male only Major Setback! Need excersize ideas for bad knee please.

[UpandAtom 126]

Hi All,

Okay, so I'm about six weeks out - sleeved on May 9th this year. I was losing weight steadily and quickly for the first month (down 35 lbs since surgery). On surgery date I was 351 and a month out I was at 315. I was riding a bike at least three miles a day and walking quite a bit-nothing strenuous, just dog walking, etc. Then, two weeks ago, I badly re-injured my replaced knee. I ruptured a quad tendon and the "button" the surgeon attached to my kneecap at the time of my replacement surgery, detached from my kneecap. THe result is I have very poor use of my knee. Bike riding is out as are long walks. The upshot here is that I haven't lost an ounce in the last two weeks. My daily calories average around 600 and I meet my Protein and Water goals. I don't know if this is a stall or 's my reduced exercise.

Does anyone have any exercise ideas for me while hobbled? I will likely be hobbled for a long time since I can't even get in to see the specialist until 7/25. Then the wait for surgery, then the long recovery. DAMN!!!

Any advice or support will be awesome.

[defibvt 348]

Sorry to hear that UpandAtom. Would Water aerobics be less stressful of your knee injury?

[ProudGrammy 8,322]

badly re-injured my replaced knee

@@UpandAtom

sorry about the knee injury

i had 2 knee replacements

i feel your pain

i found some DVD's

specifically for sitting at a chair

slow and easy

better than nothing

keeps yourself moving at a slow pace

but that's probably all you can do for now

good luck with the doc next month

sorry you have to wait so long

think positively

hopefully you will get better

sooner than later

take things slow

don't want to re-injure yourself

good luck

kathy

ooooooops, sorry, i just realized i'm in the guys room!!!

[OKCPirate 5,323]

I'd be doing as much in the Water as possible. So I'm with @@defibvt

[KindaFamiliar 3,867]

While I'm no expert, I do know that there are ALWAYS alternative exercises..

If you're a gym member or have access to weights, there's no reason you can't work your upper body..

Obviously it's not ideal, but doing SOMETHING is better than stagnating - it's too easy to go backwards if you're standing still...

Anything that gets your heart rate up is generally a good thing..

And don't forget - weight loss, for the most part, comes from the food you eat.

The exercise (again for the most part) is more about getting the body looking better to go along with your feeling better.

So while exercise can HELP to kick a stall, it's not necessarily the answer every time..

And I agree with the previous posters..

Get into the Water, even if you're just walking up and down the length of the pool..

It's movement, so it's good...

Good luck to you mate...

[Dub 10,027]

Very, very sorry.

Bodyweight maneuvers are hyooge now. Your gonna need your strengths as you are recovering from this repair.

I would guess that tricep strength would be important. So.....sitting in a chair......Lift yourself out of it as much possible.....get some reps in. Work on the muscles you'll be taxing heavily in the near future.

[Karen Kenney 61]

Water exercises!

[Pondlife 42]

I don't know what it was called but a gym I used to go to had this thing that was like bicycle peddles attached to a kind of Water wheel for your arms. It was the most brutal seated aerobic exercise I have ever come across maybe there is a home version of this? I'm sorry I don't know the name of it. Best of luck with your exercise, weight loss and recovery.

[UpandAtom 126]

Thank you all so much for your replies. Being on this forum and hearing from you good folks really does help keep my head on straight. @@proudgrammy, I'm glad you replied. I didn't really mean to restrict this to the guys room. That's just where I happened to be browsing when I decided to post my issue! So, thank you.

@@defibvt and @@OKCPirate, good advice. I actually have a pool in the backyard. But it's one of the above ground types that requires climbing a ladder to get in and out of and I've been afraid of climbing that ladder! I said heck with it this weekend and spent a lot of time Water jogging! I made a whirlpool from going round and round in circles, just like when I was a kid! I also spent a lot of time just vacuuming that thing and it is cleaner than ever and I was moving!

@@Dub thank you as well. I can't even come close to lifting myself out of my chair with just my arms! But I got some of my son's free weights and started doing some light curls, etc.

The scale did start moving again and I dropped from 315 to 309.5. Woo Hoo! thanks all.

[UpandAtom 126]

You have all helped me get into a bit of a groove. I've learned that my knee will let me ride a bike. Not a regular one because I can't lift my bad leg over the bar. But one of those city bike share bikes that are like a "girls bike" that I can step through. I've been riding about three miles daily I'm walking with a brace and cane s minimum of 10,000 steps according to my Fitbit. I'm also Water exercising and making whirlpools about every other day! I've dropped down to 302 I'm closer to the 200's than I have been in years! The pain can be really bad in my knee but I've just decided to deal with it. I see surgeon on 7/25 and hopefully the surgery and recovery won't be as bad as I feared.

Thank you all!

[defibvt 348]

Thanks for the updates UpandAdam.... Let us know your progress...

[UpandAtom 126]

Hi Guys.

Update on my knee injury. So, it's pretty damn bad. I have limited use and strength of my leg because my quad tendon is partially ruptured and detached from my kneecap. This mean that the extensor mechanism is off to the side of my knee and it is very difficult and sometimes impossible to straighten my leg from a bent position. My quad is only partially in use for strength and balance. Also, the patellar button from my knee replacement has dtached and is floating around in my knee/lower thigh area.

I saw the best orthopedic in the Chicagoland area who specializes in knee reconstruction and knee replacement rebuilds. My options are few and scary. Best option is to have my knee fused. Basically cement it in a slightly bent position for the rest of my life. Other option is to have a tendon graft from a cadaver and ope it takes. The graft only has a 70 percent success rate and a ten percent infection rate. Infection would be very very bad . If I get this operation and it fails, I am looking at a fusion anyway. If it gets infected, I am looking at several more surgeries just to then have it fused.

F**K!

So, I'm going to kick the can down the road and leave it as is. I am strapping on a serious ortho brace daily and getting off my ass. No more excuses. Since surgery I've been walking, riding, hiking, canoeing, camping and generally enjoying the heck out of life.

THe knee problem sucks and I may need to have one of these surgeries down the road. Possibly sooner than later, but I am not taking the risk or fusing my knee until I am left with no other options.

All the best to all of you

[UpandAtom 126]

Oh yeah. And I'm down to 249. 102 pounds GONE in four months! 131 pounds gone since my high weight!. Other than my knee, I am awesome. Wish I could kneel and run but those are out. Oh well.

[defibvt 348]

@@UpandAtom I would suggest Water therapy, if that is allowed by your ortho. Water moving will put less weight on the affected joint and allow you to get the exercise you need.

Just a thought?

Sorry to hear about this set back, you've made great progress... and your journey has some more way to go! I wish you all the best as you make the right decision for you...

[UpandAtom 126]

Hi @@defibvt your advice is very appreciated. Unfortunately this is one weird injury. My new knee joint is actually fine. Its the tendon which used to connect my quadriceps to the kneecap to the lower leg that is bad. It is no longer connected to the kneecap and slips off the the outside of my knee. It is intact partially but ruptured. Picture a marionette puppet that has its knee string attached to the outside of its knee instead of on top. If you pull that string it wonks outward instead of up. When my knee is bent, as in sitting, I can't lift my lower leg to straighten it. When walking, gravity helps bring the lower leg forward to complete a step. However, in the Water it has to cut through the resistance of the Water to come forward. Same as with swimming, the motion required against resistance makes it actually much more difficult than walking.

With all that said, I do swim and use my backyard pool, you are still right because come winter an indoor pool will become my best option. And I am not going to use this damnable knee as an excuse to be lazy. So, in the pool I will go!

Thank you for your kindness!

Bill