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 was going to suggest swimming if you could swim.

My ds has a neuromuscular problem and muscle wasting in his legs. He uses a pull bouy and so works his upper body.

You could do that to start and bring in some gentle kick when it heals a bit more.

Ski ergs are awesome.

Another one recommending Pilates. You can achieve a lot just lying on your back and modify exercises down to an almost micro level. A really good teacher with rehabilitative skills would be good. If not, a good book or DVD, I think Chris Hocking at Pilates Body Awareness has a DVD available. She is a brilliant teacher.

Another vote for pilates but see an instructor (121 or in small class) so that they can adapt exercises for your injury. Works well in conjunction with physiotherapy too.

Thank you again everyone. I’m on my way home from holiday and I felt so useless not being able to keep up.

I have issues with my hips my doctor advised pilates. There might be exercises suitable to help if you have issues with your knees.

Walking. Rebel Wilson said walking for an hour a day helped her enormously. I’m the same, OP, my knee is screwed post accident but I’m trying to walk lots. My only issue is that it can collapse then I need a crutch to walk. It’s tricky, isn’t it?

Speak to your physio and not MN!
Depending on your issue some of these suggestions could make it much worse - i kmow my physio has told me not to do a number of these suggestions following my knee injury

I had the same injury done whilst dancing. I could continue to dance with a knee support and painkillers until I had my op. The op was three years ago and I'm 90% normal and still dance twice a week with a knees support.

Relation is the same medical wise. They go to the gym and use hand bike then do upper body weights.

Could you get those bike pedal thingies that aren’t actually a bike. You can just sit in your chair and pedal. Would help achieve your step count if you monitor that. I got one for a relative who had limited mobility. It would work well if he motivated to use it - but that’s a different issue

I tore my acl and ruptured my meniscus jumping in a swimming pool. I didn't think the pain was that bad after the swelling went down but my god the recovery from surgery wasn't much fun at all. Being honest my knee has never been the same since but I get by.

I found doing weights had made it so much stronger probably just by building up the muscles surrounding it. At the time I was still OK to run and walk but just couldn't do any athletic as the knee would give way and I'd end up in a heap on the floor, could ride a bike just fine though so that might be an avenue for you to go down.

I’ve been walking all week and honestly, it’s been awful. Physio said walking plus the exercises but I’m in so much pain.

I need stuff for fitness with no knee involvement for now.

Well I’ll obviously do that but given there are people on here who’ve had the same injury it’s hardly insane to ask for ideas.

Are you walking with a stick? Walking poles are excellent and make a huge difference .

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor

No, I was advised not to which was very upsetting as I was using a crutch which helped for mobility.

I can understand not using a crutch but walking poles are completely different ime.

Could you do sit ups, press ups, tricep dips, deltoid raises, planks, bicep curls with arm weights? You could see this as a chance to build an upper body and core of steel, and muscle burns fat.

Also lying down straight leg raises with ankle weights on will still give you some quad/ hip flexor work out without stressing the knee, and build up quad strength and control which will be really important for knee stabilisation longer term.

Be kind to yourself though and take it slow, pain is really tiring and debilitating 💐

Can you get a pull Bouy for swimming? Then you can take your legs out of the equation. You still want to keep your muscles in your legs strong as they'll support your damaged knee. Ask your physio. I completely f'd my hip but still could lift weights do push ups etc, do what you can and work with what you can do

Pilates with a proper instructor. They adapt for your problems. You can do it seated or with supports.

i tore my meniscus a few years ago and the naproxen etc had no effect whatsoever, only made me drowsy. Ask your doctor about ralvo patches - game changer for me! Apparently never prescribed initially due to cost but the changed my life completely until I had an op to fix it. Good luck OP

Not sure if this is relevant anymore but i was on a long NHS waiting list for surgery mentioned this to my GP at an unrelated appointment and they paid for me to go private less than 2 weeks later as the injury was interfering with my duties at work. I believe it was called patients choice this was about 9 years ago now so not sure if such a thing still exists.

find yoga quite boring but I’ll try.

Try paying attention to how your body is responding to each movement in yoga.

Notice the limit of your current range of movement and what exactly is preventing bigger range of movement

Try breaking 'through' the part that is limiting your range and feel it soften and stop resisting.

Feel you body relax and allow a tiny bit more range. Find the next limit... it's and endless game. Hope you find that more interesting.

It sometimes takes a while for you to be to do this in your own body. Some days it works better than others. Always notice the differences and work to having the whole body work together without constraints.