knee pain...real or just an excuse

Hello everyone, i just need your opinon of a friend of mine. She's in her fiftys although looks ten years younger, she is within the healthy range for bmi albeit at the higher end, her workout of choice is bodypump and and spinning. Im always trying to encourage her to join me in various other classes cause i think its good to mix things up, but she always saying she cant cause her knees bother her (i typically do high impact aeroics). Im totally understanding of her problem but i noticed that when she is in bodypump class her lunges are really bad...iv heard time and time again that joint pain is usually caused by improper form...i tried telling her that her knee wouldnt hurt as much if she placed her feet further apart, but she claims its because she has bad knees that she cant seperate them further. I hate spinning cause im short (an excuse i know) and i dont appreciate walking around with a bruised dudah for a week, so i havent seen her in that class, but she tells me that her knees bother her after that class too, as far as i have known cycling was supposed to be friendly on the joints so im wondering if she is doing something wrong there too? While i think its great that even with the "knee pain" she is still pretty active. Im wondering a) if she is possibly mistaking soreness as pain b) she just simply enjoys drawing attention to herself (cause she wont take any advice anyone is offering her and she continues to do the things that cause her pain) or c) she really is in pain and should therefore stop.

I guess quite frankly im a little tired of hearing the same thing over and over again and while i may not suffer from pain after every workout i certainly do get aches and soreness, to which i pop an anti-inflammitory and a ice the area. 

Can't comment on the rest of it, but if the bike is not adjusted properly it can cause knee problems. Specially if someone already has knee issues. I did an awesome job messing up my right knee doing martial arts, and when I started to do more miles on my bike it REALLY got bad. As in walking up the stairs hurt like hell. After the proper fit pain magically went away. That is on a road bike where seat can be adjusted my mm, those stationary bikes are not as adjustable. Personally I still can't ride them without knee bothering me the next day.

UD

I vote option c. I'm only 20 and I get knee pain when I go to a spin class. I started doing wall squats to help with it.

"I guess quite frankly im a little tired of hearing the same thing over and over again and while i may not suffer from pain after every workout i certainly do get aches and soreness, to which i pop an anti-inflammitory and a ice the area."

I wouldn't brag about that. You should listen to your body and not mask it with an anti-inflammatory, which slows the healing process. Ice alone is the better answer and has the same benefits minus the side effects.

Sorry, your last paragraph rubbed me the wrong way. It sounds like you need to get off your high-horse and be a real "friend".

I have to agree with bmx.  Just a thought, but maybe you should quit "encouraging" your friend to do things she not comfortable with.  Just let her do what she feels she can do.  You can't know what pain she is or is not feeling or what type of workout intensifies her pain.  If she is feeling discomfort, I think it's great that she makes the effort to exercise at all.  Now, this is just my opinion and not meant to be rude or nasty, okay? 

I appreciate your comments, I really didnt mean to come across as bitchy, i guess its a lot more complicated then i can sum up in a couple of paragraphs, by encouraging her to try new things usually comes from her saying "i wish i could do that class, but im worried my knee will hurt" my response is "you can always try it low impact, theres a lot of women in the class who do it that way" her response "well maybe"...then the next day, i'll hear the same thing again. Im just at a loss on how to respond anymore.

Also the anti-inflammitory is for chest wall imflammation which i get from running and having big boobs.

I do think its great that she is exercising with her discomfort, but like i said before she refuses to listen to anyone who offers her advice to how to possible fix the problem. If i felt pain or discomfort during my workout i would talk to the instructor about what i could be doing wrong and try to fix it.  

Isn't it up to her to decide how and when she works out, and how she deals with her painful knees? 

Maybe a better response would be to tell her to talk to a trainer.  Then step away from the discussion.

I think if i saw any of my friends do something that could potentially do them harm i would probably speak up, regardless of if its exercise or not. Also if i simply told her to ask a trainer and then change the subject she'll probably think im being nasty.

But you are right, when it comes to her knee issues it is up to her to deal with it her own way, and if her way is to do nothing but complain about it then i should just let her. I guess with my personality being more straight forward, i would rather try to help find solutions.

I get where you are coming from ellybee I have a friend who doesnt like classes either.  For her it is because she feels uncoordinated.  At first I thought "well just try and you will develop coordination."  But she loves Spin class.  I, like you, really dislike Spin.  She used to always be encouraging me to take spin and telling me I would like it after a couple of classes.

After a while I realized I dont like spin, she doesnt like combat or step.  That's fine.  We dont always have to work out together.  I think if I am unwilling to go to spin with her then it is perfectly reasonable that she not go to step with me.

The common wisdom is that, as you say, “it’s good to mix it up,” but that’s another way in which people differ. I’m more like your friend in that I have my favourite classes and I get more out of working to improve and advance in my regular favourites than to be trying this and that. She is already getting a good mix between Pump (resistance + some cardio) and Spin (cardio), it is a good variation.

At the same time, like you, I would be worried about her bad form in the lunges, and her Pump instructor ought to be helping her on that, that is something they are supposed to do. But I don’t know what you yourself can do about that. On the other hand, maybe s/he is trying to improve your friend’s form but it’s not working (yet). The coaching style in Body Systems classes is supposed to be encouraging, not dictatorial, and if there is even a fraction of an inch improvement in form, the instructor congratulates the participant enthusiastically (and hopes to get more improvement next time).