Overcoming Obstacles

[Christine Rice]

All the intense working out I did during the last two months – pushing myself to my limits – caused my knees to have problems. I didn’t notice it until recently. During the last few days, my knees, which is at the top of where I had fractures, have been stiff and painful to bend. I lost flexibility in my knees, and discomfort was increasing to pain. This shouldn’t be happening! I thought. I’ve lost weight, so there is less pressure on my past injuries, and I’m working out regularly, so I should be stronger and functioning better physically. I was, but not in the knee area.

I realized it must be because of the squats and lunges I did, which are done a lot in my workout DVDs.

So, I’ve stepped away from my workout DVDs and have instead been walking, stretching, weightlifting, and doing body-weight exercises. Just nothing that puts additional pressure on my knees. That still leaves me with a lot of exercises I can do! And today, I realized that doing leg exercises, just no bending of my knees in a standing position, will strengthen my legs, which will hold my weight and put less pressure on my knees. If I get strong enough, eventually I should be able to return to squats and lunges, but I’ll have to increase the intensity gradually.

I made an appointment to see an arthritis/joint doctor to see if I can get an exam – x-rays, evaluation, and consultation – about my past injuries, where I am today, and what I can do to reach my goals in the future. I’m interested in hearing a professional opinion and possibly get more ideas on what I can do to further help my recovery.

I’m guessing that my legs are not strong enough yet to support my body weight in a squat or lunge position due to a lack of muscle mass, even though I’ve been working out since May 2012 (with a 2 1/2 month break in between). It must take a long time to build muscle, especially since I had muscle atrophy from being bedridden and non-weight-bearing for 2 months, and 12 years of yo-yo dieting. (I lost muscle each time I lost weight when I didn’t exercise. Plus, being so sedentary most of the time. I still need to work on being less sedentary in general.)

Seeing the arthritis/joint doctor, and doing leg exercises, will help me overcome my knee problem. I still hope to jump and run someday, and I will continue to work towards that goal. Have a great and healthy week!

(Originally posted on Christine's Health Blog.)