Physical Therapy suggestions for knees

[ZERO THEORY]

In for answers. OP, I think I'm going to give foam-rolling a go. The knee pain is really doing my head in.

I've been told the stronger your leg muscles are, the less impact your knees will take doing various things.

I'm a religious squatter (3x a week) and deadlifter. My bad knees are still bad. Lifting heavy helps them, but they still get beaten up. Bursitis in the back of the left knee, and I don't know what in the patella on the right. I've had an ultrasound on the right knee and nothing came up.

[Delfuego]

Squats are terrible for you knees, and worse for your back. Your likely do the damage to yourself. If you want to build leg muscle mass; do weighted leg presses from your back on a machine. The knee extension machine exercises are better for you also.

Bicycling, stair climbing and swimming will help the knees w/o hurting them...

You only get one set of knees, and they have to last your whole life (60-80 years). Take care of them. I am still pretty young and have arthritis and screws in my knees and believe me it sucks!

[drift_g35]

Does anyone know if this is true: I was once told that you can only get 2 knee replacement surgeries or something like that in your life, and you should wait as long as you can before you do it.

[XC700116]

Drift if you're really concerned I can recommend a few good orthopedic guys who do a lot of knees. If you're going to a GP for knee problems you might as well be taking a Ferrari to a Jiffy Lube..

It would all depend on what's wrong with your knees, what exercises you should be doing. You don't have to have a prescription for PT. But you certainly don't want to do the wrong things and make it worse.. it could be a leg strength, gait, or stabilization problem. It might be your ankles don't flex right and your knees are compensating. Lots of things that could cause it.

I'd suggest going to a good 'knee' doc.. if he tells you to man up ask him for a recommendation for PT.

^^THIS

[XC700116]

Does anyone know if this is true: I was once told that you can only get 2 knee replacement surgeries or something like that in your life, and you should wait as long as you can before you do it.

Generally yes, left and right and that's about it depending on the extent of the replacement, and they WILL wear out, not might but WILL. No doc in their right mind will do a replacement on a 24 yr old guy unless you're wheelchair bound and probably won't do it then.

[Great-Kazoo]

Untrue. if it were i'm screwed. CALL COLORADO LIMB CONSULTANTS. 303-8670072 Stop dicking around. Better early than later. TRUST ME.

[RonMexico]

I've been told the stronger your leg muscles are, the less impact your knees will take doing various things.
.

^^^^ this and a foam roller.

[BuffCyclist]

^^^^ this and a foam roller.

OH DEAR GOD, not the foam roller!!!

Seriously though, they work wonders, but you have to be consistent at using them and they honestly hurt like hell for the first week or two of using them (once per day at least). The various foam colors have different firmnesses, I think the white is soft, blue is middle and black is hardest. I have a black, use it every other day now, but always before/after a workout.

[Gman]

I'm in here looking for ideas, too. Years of 'toughing it out' and 'playing hurt' has be royally paying for it now. Feet, ankles, and knees are a mess. If I knew then, what I know now....

Got it from my physical therapist that leg extensions are one of the worst things you can do. Cycliing is good for full range of motion and low impact. Aleve (naproxen sodium) is about the only NSAID that gives me some relief.