Exercise and knee pain

[stormkeeper_lovedoris]

I do a cardio workout almost every day. Sometimes I wonder if there could be negative effects on my knees over the long run. I was surfing through a discussion group on exercise and I just remember one person writing "Your knees won't last forever". I am careful to stretch before and after workouts, to get new aerobic shoes regularly, to limit step aerobics to twice per week (I'd love to do step more often), and to do exercises to strengthen my quads. And my knees do feel just fine 99% of the time. But still, I wonder if there's something different or something more I should be doing to make sure my knees last as long as possible.

Comments

[sarahetc.livejournal.com]

I wonder if there's something different or something more I should be doing to make sure my knees last as long as possible.

I think the only other thing you could do would be to ask your parents about their knees and if they had any issues doing activity. I think a lot of knee problems are hereditary and that if they're good, you're good.

I scaled back my >10k runs lately because I was having knee pain while not running, just doing my normal stuff, and I figured that was a sign I was overworking a bit. I iced things, took a couple epsom salt soaks and scaled back hill work. I'm back to pain free running and I think I'll be able to start adding a bit of distance again.

I think a lot of people say that your knees go because they want to power through injuries, thinking that it's good to tough it out, and be really hard core. And then they exacerbate a minor injury into a major one and that leads to chronic problems.

Couple other things: have you read about not stretching before working out? When I first started running we were all pre-run stretching and my coach put a stop to it, telling us that stretching cold muscles put us at greater risk for injury. So now I just do a quick walk to warm up and stretch my arms over my head.

Also, does your schedule fit more than two step sessions per week? If so, do what you enjoy! Don't be afraid of phantom injuries. Having fun and enjoying yourself is way more important.

[stormkpr.livejournal.com]

Wow, you've really given me a lot to think about!

I'll definitely ask my parents if they have any knee problems; I can't recall them ever mentioning that they do.

I'm also very glad that you were able to make a few adjustments and have pain-free knees. It's nice to know that when trouble does start, it doesn't have to last forever.

Oh, yeah, on that whole issue of not stretching before workouts...I know there are varying views on that and I've tried it both ways. For me, I think it works best when I warm up a bit with some easy moves (like marching in place, etc), then do light stretches, then cardio, then cool down, and then a deeper stretch. When I eliminated the pre-workout stretch, I remember having some issues and not liking it (but that was so long ago, I don't remember a ton more).

Also, does your schedule fit more than two step sessions per week? If so, do what you enjoy! Don't be afraid of phantom injuries. Having fun and enjoying yourself is way more important.

This is great advice, and I truly would love to do step more often. I'm going to give it a try and see how it goes.