So I've been Vegan off and on for 3 months now. Finally hit it hard during lent and have gone nearly two weeks without a single slip up.
I'm now incorporating more workouts into my lifestyle. I have a Total Gym and it's GREAT for my arms, but I have a concern about working my legs.
I had a knee surgery in 2012 to prevent dislocations / sprains in my left knee. They did major work and I was on crutches for 9 weeks and PT for 5 months. Now I'm looking to get the surgery for my RIGHT knee. I sprained it three weeks ago and am still having issues where it will catch mid bend and wont want to move past a certain point without pain.
Total I've dislocated / sprained my knees combined 25 times since I was 9. I'm 23 now. I have no cartilage in my left knee and damaged in my right. What is concerning me big time is my knee catching. I tied doing the squatting exercise on my total gym and that was a no go. Even walking to work causes problems.
Does anyone have any exercises they would recommend for my legs? They really could be toned up. Specially the thighs.
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I've actually lost 60 pounds since 2010. It was 97 pounds but I had that knee surgery and gained 40 - 50 of it back. I keep hovering between having lost 50 total to 60. Thanks for the suggestions guys! I go in for an MRI on my "good" knee on wednesday. I know walking is something I can do and riding a bike. So I won't stop those!
I am missing most of my cartilage in my right knee. Blew out my ACL when I was 18 and it wasn't diagnosed properly (doctor said it was just a sprain). So of course after the swelling went down, I thought everything was good. So I can relate to your situation. Mine would always give out and eventually I tore the cartilage and it was super painful as it would catch in the joint. Got it scoped and at that point they said the ACL was torn so had to have the surgery to fix that. 6 weeks on crutches and took close to a year to play sports again. I have had 2 more surgeries on it to clean up more cartilage so now I don't have much left. I have just lived with it all these years and done the best I can. The only sport I really play now is hockey. Running is pretty much out of the question as it just doesn't feel good on the knee afterwards.
I see a chiropractor every few weeks to make sure my body is aligned. Really helps overall. My knee had been bugging me more lately so he had a look. I told him I had been doing squats for the last few weeks or so. No weight really, just a 20 pound bar at times and more just using my own bodyweight. He didn't really like that so told me to get rid of the squats. I said I would take a week off from them and then see how it feels. Even going down stairs can aggravate it, so would like to be able to do some things to help strengthen my legs.
Hopefully technology will be in our favor. Maybe meniscus replacement using a 3D printer with our own stem cells or something along those lines :)
I am no professional what so over, so best to ask your sports therapist or doctor I think. However, from noticing your profile pic (and in a totally non judgemental way) I would say that losing weight by staying healthy and doing some gentle exercise would be good for your knee(s). Extra weight = extra joint strain and pressure, so jumping on the 40bad wagon and trying 80/10/10 could really help you out a lot :)
Again, probably best to seek professional advice on what you should/shouldn't do... unless of course there is someone here who has professional experience?
Have you been examined by a qualified trusted chiropractor, or somebody who truly understands physiology and alignment? I ask because if it's possible that something could be put back into place non-invasively, that would be far preferable to surgery.
You have a unique situation there that requires special care in your fitness. First off, run everything through your doc's/PT's recommendations as they hopefully understand your needs. And above all, always go with what feels right to you. It's your body and you know it best.
Can you use partial range of motion in your movements? If a full squat is out, is there any portion you can perform without trouble? How about a static wall sit? https://www.google.com/#q=wall+sit
Even lying on your back, propping your rear with your hands and putting your legs through a squatting motion extending and retracting can help tone muscles and work the joints.
Look into pilates. Many of the moves target the upper legs form a lying position. I really like Cassey's Blogilates, available on youtube.
Can you extend and contract your upper legs against the resistance of a band? Hook one end to a stationary object, loop the other around your ankle/foot and work your leg against the pull.
Some ideas for you :)