ Helen K

08-27-10, 10:05 AM
Vintage VFer VF Supporter Join Date: Nov 2001	(((HUGS))) Laura. I have that Gaiam Strong Knees DVD I'd be happy to send you. Let me know. __________________ Goal:250 / Done:91 POSTURE CHECK!

08-27-10, 10:41 AM
gmfreund VF Supporter Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: San Diego, CA	Helen -- thanks for the good news! I love step and I'm hoping I'll be able to get back to it. I really am encouraged based on how much I've improved over the last six months. Kitty -- what types of exercises are included in the Strong Knees DVD? Gwynn

08-27-10, 11:18 AM
neatski Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Orlando, FL	Stretching, stretching, stretching! I have cranky knees due to past running injuries, and I stretch at least 10-20 minutes every day. It makes an incredible difference. Also, I've done a lot of leg strengthening exercises (making sure to both sides of the leg), and those seem to have made a difference too. __________________ The most effective workout is the one you're not doing right now!