Knees and stretching

[earlydoors42]

I started exercising in the lockdown. I now do a youtube workout every day. I am not very flexible so decided to try a 30 day stretch programme i found by Blogilates (that is meant to make you do the splits). Lots of hamstring stretching. I can now put my hands on the floor where previously I couldn't touch my toes!

All good except my knees have started to feel like they want to bend the wrong way. When i stand up out of bed, they flex and it hurts a bit and feels like my leg will collapse. A physio previously told me i have hypermobility in my pelvis so I wonder if I have it in my knees?

I am stopping these stretches that put such a flex on my knees - i think when i am doing them, it is pushing my knees back the wrong way. I was way off the splits anyway! Does anyone know how to keep increasing flexibility without ruining my knees? Thanks.

I have hypermobile knees and have found weights and strengthening exercises really helpful. This one is really good and you don't need any equipment, apart from sometimes I hold a dumbbell outwards from my body to give me some stability. I put 8 sports cones around my feet while standing and stand on one leg, and push the cones out slowly with my toe on the other leg. It encourages you to do a slow split squat and also balance at the same time. I would be hesitant to do stretching exercises that weren't with a bent leg or I'd try and do them very mindfully so that my knee didn't click back. I used to have knee pain when moving onto a knee in an unusual position but now I do strength training I haven't had knee pain in months. I'm very keen to keep strong and mobile as age is only going to make them worse!

Doing the splits is way beyond what most people would deem flexible, I think so definitely don't push it.

I’ve been doing Pilates with bodyfit by Amy on YouTube, she recommends a simple bridge exercise for strengthening knees. I’ve found her Pilates exercises are really good in general actually

Thank you for the knee strengthening suggestions. I will start doing those instead of overflexing my poor knees! I am going to keep them slightly bent in future.

I didn't think i would be able to do the splits, i am absolutely miles off! I just thought it would loosen up my hips so i could kick higher (i like kickboxing) and sit with my legs wider apart. I did gymnastics at school for about 5 years and never achieved the splits even then.

I just thought it would loosen up my hips so i could kick higher (i like kickboxing) and sit with my legs wider apart.

You can do that with bent legs, surely? But don't overdo it!
TBH I think it's really worthwhile having some instruction from someone who can see how your body works - one size doesn't fit all. Pilates and other instructors are doing online classes.

As good as watching online yoga / pilates is to exercise along to, there's a big benefit in having someone qualified to watch how you are doing them, especially if they know particular things about you that might impact your movement, like an injury, past c section or hypermobility. It might be worthwhile seeing if there are any classes near you meeting outside at the moment.

I agree with Mrs T doing on line classes with no previous experience can cause injuries .I only knew I was over extending my knees when an instructor corrected me.

Thank you. I have done pilates with physio leading the classes before but i found i just really hate pilates! I am going to stretch with my knees slightly bent in future. I do have a private physio i have been to loads in the past for issues with my pelvis / back. So I will go when covid improves a bit and get a once over (she knows my body v well) and talk about what to do and not to do.

The classes i have been doing are HIIT, tabata, kick boxing type things on Popsugar. Trying to lose my lockdown weight and get some muscles! I feel much better - the only downside was my knees doing these stupid stretches stupidly :-)

Thanks again for useful input! Appreciate it.