Back on my treadmill, which has been a struggle because of my really bad knees. But, I've been doing great. Increased my time as well as my speed, and have managed to run for a stretch. My problem? Still my knees. Now getting aches and pains in my knees. Should I wear knee braces while I exercise??

Elliptical, stationary bike, recumbent bike, regular bike would all be so much easier on your knees. Craigslist has some great bargains and there's probably hundreds of people who have given up on their New Years resolution by now?

I can't walk 1/2 mile without my knees killing me. But, I can ride up to 40 miles on my bike. I routinely ride 10+ miles a day. I lose about 600 calories in less than an hour.

I should have pulled the trigger last fall to have my knees replaced but I chickened out. Not this fall though.

I can't ride an exercise bike. Every one I have tried is too tall for me. I'm short. Lol.

My regular bike has flat tires, but we cannot seem to find the leak.

My hubby also refuses to buy any other piece if exercise equipment because he believes we have enough with the treadmill and his weight bench (which I cannot use). My surgeon also thinks that walking is my best option.

I feel like I'm letting myself down if I don't just push through the pain.

Just my opinion and I have a lot of experience with bad knees and exercise equipment, but your Doc and your Hubbie are for a better word, WRONG!

Excess weight on bad knees equals you grinding off what's left of your cartilage and an early visit to the orthopedic doc for knee replacements.

BTW-I'm only 5' 6" and my wife is 5' 3". She rides our recumbent bike with no problem so you're not too short. Heck, even my daughter who is 5' 2" can ride it. It's a Schwinn and I got it off Craigslist for $75.

If all else fails, quality knee braces will help take a few lbs off your knees. But, good knee braces cost more than a stationary bike. You can't just buy them off the shelf and get great results. imo

tmf

Let me add, that I'm 2 yrs post op RNY, with a weight loss of 160 lbs. I'm in maintenance mode....my goal at this point is not weight loss, but better fitness. I also must point out that my kneecaps were shattered when I was a teenager, and we have only my hubby's income at this time. I simply cannot afford to go buy anything new, even off of Craigslist. Thank you for your opinion, but I do trust my doctor.

I have bad knees also, for years doctors told me to stretch more or it's runners knee etc and just keep walking and take some joint juice it will go away finally last year after several times of my knee giving out my hubby forced me to see a rheumatologist after a X-ray he found I had some arthritis but also scar tissue built up behind my knee caps... I now get a cortisone shot every 6 to 8 months OMG my knees have never felt so good!!

I would stop running. There is no benefit you can get from that you can't get from walking. There are more injuries you can suffer. I have blown ACLs in both knees and running is out of the question, I'll lose my balance and fall and injure something else. Find something within your physical limitations. Don't injure yourself. My daughter in law is the nurse of an orthopedic surgeon and she says running is definitely harder on the knees than people realize. I've had to call her twice after duty hours and get worked in for miniscus tears. No running for me.

Are you running or walking? Running is very hard on your knees, especially if you already have damaged joints. When you say your surgeon, are you talking about your WLS doc or an actual orthopedic surgeon?

You could try glucosamine-chondroitin supplements, many people have luck with them. I had Synvisc injections in mine. Worked awesome in right knee but left one is too beat up (most of the cartilage is gone). The shots are expensive but insurance often covers them. Cortisone is another option but don't work for everyone.

Like someone else mentioned good knee braces are expensive. The ones you get at Walmart don't do much except possibly some slight stabilization.

Anti inflammatories, ice, and rest are always good fall back options, if you can take them with RNY.

I have seen many free exercise bikes and also $10-50 range. Sometimes people just want them out of their house.

Good luck

After both of my knee surgeries, my physical therapist had me walking backwards on the treadmill. She said it help strengthen the muscles. Hope you find relief for your knees :-)

I forgot to mention - work on strengthening your quadriceps, strong quads will really support your knees and make them feel better.

Years of arthritis and obesity have done a real number on my knees. I get the cortisone shots in both knees three times a year, but this last time I stretched it to six months. Banded in March, I'm off NSAIDs for life now. Tylenol is a joke. But as I lose weight, it gets better. I've been walking on the treadmill 3.0 to 3.2 mph no incline without a problem. I bumped it to 3.5 for a few days this week and promptly lost my enthusiasm for exercise. LOL. I was trying to make my two miles go faster. One day I tried jogging at 4.0 and that lasted a minute. Too hard on my knees. Unlike TMF, I tried a regular bike a couple of weeks ago and my right knee screamed in pain with every up-bend, even without resistance. So I think knee pain is very individual. I do know one thing. If it hurts, stop doing it and try something different. Pain is not the same as being tired. Pain means stop.

My WLS surgeon wants me walking. I only ran once on the treadmill for about a minute just to see if I could. Think I'll stick to walking. I can walk at 4.5 mph now, which is a big thing for me!

Thanks for the insight.

Edited April 25, 201412 yr by Jerrie Ann

Back on my treadmill, which has been a struggle because of my really bad knees. But, I've been doing great. Increased my time as well as my speed, and have managed to run for a stretch. My problem? Still my knees. Now getting aches and pains in my knees. Should I wear knee braces while I exercise??

I have a bad back and knees. I only use the recumbent bike. Also water pt is wonderful.

After having a long discussion with a friend who is a personal trainer (in another state), I have decided to continue walking on the treadmill but skip trying to run! I just walked 2 miles, and my knee isn't bothering me!

I have trouble withy knees as well . I Had surgery on my left knee several years ago . I use the elliptical trainer, this does not bother my knees at all . Also I just started swimming . This is very low impact and get a great workout . Just a few suggestions . Everyone is different so you have to find out what works for you. Good luck

I have access to a pool, but it is an outdoor pool, and the water isn't quite warm enough yet.