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Old 01-04-15, 01:30 PM  
dmlarue1
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
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Do step workouts help or hurt your knees?

Hi All
I used to do step all the time and collected quite a few step dvds. I haven't done it in a long time, because I was drawn to other workouts.

I have been working my way through my collection and trying to decide if I want to keep my step workouts.
I really love the advanced choreography ones but I am afraid to do something that will make my knee act up. I have been keeping knee pain (I have OA)away with yoga, classical stretch, walking and pilates.
I have been doing strong knees and kneehab, so I am trying to rehab it.

Can anyone share their experiences...whether step helped or hurt your knee?
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Old 01-04-15, 01:36 PM  
yogapam
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Hi! I have OA under one knee cap and I love step workouts. High impact, heavy weights, & deep squats/lunges irritate my knee the most. I still do step, but not more than once or maybe twice a week. I find that if I use my step without any risers & stick to workouts that don't have over complex or fast moving choreo, I am fine with it. I modify high impact moves. I also do a lot of stretching, usually at the end of the day, and that really does help my knee a lot.
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Old 01-04-15, 01:38 PM  
ellaenchanted
 
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I don't have knee issues but I think a few factors would make or break a step workout when it comes to being joint-friendly:

height of your step: I use just the platform because get very tight calves, hamstrings and glutes and want more cardio than legwork.

avoid anything too twisty: this may mean you avoid most complex choreo

speed: I think you'd probably want a workout that is a moderate pace as opposed to very fast paced/high bmp to avoid tweaking your knee

impact: if high impact bother you, you'd want workouts that are easily done without jumping but don't require completely changing the routine. If it isn't easily modified to my needs, I tend not to bother with the workout.
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Old 01-04-15, 01:59 PM  
Paula N
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This question has always interested me.

The story goes that Gin Miller developed step aerobics as we know it today because she was rehabilitating an injured knee by stepping up and down on a box or stair of some kind. So that makes me think that step in and of itself cannot be bad for your knees (although unsafe moves such as using a too-high step or twisting on a knee can be harmful).

I have been doing step for almost twenty years, muliple times a week, and have never had a minute of knee pain or discomfort from stepping. The very rare times that a knee does bother me is only after doing another type of activity.
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Old 01-04-15, 03:21 PM  
bzar
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i still do step workouts, but i pay strict attention to form.

i also use just the top. i hope to add back 1 riser on each side. but even w/o it, the top only gives me lots of good results.

i still do tall box (14") and w/weights. i also pay attention to good form.
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Old 01-04-15, 03:41 PM  
yogapam
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For me the step height (or lack thereof) is key. If I have to bend my knee to 90 degrees or more that is when it hurts. So the bench without the risers works perfectly and I still get a good workout.
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Old 01-05-15, 10:29 AM  
cfwb
 
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I haven't used the risers for years, and given increasing knee problems, maybe I should just add them to the donate pile and be done with it. I do enjoy step workouts, but I keep them low impact and low height. I'm also very careful with pivoting moves - I love them, but...
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Old 01-05-15, 12:39 PM  
Hej
 
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Strangely enough, for me it's not how much step I do, my step height, or even how high the impact is. For me it's whether I'm doing enough Classical Stretch or dance/barre style workouts like Tracey Mallet, Kari Anderson's fusions, or Petra Kolber's Elegant Strength.

I went through a period where my knees got so sore from step that I'd be hobbling around the next day and I stopped doing it for a while. I started doing CS, and the dance fusion workouts because I felt a lot of muscle tension and I wanted to improve my balance and grace. I found they got rid of my knee pain as well. I've always loved step, and now I can do it several days in a row without knee pain if I do CS, Tracey, or Kari.

My parents had/have severe osteoarthritis in their knees, but I've never had mine examined.

Last edited by Hej; 01-05-15 at 12:41 PM. Reason: ETA: how often I step now
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