An issue that I've developed recently is my knee starts to tighten up on me and I have to end my workout early. I tweaked my knee playing basketball a few months back and have recovered almost fully from it now. I've asked my doctor about it and he said its a matter or needing to strengthen up my knee and get it back in working shape. I drink a lot of water, stretch properly, etc to put me in a good position to have good workouts. Is there anything else I can do to help alleviate the stress on my knees?
Your main focus here should be to strengthen. Weight training, although it may sound counter intuitive, will be your best course of action here. Focus on the barbell squat. Look up some videos on youtube, start with only your bodyweight, then, when comfortable add the empty bar. You should progress in a couple of weeks to the point you can add weight. This will strengthen not only your legs and the muscles supporting your knees, but also your core, shoulders and back.
Do you warm up/cool down properly before and after your routine? I had the same problems with my knees when I started to do rounds on a treadmill which eventually went away after a good old stretch. If your doctor says you need to strengthen it then that's your answer. Do squats and some weight lifting that will focus more on legs and knees. You can also do a wall sit if you're up to it.
Try doing a little weight training that involves your knee, keep hydrated, and then ice your knee after every workout. Doing so will help alleviate any swelling (stress, if you will) on your knee so that you can recover faster and feel less pain. Your knee should strengthen up within a few weeks and not exhibit any of its current issues at that point.
I think you should be seen by an osteopath, that's what I always do when I have some sort of muscle or bones issue and I always feel better, give it a try.
You could consider taking some supplements to help strengthen your knee joint. Look into glucosamine, or consult your pharmacist/doctor for some suitable supplements.
Yes, that is a good piece of advice too Squigly. Many times our nutrition is not enough to supply for our needs and this creates imbalances in the body. So yeah, maybe some supplements can help.
All great suggestions. I started working with a trainer at the gym to help me get my form right for different weight-lifting exercises (since I know very little about how to workout properly with strength training) and he's gotten me on the right track for strengthening my knee. Essentially, what rehubhole had said, it's about starting small with squats and focusing on proper form to get the most out of the exercise. Already feel better after a couple weeks of working on it and am confident I can get back to where I was physically a few months back.
Your body weight adds stress to your knees so losing weight can also help. I also have similar knee issues and my doctor recommends losing weight. It did work for me though I don't think this advise is really helpful since you seem to be an active and fit person.
This is the best advice. Do your research on how to strengthen your knee without screwing it up in the process. I tore my ACL playing basketball, and I didn't get the surgery. At first, I thought I was going to have to live with a weak left knee all my life but since then I've worked hard on strengthening my knees and the supporting muscles. Now I can do pistol squats with no problem at all.
I do have quite a few friends with issues on their knees and all I know is that they stay on physio for months and months, so I really don't think physio is the best way to go, there are better alternatives.
You really need to work on building up your knees-but with some very low impact exercises and not heavy weights of any kind. I would do lightweight exercises to help you with the stress on the knees,also you could do a aerobic routine to help with your knees-just check out the Youtube video below for some good ones !
There are a lot of creams that you can use for your knee, if those are not working you may try some natural treatments, you may use every night leafs of cabbages on your knee until morning, it did help in some cases, or you may try lemon with olive oil.
