Spring Ready Knees!!!

Guest Blogger - Vintage Fitness Trainer Jen Couto

There are reasons why our clients have knee troubles, however, there are some that are just more common than others. Arthritis, non-diagnosed discomfort, and ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and meniscus injuries. These types of injuries require a visit to a doctor and physiotherapist for treatment and recovery exercises.

But what happens after that? And what should you be doing if you have arthritis or knee pain? The answer is LOTS! Too often, I see people who are afraid to do anything that involves the lower body because they are fearful of the discomfort or re-injury. Instead, they say that they get their exercise in by walking a lot (10,000 steps per day).

Congrats to all of you for walking your hearts out! I'm super happy to hear it, but this is simply not enough for your tender knees. We have a lot of work to do. And when it's all said and done, your joints will thank you for it. Bare in mind that you hold the keys to your success. Consistency and frequency are the most important parts of your routine. Quality movement is also essential but you're going to learn it all here.

Still thinking about sitting through the pain and not getting your daily exercise on? Let me share why it's imperative that you get those legs moving today! Exercise delivers blood and nutrients to the cartilage around your knees (protection during movement) to delay the progression of your injury/arthritis. Still not convinced? All this walking we do creates shock as we walk on bare floors or concrete. That shock is being sent up to those knees, hips, and back. Strong muscles around all these joints are the shock absorbers. If we're lacking muscle, we are creating more harm than good over time.

Now that you're on board, let's get right into this!

1. ARTHRITIC KNEES
   Symptoms: Swelling, stiffness, crackling, inflammation, trouble standing and sitting, locking
   Exercise Do's: Sitting leg raises, half squats, standing butt-kicks
   Exercise Don'ts: Seated leg extension, deeps squats
2. WONKY/ACHEY KNEES
   Symptoms: Ouch! Sometimes hurts going up the stairs, sometimes down the stairs, sometimes fine, other times not. Can't really think of anything that makes them ache. "They just do sometimes"
   Exercise Do's: Foam roll to release the tension in the surrounding muscle tissue (you'll be amazed at how the discomfort goes away almost instantly), squat, leg press, forward lunges, reverse lunges, etc. – really no limitations here if the discomfort subsides with the foam rolling.

Jennifer Couto