Leg/Knee/Ankle Strengthening Suggestions?

[GeekSauce]

So, when it comes to breaking that sedentary funk, my problem is not lack of energy, it's pain. I've always had weird feet & ankles. In high school I'd sprain my ankle multiple times a year, even when I was in track & I had the team doctor checking me out, and my orthopedics for my feet are so thick I can't even wear most shoes. I also had an ACL tear in my left knee that happened when I was 16 (currently 28) that didn't heal right because my mum didn't take me to my physical therapy (she thought it was boring...).

Point is, i've started & restarted so many times! I've lost sometimes 10-20 pounds, most significantly I lost 60 last year. But I always end up slipping, hurting my legs, getting laid up for a few weeks or sometimes months, and it undoes everything I did! (The 60 pounds was a different issue, but still injury related) I'm trying to take it slower this time, but I also don't want to feel like I'm making no progress... I'm trying to get more walking steps in a day, I'm eating better, I'm just not sure where to go now. I feel like I've tried everything & it just always happens. I haven't had the kind of insurance where I can get proper physical therapy for my legs in near a decade & I can't get enough info from a gym to determine if it's worth it to get a personal trainer for a couple sessions to show me how to make my legs stronger. Suggestions/links/etc are welcomed & appreciated!

[Mukluk4]

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@GeekSauce wrote:

So, when it comes to breaking that sedentary funk, my problem is not lack of energy, it's pain. I've always had weird feet & ankles. In high school I'd sprain my ankle multiple times a year, even when I was in track & I had the team doctor checking me out, and my orthopedics for my feet are so thick I can't even wear most shoes. I also had an ACL tear in my left knee that happened when I was 16 (currently 28) that didn't heal right because my mum didn't take me to my physical therapy (she thought it was boring...).

Point is, i've started & restarted so many times! I've lost sometimes 10-20 pounds, most significantly I lost 60 last year. But I always end up slipping, hurting my legs, getting laid up for a few weeks or sometimes months, and it undoes everything I did! (The 60 pounds was a different issue, but still injury related) I'm trying to take it slower this time, but I also don't want to feel like I'm making no progress... I'm trying to get more walking steps in a day, I'm eating better, I'm just not sure where to go now. I feel like I've tried everything & it just always happens. I haven't had the kind of insurance where I can get proper physical therapy for my legs in near a decade & I can't get enough info from a gym to determine if it's worth it to get a personal trainer for a couple sessions to show me how to make my legs stronger. Suggestions/links/etc are welcomed & appreciated!

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Hunt for an exercise bike at a garage sale and use that (I found mine for $20) as that will be the cheapest way to a low impact routine.  

[MarciM]

Hi @GeekSauce Congrats on your weight loss. I'm sorry to hear about her leg issues. As someone who has also suffered from knee issues (OA since I was 11) I have found a recumbent exercise bike works well to strength legs without putting too much stress on them. I have used the bike to strengthen my knees to where I can actually run/walk 1/2 marathons, something many doctors told me I would never be able to do. Before you invest in one for your home, see if you can try one out at a gym for a couple of weeks to gage how your legs respond. Best of luck in your journey to a heathier lifestyle.  

[Corney]

GeekSauce:  For ankle strengthening see if you can purchase something called Thera-Band.  It's a wide piece of Rubber in different colors indicating different strengths.  Use a medium resistance,  tie it in a knot forming a circle about 18-24 inches long.  Then tie a piece of rope around the circle and place the rope between the door and door frame on the hinge side.  Sit on the floor and use the Thera-Band for resistance as you move your foot in Dorsi-flexion, Eversion and Inversion.  As for knee strengthening, if you have stairs in your house, go to the bottom step and alternate stepping up and down one step with each leg.  The Bike is good for range of motion, but stepping up and down using you own body weight is a cheap and effective method of strengthening you ankle, knee and hip.

[DanielleinDC]

Is there a Pilates reformer studio near you? Since you do most of the exercises lying down and using springs for resistance, it might be better for your legs. It might be expensive, but if you have ClassPass in your area, that will enable you to work out more inexpensively.

[GershonSurge]

Some important advice:

1. If it hurts don't do it. No NOT try to work past minor pains.
2. After you ignore #1, DO NOT take medication to stop the swelling and allow you to exercise -- even if it's prescribed by a doctor. You can take over the counter medication like aspirin or ibuprofen to get to sleep if you stop the activity that caused the pain.
3. Most ankle and knee problems are the result of being overweight. 

You can lose weight without excessive exercise. About 20 minutes a day of easy walking is enough to be healthy. You can split it into two walks. Keep in mind, healthy is different than fit. Healthy is freedom from major degenerative conditions. Fit is various levels of doing athletic activity. Women get most of the benefits from exercise at the first level above sedentary. Men need to work about three times as hard.

The healthiest diet in the world is a Whole Food Plant Based way of eating with no animal products and no added oils like olive oil, etc. You can learn about here.

If anyone claims to have a better way of eating, as them if their way has been scientifically proven to prevent, arrest, or reverse heart disease and many kinds of cancer. In fact, it improves the 15 most common causes of death.

This way of eating makes it easy to lose weight, even without exercise. There is no calorie counting, and you can always eat until satisfied. 

Good luck to you.

[SunsetRunner]

A simple ankle/leg/knee strengthening exercise that I teach my students (martial arts) is stand on one leg. This may seem simple and it is but it works. When it becomes too easy lift your knee higher and when that gets too easy....Close your eyes.

Closing your eyes makes this exercise much harder and you'll find your muscles around your ankle, leg and knee having to really carry out some fine delicate movements to maintain your balance.  This will strengthen those muscles with almost no pain (depending on injuries currently affecting you) and with almost no risk to yourself (unless you decide to do it on the edge of a cliff, something I don't recommend 😉 )

You don't need any special equipment, just patience and concentration and it really does work at strengthening those muscles around the ankle and knee, and if you get the knee up high enough then those hip flexors as well.

[MarciM]

Thanks for the great tip!