How do you keep fit if you can’t walk well?

[Merryoldgoat]

I’ve hurt my knee - I’ve torn the cartilage and I’m having physio etc.

I don’t like exercise except for dancing and Zumba which are now out. I also can’t swim with it.

I’m unfit and slowly losing weight and need to exercise a bit to improve my health.

anyone with knee problems have any advice?

Its also extremely painful which means I’m not sleeping well etc - I can’t believe how low I feel with it. Being in constant pain is utterly vile.

I have an extremely bad back thanks to an accident 30 years ago. I also have bad knees as i have put on alot of weight and my body is suffering.

It sounds boring but I swim 3 times aweek. Twice on my own (laps) and once with the Dcs (floating around on a noodle supervising them. It had actually made a world of difference.

Would cycling be possible?

Callanetics might be good for you.

Could you do chair yoga? There's and option for it on the downdog app (which is brilliant). It won't necessarily be amazing for weight loss, but could be great for strengthening muscles, particularly your core to give you a head start when your leg heals

Don't cycle with a bad knee- obviously.
Check youtube for knee friendly exercises. Maybe yoga or similar low impact

if you don’t like exercise it’s going to be tough to find something you want to do.
Chair Yoga?

seated weights?

have you asked the physio for suggestions? Yes, constant pain is awful, I hope you have a speedy recovery.

Swimming? Walking in pool ?

Chair yoga might be an option?

Really feel for you OP - and good for you for wanting to keep fit despite your injury.
Try swimming, but avoid breaststroke (backstroke is better if you don't like putting your head in the water, but front crawl is the best). We have several swimmers in my club with knee injuries, one guy who has a deformed leg due to polio, and even one guy with only one leg! Use a float to strengthen your kick, and a pull buoy to isolate your upper body. It's a great way to get fit!

That sounds really hard OP
i would 2nd chair yoga to keep you moving until the physio.
I have a couple of friends who are yoga teachers who also teach chair yoga and it really does help people

Is all water based activity out? People often rehab knee damage with aqua aerobics or similar

Depending on your fitness level you could do bodyweight upper body exercises with a pull up bar. That would be good for your core strength as well as upper body

My friend is registered disabled and can't walk that far, also arthritis setting in now - I suspect due to excessive pressure in some areas from walking unbalanced in the past. Having said this she can swim 50l. Obviously had to work up to that though.

You could try sitting tai chi. You can find some online sessions for just 15 mins which is easy to fit in. I do my standing and although it seems controlled, my heart gets pumping. David Dorian-Ross does online tai chi for everyone including veterans.

I've hurt my foot and I'm currently doing water aerobics three times a week.

Search 'Pahla B seated workout' on YouTube

Thank you everyone.

Some days I’m sitting at a 6/10 all day. Others it’s not so bad but after my physio it’s excruciating.

I find yoga quite boring but I’ll try.

I thought swimming was out but if it’s only breaststroke I need to avoid that’s a definite idea.

I feel very depressed at the thought of not being able to dance again 😭

if you like zumba can you do the chair version of the strictly 1min exercise (bbc morning live)?

@purplesequins

I’ll look up what that is - thank you.

How about aqua aerobics? I go twice a week as I can't walk far these days - up until a stroke 10 months ago, I did Zumba 4 times a week, which I can't do - and I go to Zumba GOLD, which is a gentler Zumba.

I did swimming as part of rehab after a knee injury/surgery…definitely avoid breaststroke and kick from the hip. I used hand paddles to give my arms, back and shoulders more of a workout too.

Could also do weights.

I have horrible knees as well and am waiting on surgeries to sort them out so I can definitely sympathise. You can try pilates and weights (hand weights or machines at the gym), there are plenty of exercises you could do with both that don't require bending your knees.

Also, are you on any pain relief? My GP has prescribed co-codamol (stronger than you can buy otc) to get me through until I get them sorted, I can't sleep at all without it from the pain.

@katrizia127

Yes - I have strong co-codamol, codeine on its own to top up plus naproxen.

On a good day just the naproxen is enough. On bad ones I’m maxed out and up all night. It’s relentless.

I had this happen many years ago, I had surgery and it tore again, I can completely sympathise with being in pain all of the time, then I had a second injury which was worse. Ideas -

handbike (there are some in outdoor parks as well which are free and also you won't overheat as much as being inside with it).
how come you can't swim? if you've tried and you were doing breaststroke, i can't do breaststroke with mine but i can do front crawl. if that helps.
funnily enough cycling was the one sport i was advised to do, but only on an exercise bike. i found it aggravated it, despite almost every professional recommending it. maybe it was my bike, i don't know. it always felt misaligned but it looked straight. personally i hated it, unfortunately, but you might like it.
swimming with a pull buoy you don't use your legs.
weights - upper body weights, you can do them at home if you don't want to be out in a gym.

i'm sorry you're going through this, it is horrible. it changed my life completely.

I was advised to use the gym bike too. The idea is to help strengthen the muscles around the knee to provide better support but it does feel really awkward and hard, and you have to be really conscious of not twisting/turning your knees inwards whilst doing it. Resistance needs to be low too, no higher than 4 I was advised.

When I broke my ankle I did hurt foot exercises online with Caroline Jordan