Lower Body Toning - Osteoarthritis in knees

Hey all ~ I have osteoarthritis in both knees, so the traditional lower body toning exercises (squats, lunges) don't work for me. Does anyone have any really great exercises to tone the quads, hamstrings, and butt muscles that would be good for someone with my knees?

Wed. Nov 23, 9:25am

Hi there, I think that people aren't posting out of fear that any advice they give might be harmful. If you have insurance, you should totally push for physical therapy from your PCP. Even if your insurance only covers a few visits, you will learn a lot of exercises that are tailor-made for your condition.

That said, some info I found on the web mostly says you can do any exercise you want to, just limit your range of motion. (Like, don't do a squat so your knees are at a 90 degree angle, just do a mini-squat). Check out the info in the link below:

Link

Thursday, November 24, 2005, 11:06 AM

... and, the main site on the link below. They have a lot of good info on Arthritis Today.

I was just diagnosed with tendonitis in both wrists (which, in my limited understanding is a kind of arthritis?). I finally showed up at the gym for my upper-body workout and could only find two machines I could use. The rest required you to hold weights in your hands or push against the machine in some way with your hands! Pretty much only the fly machines didn't require use of my achy wrists and fingers. I did a lot of chest work that day, lol.

Since then I do the same exercises I've always done, but only a few reps and with the lowest amount of weight possible. If I don't overdo it, this will help my tendonitis in the long run.

Link

Thursday, November 24, 2005, 11:09 AM

Protecting joints

There are some excellent videos called "Chair Dancing." It may sound lightweight, but believe me, you will definitely work up a sweat! It is very easy on the joints, concentrates on muscle fitness and tone. Remember to tighten your belly muscles to protect your back regardless of what you're doing. I'm a big proponent of (and part-time practitioner, I'm sorry to add) of building core strength. Everything good seems to flow from that. There's an excellent "stretching" DVD called "a.m. & p.m. stretch" put out by Gaiam, featuring Madeleine Lewis. This is the BEST that I've used for strengthening the core, and it does not impact joints. Good luck, and let us know how it's going. cheers, wilsonfan

Thursday, November 24, 2005, 12:25 PM

not that you were looking for this but I came across an article in the washington post online, here is some of it:

Joint Dispute
Early Results of Arthritis Trial Show Little Benefit for Glucosamine. But the Industry Is Already Spinning.

By Elizabeth Agnvall
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, November 22, 2005; HE01

The first reported outcome of a long-awaited government study into the ability of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate supplements to relieve arthritis pain is not the news that most patients or doctors had hoped to see.

Preliminary results of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) study, presented last week at the American College of Rheumatology's annual scientific meeting, showed that in most people with osteoarthritis of the knee, the supplements worked no better for relieving pain than a placebo. This was the case whether the products, one usually made from shellfish shells and the other from shark or cow cartilage, were taken individually or together.

Among those in the study whose arthritis was moderate to severe, a combination of the supplements were somewhat more effective. But researchers said that this secondary finding was less than conclusive and that further research was needed to confirm it.

On safety, the study was more definitive, showing that side effects associated with the products were minimal -- mostly gas and softened stools.

Link

Tuesday, November 29, 2005, 12:04 PM

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