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Old 04-27-16, 09:39 PM  
bfit
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Is there any way to fix my knees like planks/core work has fixed my back?

This is a weird question . . . I used to have sort of a touchy mid to lower back - nothing seriously wrong but little aches and pains and lack of flexibility. Then I added various kinds of core work (like planks, standing med ball work, gliding disc exercises) to the standard crunches and such, and my entire core and back is so much stronger and stable. Is there anything equivalent I could do for my knees? There's nothing wrong with the joints, but the muscles around my knee (especially above the knees in the lower quads) have little aches and pains and I'm not flexible at all in the knee joint (quad stretches are hard for me). I can do squats and lunges, and I do do them, but is there something else that would help? Yoga? Pilates? Barre? Floor work?
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Old 04-27-16, 10:34 PM  
gmfreund
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I can only speak for myself, but strengthening my posterior chain with kettlebells made all the difference in the world with my knees. Balancing the back of the body with the front was super important for me.

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Old 04-28-16, 12:36 AM  
bex
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bfit View Post
There's nothing wrong with the joints, but the muscles around my knee (especially above the knees in the lower quads) have little aches and pains and I'm not flexible at all in the knee joint (quad stretches are hard for me). I can do squats and lunges, and I do do them, but is there something else that would help? Yoga? Pilates? Barre? Floor work?
My physio said that when people complain about knee issues, 90% of the time it's the muscle right above the knee, just above knee cap but on the inner side of the thigh. He said it's really important for stabilizing, and recommends floorwork to strengthen it- the basic straight leg raise (with an ankle weight if you're strong enough). Keep a bit of turn out so you feel it on the inner side of the front thigh.

My issue is that my right knee gets stiff & twinges, and focusing on alignment when I do knee-heavy exercises (ie squats, lunges, even step aerobics) really helps. YMMV.
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Old 04-28-16, 04:33 AM  
NoraKate
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i recently hyper extended my knee (owwww)

the physical therapist has had me doing really heavy (50lb+ loads) squats, squat variants, deadlifts and side step ups (less weight on those as I kept managing to fall off *facepalm*)

it has made a HUGE difference!
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Old 04-28-16, 05:32 AM  
Tugger31
 
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I have moderate chondromalacia in my knees (as of an MRI about 10 years ago). What has helped my knees immensely is lowering my step height to the lowest position and cutting my step aerobics down to 1-2 times per month. In addition to that I agree with the above posters with strengthening the posterior chain and working on the inner thigh area. Adding in deadlifts, glute bridges and general floor work helped. Also a major player was adding in more yoga that concentrated on hip flexibility. Over the years I have gone to wincing after a step workout and not being able to jog very far to training for my first 10K knee pain free. I still can't do step as often as I used to and there are certain exercises I still don't do, such as forward lunges, but overall my knee pain is much, much better.
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Old 04-28-16, 05:45 AM  
ncl
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Western North Carolina
The things that have helped my knees the most are:

1. What bex said
2. going barefoot. I guess the theory behind this is that all the little muscles in your foot get deconditioned when you wear shoes all the time which will affect your knees, hips, lower back. I couldn't have imagined in a couple of years ago, but I work out without shoes and my knees are the best they have been in over a decade. I transitioned to that gradually, though. I started with barefoot for strength/metabolic workouts. i liked it! Then I tried some cardio workouts barefoot, even step but with my shoes nearby (as my feet weren't used to this), then I eventually transitioned to all barefoot. I am not barefoot for outside stuff yet. I am also buying shoes that are minimalist now and trying that for every day wear but I am barefoot as much as possible in my everyday life as well.

My PT said that some people need the cushioning of a shoe for shock absorption but some people do not, FYI. I don't know how to know that. I will say I can't stand wearing cushiony workout shoes now.
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Old 04-28-16, 07:19 AM  
AnMrsDe
 
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These are all great replies and I'm going to mention some workouts from the restorative route. Strong Knees is excellent for strengthening the area surrounding the knees. What Bex mentioned by her Physio is the exact description of one of the exercises minus the ankle weights. This dvd has really helped my knees when they start to bother me...in fact, I should keep it in my rotation all the time (but don't!) There's a premix to just do a 7 minute w/o which hits everything about the legs when you're just wanting to do a quick add-on, as the dvd has lots of PT info on it as well.

Debbie Sieber's Total Body Solution features Chad Waterbury, who is a Physical Therapist, IIRC, and is another one with focus on certain body parts, including the knees, but I tend to grab Strong Knees (for the knee area) more often.
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Old 04-28-16, 08:34 AM  
Cecelia
 
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Quote:
These are all great replies and I'm going to mention some workouts from the restorative route. Strong Knees is excellent for strengthening the area surrounding the knees. What Bex mentioned by her Physio is the exact description of one of the exercises minus the ankle weights. This dvd has really helped my knees when they start to bother me...in fact, I should keep it in my rotation all the time (but don't!) There's a premix to just do a 7 minute w/o which hits everything about the legs when you're just wanting to do a quick add-on, as the dvd has lots of PT info on it as well.
I so agree about the Strong Knees DVD. I broke my ankle last year and it has been amazing to me how much hobbling around on one leg can mess up your low back, shoulders, and other body parts. It has been a struggle trying to get back on track and then a couple weeks ago I tweaked my knee. I had done it once before a number of years ago, which is what led me to the Strong Knees DVD. I immediately started doing the exercises and my knee responded quite quickly. I think it is the emphasis on working the inner and outer thigh areas with strengthening exercises and stretches that helps to stabilize the knees. Whatever the reason, the DVD really works for me. Highly recommend!
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Old 04-28-16, 09:02 AM  
Laura S.
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Foundation Training is also a good program. They have some short videos on YouTube that helped my back almost immediately.
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Old 04-28-16, 04:19 PM  
videofit
 
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Just doing Margaret's workouts for years did the trick. She has a lot of floorwork, which I like and do with ankle weights, but no lunges or deep squats which used to kill my knees. Her pulsing squats are tough and get the job done. I wound up strengthening all the muscles supporting my knees. I had had knee problems since high school. Knee problems in my family are genetic.
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