What to do when exercise causes PAIN?

[spoiltmom 44]

I know exercise isn't supposed to be comfortable but for me it actually kills me. I have patellofemoral knee pain- basically my knee caps don't track right, they rub against my bones and cause horrible pain in my knees. I also have a pinched nerve in my back that causes pain in my leg.

Most times I can't get through a 30 minute walk without being in extreme pain and when I try to really workout I end up with other pains. A few years ago I joined a gym. I worked out consistently and saw results but then I had to ditch the gym and start going to physical therapy instead. The exercise had made my knees flare up badly and I had illiotibial band pain- basically I couldn't move my leg/hip without it hurting horribly.

I really want to start getting fit though. I'm starting to think my best bet may be to hire a personal trainer. What do you think? I mean that would be a huge expense b/c I would have to hire a trainer and a babysitter b/c I have no one to watch my kids while I workout but I've got to do something.

Any tips/advice for me?

Every time I see my surgeon he gives me heck about not working out:(

[lellow 1,713]

I know exercise isn't supposed to be comfortable but for me it actually kills me. I have patellofemoral knee pain- basically my knee caps don't track right, they rub against my bones and cause horrible pain in my knees. I also have a pinched nerve in my back that causes pain in my leg.

Most times I can't get through a 30 minute walk without being in extreme pain and when I try to really workout I end up with other pains. A few years ago I joined a gym. I worked out consistently and saw results but then I had to ditch the gym and start going to physical therapy instead. The exercise had made my knees flare up badly and I had illiotibial band pain- basically I couldn't move my leg/hip without it hurting horribly.

I really want to start getting fit though. I'm starting to think my best bet may be to hire a personal trainer. What do you think? I mean that would be a huge expense b/c I would have to hire a trainer and a babysitter b/c I have no one to watch my kids while I workout but I've got to do something.

Any tips/advice for me?

Every time I see my surgeon he gives me heck about not working out:(

I had knee problems as well - my left knee cap also didn't track right and the bone underneath was worn and caused a lot of pain. I also had back nerve pinching.

I did walk as exercise but this often hurt my knee. Water aerobics worked out if I did it low impact, but I needed home exercise. The one thing that seemed to work for me, to be honest, was stationary cycling.

I bought a spin bike, invested in a good wide seat and got to it. As I got stronger and lost the weight, the knee and back caused less and less problems and I could increase the intensity. I don't know if it will work in the same way for you, but keeping the weight off my knee helped heaps.

My brother is a personal trainer and he suggested that if the bike didn't work, to look for arm exercise cycle. You use your arms to cycle instead of your legs, and it's a great aerobic workout too.

[spoiltmom 44]

I had knee problems as well - my left knee cap also didn't track right and the bone underneath was worn and caused a lot of pain. I also had back nerve pinching.

I did walk as exercise but this often hurt my knee. Water aerobics worked out if I did it low impact, but I needed home exercise. The one thing that seemed to work for me, to be honest, was stationary cycling.

I bought a spin bike, invested in a good wide seat and got to it. As I got stronger and lost the weight, the knee and back caused less and less problems and I could increase the intensity. I don't know if it will work in the same way for you, but keeping the weight off my knee helped heaps.

My brother is a personal trainer and he suggested that if the bike didn't work, to look for arm exercise cycle. You use your arms to cycle instead of your legs, and it's a great aerobic workout too.

Thanks for the suggestion:) Now that you've lost the weight do your knees hurt less?

Also I know this is sort of a dumb question but is there a difference between a spin bike and an exercise bike?

[lellow 1,713]

My knees don't hurt at all, unless I run (which I still do sometimes despite the soreness). My back problems have also completely resolved.

This is not to say that my knee isn't worn and still damaged, because it is. But a lot of the tracking problems stemmed from me being overweight and knock-kneed (as a lot of of overweight people tend to be). As I lost weight, I became less and less knock kneed and my knee started to track correctly.

I still get stiffness and soreness if I strain it sometimes, because obviously the wear on the bone exists and will cause problems if aggravated, but other than that, on a day to day basis, I am now pain-free.

And an exercise bike basically allows you to cycle. A spin bike has a weighted flywheel on it that makes the workout much more like a road bicycle ride, in my opinion. I now have an exercise bike and not a spin bike any longer and I much preferred the workout I got from the spin bike.

But that doesn't mean you will feel the same way. My hubby prefers the exercise bike to a spin bike (which is why we swapped over), so if you are looking at a bike, go down to your gym equipments sales centre and test them out first to see which you'll like.

[spoiltmom 44]

Okay. I never knew that. I've been wondering what the difference was for quite a while now.

I'll be so glad when I hit my goal weight. My knees hurt even years ago when I weighed 155 but they didn't hurt nearly as bad as they do now that I'm in the 190's. I'm hoping weight loss will equal less pain.

