Over the past few years my knees have been progressively getting worse. This has nothing to do with product design, but I use my blog sometimes to just journal what has been going on in my life.
Symptoms
Walking down stairs in the morning hurts. Playing tennis required progressively heavy knee braces or within a set or two my knees would buckle and fail. Especially my left knee. I cant lunge the way I used to which limits my aggressiveness at net. I also can’t change direction as quickly.
Orthopedic Assessment
I went to a doctor and they took an xray. No tears or strains. They said it’s arthritis behind my knee cap with some minor bone spurs. There is no “cure” for arthritis. It’s just the cartilage has been worn down over the years. The doctor told me that my knee braces likely make things worse because it trains my knees to rely on them. He suggested strength training.
The Gym
I have never, ever, been a gym person. I don’t like working out. My wife and I decided, earlier this year, to join a gym together and go 2-3 times a week. We got a personal trainer to show us the proper forms. The trainer focused more on my back muscles to improve my posture. That part has been working, but my knees did not improve.
I find that most gyms focus on all of the muscles above the knee, not below.
Knees over toes
There is an internet guy who focuses on knee problems. He calls himself the KneesOverToesGuy. His program is very focused on the muscles below the knee. I purchased his book, which has pictures of the exercises he suggests.
The exercises are ones you can do without any equipment. I have added a few exercises to his set. Here are the things I’ve been doing.
- Lean back against a wall and put feet out in front. Slowly lift toes all the way up and down. (Tibialis)
- Tippy toes up and down slowly (Calf)
- Stand on one leg until (Feet, hips, core)
- Stand on slant board. This stretches calf and improved ankle flexibility. See picture below
- Lean forward against a chair or wall and bend your knees forward. Then go up on tippy toes and lift your heel up and down. You will feel it in a different place (lower leg muscles)
- Sit on a chair and squeeze your knees against a volleyball (or pillow) and then rotate your toes to the inside and to the outside without moving your thighs (feet, back of knee)
- Walking backwards. I have a standing desk and simple treadmill. I turned the treadmill around so now I can walk backwards while in a zoom meeting. Averaging 1-3 miles a day.
- Dangling feet with weights. See picture below.
- Patrick Step. I found a gif of it, easier than explaining. I do mine from a slightly lower place. My knees are weak on this one. (Knees)
He has other exercises and stretches. I am working to incorporate them.
As you can see there are lots of different muscles below the knee. Each one helps you stabilize. I can already feel a difference.
Gel Shots
This is like putting WD-40 into your knee. Article. Here is a picture of the procedure. 😉
My insurance doesn’t cover these and they might not help for very long. Some estimates are six months. I probably will not continue with them, but I wanted to try and see how it goes.
Nad+
This one makes me nervous. I am trying this Nad+ supplement. In theory it helps heal the joints, but it could also promote cancer, so I think I am not going to continue with this one.
Results (so far)
About a month in,, I can feel my legs getting stronger. I feel my knees buckle less often. They still hurt in the mornings, but get warmed up a little quicker. Sometimes I will do the exercises in the shower. It seems easier and part of a ritual process. I have such terrible discipline for structured exercise, anything that helps me be consistent is good.
If you have knee problems, I suggest the exercises are a great place to start.
Whatya think?