how can I get exercise with a knee injury?

Hi,

I just recently damaged some cartilage in my left knee while snowboarding last week and I am in a knee immobilizer and on crutches.  I see this as a temporary end to my exercise routine because I have been riding my mountain bike trainer, lifting weights and doing ab workouts in my basement.  I have trouble getting down the stairs now to access all my exercise equipment and I feel like I can't get a cardio workout with my knee like this.  Does anyone have any suggestions?  It's hard for me to cut back the calories I would normally have while exercising!  I LOVE FOOD! Help!

Tricia

as your break from working out as temporary, you will have to restrict some calories temporarily as well. 5 years ago, i had just started getting fit when i crushed my left foot at work - 6 months later, when i could still barely walk, i fell off a bike causing a PCL tear in my right knee... so a year and a half all told, no working out. unless you count struggling up and down stairs with a cane! hahaha

work on your range of motion daily. make sure your knee bounces back to 100% in flexibility before adding much resistance

seek a physiotherapist. insurance from work or national insurance may cover it depending on where you live

get a thera-band or similar to work your leg with light and easily controlled resistance

once i could, snowshoeing helped me a great deal! walking in a pool would likely help, but a physiotherapist or your doctor should be consulted~

i gained weight during my injuries, but then, i didn't have the best diet either. weighed 189 before and i stopped weighing myself once it neared 200 pounds. it was very frustrating at the time but i learned a lot through it.

 

Yikes, I feel your pain!  I did my ACL snowboarding a few years back.  In addition to the leg exercise(s) you should get from your physiotherapist I would recommend getting a dip bar.  Just work out your upper body while your lower is recouping.  That and juggling.  lol  Although, I found retrieving the balls once dropped exceedingly painful.  Sending you strong get well soon vibes!

 

R.   

focus on the upper body now.  once your knee heals a bit, swimming is probably a good start (and an awesome workout)

HI

I also had major leg surgery in July and am just getting around finally without crutches or cane, going to school fulltime after 30 years and have gained about 30 lbs. I have joined Jenny Craig 3 weeks ago and have lost 5 lbs and have a weigh in day tomorrow. I do need to get more exercise so have pulled out the old videos for abs and just bought a ball and it has come with a  CD so will try that too. Jenny suggests we keep track of how many steps with a pedometer and I get around 5000 steps in a day but they focus for 9000 which they say burns 250 calories I believe.  So I have my stretching exercises for leg and strengthening and hope the weight and mobility will all come in time. Any suggestions would also be welcomed from me...Thankyou

Sue

 

interestingly enough, todays episode of X-Weighted is centered on an injured person that wants to lose weight.

I watch that show all the time so will check it out, thanks, motivates me for sure to see that alot of people go through the same issues I do...and suceed , that it is achievable.

I tore my ACL and damaged some cartilage 2 years ago in a car wreck.  I didn't have the surgery for my ACL till 6 months later due to school, and then after that I had (and still do have) problems with scar tissue under my kneecap.  I was out of commission for about a year and a half, and gained 40 lbs in the process. 

 The only way that I could work out without hurting myself for a very long time was with my physical therapist.   I would reccomend that you get your Dr. to write you a Rx for therapy and use the therapist to safely get your knee back in working order before trying to do exercise on it by yourself.  

Josie has a good very point. You should meet with a Dr. see about probably getting and MRI. They can't see most damage without it. The Dr. can make the call about. physical therapist or an knee surgeon before doing much. My husband didn't know how badly he hurt his knee so, he hobbled around with ligament totally torn in half both side of his knee and his acl gone for months! it would swell but, outwardly we didn't know how bad it was.  After his Double loop and acl surgery I was suprised how they had him up and on it. 1 month off them that he was jogging and jumping as high as he could for rehab. If you in pain get it checked out please.

im-amy, Is that true? I popped my knee almost two years ago and I keep talking myself out of having it looked at. I guess I just don't want to change things up too much. But, if the recovery time and results are that good, maybe I should think again. Thanks.

I've had to have cortisone injections in my knees due to loss of cartlidge.

The best thing I have found is in the pool - jogging, not swimming! If you have too much pain right now to jog the laps, using a floatation belt (like for skiers) in the deep end, you can actually "run" with NO impact!!

that sounds awesome except i have no access to a pool right now.  Right now I have been practicing stretching.  My knee does NOT want to straighten!  I have been able to get on my mt. bike trainer and exercise it that way but I just want it to be straight so I can walk normal.  I substitute teach so when you walk in with a huge limp, you're automatically a target for a lot of kids (I hate subbing!! - anyone know of any districts that need science teachers?).  Anyway, thanks to all of you for the great advice.  Unfortunately, I don't have insurance right now and getting a physical therapist to help me out is totally out of the question.  I'm really suprised that I even went to urgent care because it's outrageously expensive!