[jodi8135 6]

getting a trainer is a good idea, i had 8 sessions with a trainer at my gym (which offers free daycare) and he taught me all kinds of new exercises mostly with weights, bands, kettle bells and swiss ball none of which put alot of pressure on my knees. when i do these exercises i feel like i have burned more calories then i have ever done on the treadmill or bike. the sweat just pores off me and i am done in 1 hour. do a couple of sessions with a trainer and get some new ideas and then you can do them at home.

good luck

jodi

[jensmallwood 0]

Be careful when you choose a trainer, though. There are all kinds, some much more qualified than others. Look for one with a college degree in exercise science or a related field, and a certification through an organization like ACSM or NASM. Look for a trainer who wants to see how you can move BEFORE he or she starts loading you up with weights (which can just make your knee problem worse, not better.) You want to look for someone who knows how to do a "movement screen" to look for things like whether your knees come in when you do an unweighted squat, or if they go out. To me, it sounds like a pretty severe muscle imbalance between the inside muscles of your hip (the adductors) and the outside muscles of your hip (the abductors). My knees tended to go in, demonstrating that my adductors were stronger than my abductors and my abductors were overstretched due to this. This caused both the patella-femoral thing and eventually HORRIBLE ITBand problems. I never felt anything like the pain of IT Band syndrome-- like a hot knife stabbing me on the outside of my knee. You might look for a practitioner in a practice called "muscle activation technique." Sometimes physical therapists are certified in it... sometimes a chiropractor is (or maybe someone else.) They work to get the underactive muscles to start firing properly, which will then allow you to strengthen them properly. Sometimes, a physical therapist will give you corrective exercises to do to fix a muscle imbalance, but if it's been going on for long enough, the weak muscles may not even be responding properly to the exercise, and it will allow other muscles in the area to do its work for it. That's where Muscle Activation Technique comes in. It gets more to the root of the problem and helps get that weak muscle firing again. Something to look into. (just so you know I'm not making this all up-- I am about to graduate with my degree in the exercise field). good luck!

[Mariasha 3]

Swimming is another great exercise that doesn't put any pressure on your joints.

[honk 780]

I also swim. Before my knee problems I used to really like the recumbent exercise bikes (that you sit in like a chair with your legs out front). Now my knees don't like the angle so that exercise is out. I would second that you need a a trainer with real anatomy knowledge. Some of the people at the gym call themselves trainers but really are qualified.

[pauljackson 0]

Regular exercise relieves back pain by strengthening and stretching the muscles that support the spine and helps to prevent future injury Studies have shown that yoga is the number one most effective exercise for relieving back pain.

It is best to do these exercises under the supervision of a certified yoga instructor,However, not all yoga poses relieve back pain, and some can in fact aggravate existing pain, so it is important to know which poses will be most helpful in relieving back pain.

if you encounter any problems with these poses, you should consult an expert.

Chiropractor Lawrenceville GA

[citygirl4616 2]

Have you seen an orthopedist about your pain? You want to make sure you don't have an injury before you begin any kind of exercise program. Exercise may not be comfortable, but it certainly shouldn't be described as "painful".

Have you tried pilates or yoga? They don't burn as many calories as most cardio, but they are a good way to ease your muscles into a more active lifestyle.

Be careful when you choose a trainer, though. There are all kinds, some much more qualified than others. Look for one with a college degree in exercise science or a related field, and a certification through an organization like ACSM or NASM. Look for a trainer who wants to see how you can move BEFORE he or she starts loading you up with weights (which can just make your knee problem worse, not better.) You want to look for someone who knows how to do a "movement screen" to look for things like whether your knees come in when you do an unweighted squat, or if they go out. To me, it sounds like a pretty severe muscle imbalance between the inside muscles of your hip (the adductors) and the outside muscles of your hip (the abductors). My knees tended to go in, demonstrating that my adductors were stronger than my abductors and my abductors were overstretched due to this. This caused both the patella-femoral thing and eventually HORRIBLE ITBand problems. I never felt anything like the pain of IT Band syndrome-- like a hot knife stabbing me on the outside of my knee. You might look for a practitioner in a practice called "muscle activation technique." Sometimes physical therapists are certified in it... sometimes a chiropractor is (or maybe someone else.) They work to get the underactive muscles to start firing properly, which will then allow you to strengthen them properly. Sometimes, a physical therapist will give you corrective exercises to do to fix a muscle imbalance, but if it's been going on for long enough, the weak muscles may not even be responding properly to the exercise, and it will allow other muscles in the area to do its work for it. That's where Muscle Activation Technique comes in. It gets more to the root of the problem and helps get that weak muscle firing again. Something to look into. (just so you know I'm not making this all up-- I am about to graduate with my degree in the exercise field). good luck!

[lostsim 0]

Swimming makes active how ever yoga is awesome, it don't require any helping material as well and i just concentrate on my breathing process it shows result in weight loss.