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Just wondering what options I have. Been running for about 3-4 months now (5k/10k, 4 or 5 times a week) primarily to trim down, but jarred my knee walking up a strangely-spaced staircase and I'm now finding it painful to run/cycle. Work medic suggests I've overextended my ACL and it may take a while to get better, and recommended that exercise should be limited to what I feel comfortable with. Any suggestions as to what I might be able to do to keep up the weight loss?
I've got access to treadmill, bikes, cross trainer, free weights and Smith machine.
Rowing machine?
Swimming
Swimming? Not likely. It's gusting 65knots and we've got 10m waves.
Rowing machine might be an idea if the "pushing away" bit doesn't hurt too much.
What's a Smith machine? Something to do with horses?
What's a Smith machine? Something to do with horses?
Punctured bicycle on a hillside desolate.
You could always swim in a swimming pool, low impact on joints..good general core strength building and cardiovascular.. I wasn't suggesting swimming in freezing 3 meter high waves off the coast of south America!
Genuine 😆 @ Smiths!
Rowing machine starting slowly with low resistance. Increase both accordingly and if discomfort is felt then back it off. Like wise cross trainer. The basic one's are good for cardio, incline cross trainers will stretch your legs more. Good luck!
I'd go swimming (in a pool) until you can walk without pain and then gradually introduce higher impact activities.
Are you sure it's your ACL?
Might be worth getting a good sports physio to check it out.
It could be your ACL, but it could also be Patellar Tendonitis - 5/10k 4 or 5 times a week is a fair amount of running (i.e. 30-50km per week??) if you've only been running 3 or 4 months)
General rule of thumb is to ramp up no more than say 5% per week, so it's possible that your knee pain is an overuse injury
either way a good sports physio should be able to diagnose and recommend appropriate recovery/strengthening exercises
Strained ACL seems odd - i am in the same situation with me knee hurting everytime I push away, but then again I think I have damaged the cartilage so am seeing a surgeon on Monday
I am walking loads at the mo - very time consuming but helping to at least give me some exercise - steep hills hurt mind
Agree with the SPORTS physio - you need to find someone who treats lots of sports injuries
Sports physio referral is a definite when I get home. Rowing machine wasn't much fun last night so back to the drawing board. May try the cross trainer tonight.
Are you sure it's your ACL?
Not at all. That's just the medic's educated guess, given he has no means of diagnosing other than poking me until I say it hurts (ooooh, matron!)
5/10k 4 or 5 times a week is a fair amount of running
I guess it is, but I've not started running from zero baseline fitness. I've been managing 3 x 5k and 1 x 10k easily with no noticeable side-effects that would have alerted me to impending knee issues.
but I've not started running from zero baseline fitness
baseline fitness will have little to do with it - it's seemingly all about specific adaptation.
Last winter I ramped up my pre-snow season training to include 2 or 3 10k runs (as well as bike rides, squats & lunges etc), and despite having been running for years the physio reckoned I ramped up too much exacerbating a muscle weakness on the inside of my right knee (possibly stemming from a torn MCL some years ago).
This was causing my knee to no longer 'track' and the sudden increase in use caused the Patellar Tendonitis to flair up (exacerbated by snowboard landings/heelside turns in choppy snow).
Since tendons and ligaments don't 'adapt' as well/quickly as muscles to increases in activity [especially as we get older] ramping up the activities too quickly can exacerbate any underlying issues/weaknesses
Good luck with the rehab.