Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Questions, Questions, and more Questions

A while back, I had read something about squats being good for OA of the knee.  Today at lunch time I was browsing some other sites and read that squats were something to be avoided.  So which is it, recommended or to be avoided?!?!?  For what it's worth, I'm doing what are called chair squats - no weights and basically squatting far enough just to touch my butt to a chair, then back up.

Also read to avoid long distance running.  But no definition of what constitutes a long distance.  In my mind, long distance means greater than a 10K.  What does it mean to you and more importantly, what do you think it means in this context?

I was told to wait 3 weeks before resuming previous activities, and that it might possibly take up to 6 weeks.  Not entirely sure what resuming previous activities entails.  I'm fairly sure it means that I can try run training  (3x week) starting next weekend if my knee isn't hurting.  But can I try running before then if it's really short or just 2x week?  Or do I avoid it all together for 3 weeks?

Why does the weather not cooperate with my plans?  I mentioned in an earlier post about trying to get out on my bike for cycling last weekend.  Decided to aim for Sunday.  Saturday the weather was lovely.  Sunday, not so much.  So now I'm hoping for this coming weekend.  Is cycling under that umbrella of previous activities or does it depend?  I was just going to try something short-ish like 10 miles.

UPDATED to add:  A few people have asked me about supplements.  It has been recommended for me to take Move Free Advanced which is a glucosamine/condroitin product.  I believe that it helps.  I've even started my mother on it and she noticed improvement.  Recently, I decided to start taking Move Free Ultra as well.  This is a collagen type II product.  Which some research says works better/differently than glucosamine/condroitin.  I decided to take both rather than one or another.  The question here, how will I know if this is helping since I started taking it a few weeks before I got the injections?  Probably the real test will be about 6 months from now.  Also, are there any other supplements that I should be considering?

15 comments:

  1. Keep doing your squats, you'll notice a difference.... Whenever I have those kinds of questions, I always answer with knowing my body and what it will do....

    ReplyDelete
  2. Just go to your limits. I work with people with OA constantly, and if they're able & their knees don't get aggrevated, I have them do squats. Long distance running isn't great for OA, but it doesn't mean you HAVE to avoid it. My mom has decent OA, but just finished her first half marathon. Her MD just told her to not go overboard.

    Keep it up with the running & good luck with those knees! Sometimes taking a supplement can help too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Long distance run? More than 100m for me! :-)

    Re the cycling, as long as you spin in a really easy gear, you should be fine. Flat course, no hills, small chainring only!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This kind of all over info drives me nuts as well. Last time I had some issues with my heel, I felt like I was some kind of medical 'marvel' that no one could fix.
    ...and then it just went away. Weird.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have no experience of OA - seems like there is no consistent answer for you... to me the squats you are doing sound sensible, it will help the muscles which help support so in my mind will help - period.... for the "long" runs I think experience and listening to your body is all I can suggest, one rule for one may be different from another. Good luck with it and remain positive!

    .... another thought ... is there any dietry recommendations ... either supplements or best practice which may also help the joints?

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love glucosomine. I take the stuff with msm from costco.

    Stay light on the miles there tiger. Easy does it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. for every argument on the web, there's a counter argument :-) That's why what you think is most important. Listen to your body. See what you can do!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Some people swear by Omega 3 supplement for joints, but I have no personal recommendation.

    All of those boundaries are subjective. Best to think of them as guidelines: Saty on the conservative side at first, and if your knee seems okay with it, go ahead and push them a bit.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'd try a little easy running after I found walking didn't bother me and slowly progress in distance as long as it was pain-free. Hope you heal soon!

    ReplyDelete
  10. You are tagged in my "meme" today :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. You are tagged in my "meme" today :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Seeking out info is impossible... everything contradicts itself!

    I guess I would just play it safe and try everything in small increments to ensure the knee is not aggravated.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Just make sure you're doing your squats with proper form. Can you see your toes while you're squatting? If you can, chances are good that your body position is good. You want to keep your hips back so that your knees don't extend past your toes. If they do, you will lose sight of your toes and know that you're aligned or leaning too far forward.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Just now I have pain into my knee. The phisyo said no long distance runs, no speedworks and run slowly every other day.
    I don't know what I will do but tomorrow I run a hilly 23.3 km race.
    I hope you get well soon.

    ReplyDelete