Recommendations for Strengthening Legs

(Jamie) #1

I’m looking for exercises I can do to help strengthen my legs. I have a torn meniscus and a bakers cyst in left knee that causes pain with frequent use. There’s also a popping and sensation of shifting when I walk and do other activities involving the knee. Thought keto might help with inflammation, but it doesn’t seem to be moving in right direction.

Ortho docs says MRI reveals only a 1/4 inch meniscus tear. He says that is not substantial enough for surgery. I’ve already lost some cartilage in both knees from football injuries when I was younger. Doc doesn’t want to remove more. Doc believes most of my pain is from weak leg muscles that allow my patella to shift with use and inflammation from that aggravates the bakers cyst. This has been going on for two years and the pain is getting worse. I can’t squat without pain so that forces me to use back, which leads to back pain.

I’ve worked with a physical therapist twice on this. And I was already doing weights and biking before the problem began. In an effort to leave no stone unturned, I’m looking for recommendations to improve leg strength without aggravating the knee further.

Here are some things I’m already doing:

  1. Wall sits
  2. Leg extensions with weight
  3. Leg curls with weight
  4. Straight leg lifts with weight
  5. Straight leg pulls with weight
  6. Adductor and Abductor pulls with weight
  7. Shuffling sideways with band around ankles and slight bend of knees and hips
  8. Forward and backward walks with band around ankles and slight bend of knees and hips
  9. Elliptical
  10. Biking
(*Rusty* Instagram: @Rustyk61) #2

body weight lunges.

#3

Can you not do hack squats? Many people can’t do barbell squats for a variety of reasons, I do hacks on the glider and the joint impact difference is night and day. There is also the squat press as well as doing 1 leg leg presses to target them individually which may help. Don’t forget deadlifts, great compound movement and you do NOT have to go heavy to start rehab-ing stuff. I spent YEARS going WAY to easy in the gym because I was afraid of my back, which sucks, but doing the right stuff and getting over my fear of it has helped huge. Be smart about it, but don’t be afraid to work stuff either.

#4

Swimming in addition to being low impact, has both cardio and resistance training. The breaststroke probably uses the legs the most. If you’re not a swimmer, Google pool exercises that emphasize legs.

(Alan Williamson) #5

For myself, lunges and weighted lunges really increased my leg strength. The other stuff works, but is less priority.

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #6

You have three natural leg movements, essentially.

Squatting, lunging and deadlifting.

If you cannot do barbell squats, many hack version.

A kettlebell deadlift increases the stabilizing need of a barbell deadlift.

Lunges and step ups are great there.

If possible, kettlebell swing which works pretty much the whole core plus, which should help.

Unless you have a functional need for using your adductors and abductors for anything other than stability, I’d probably knock that off immediately.

(Jamie) #7

I used to do these until it started hurting my lower back in the lumbar region. I loved doing them because they absolutely do work so much at once. I’m not sure my technique was quite right given the lower back pain. I watched Tim Ferriss, but watching a video and having someone demonstrate and guide you are two different things. I need to be careful, I had fusion surgery a bit over a decade ago due to severe pain from ruptured discs. I never want to go through that again. Strength seems critical to avoiding that.

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #8

Yeah, I think I’d work up to it with deadlifts then.

(Jack Brien) #9

Wall sits until you collapse should do it, if you need to avoid the movement aspect, but work on your range of movement too.

(betsy.rome) #10

If you get the meniscus surgery, it can buy you time before you need a knee replacement. But it will thin out the meniscus (not good in the long run) at the same time will stop the pain (= good, now you can walk & work the muscles) for a few years. I had that surgery in my right knee, 8 years ago, it’s ready for replacement now (ain’t gonna do it…replaced the left knee, results not great).

Cortisone shots do help, with the caveat that the more times you get it, as your knee gets worse, it helps for a shorter period of time each time. I stopped, since I’m more interested in putting off a replacement as long as possible, as cortisone degrades the bone a little. But if you’ve never gotten one, it’s the first thing I’d try. It would allow you to build up the supporting muscles & tendons without pain.

Wall sits - do on one of those large inflatable balls, against a wall, to protect knees.

Every PT or ortho doc I ever went to for my knee issues said: “the bike, the bike, the bike.”

Swimming is the best for being able to work out without pain and risk.

For patella issues, try a knee brace, the kind that has a velcro strap around, and a hard plastic support for the patella. My dad wore one for years.

If you are overweight, losing weight will help the most. Weight is geometric on knees - like, weight-squared in effect. So losing 5 lbs is like taking 25 lbs off your knees. I lost 30 lbs with keto, and it has helped tremendously. But my knees still hurt & swell, just less. Advice: don’t get old. :smirk: Good luck!

(Jamie) #11

The cortisone shots last me about a 7-10 days. Nice while they last, but just not worth the degradation given the short time. Thankfully, I had a PA tell me they were not a good thing to have frequently.

Bike is a good suggestion. I’ve been adding that in recently at the gym. Starting to warm up in my neck of the woods so my son and I will be start riding soon too.