JP Fitness Forums - View Single Post - Knee/Ankle issues ... need help please! ----->

niclyf · 06-03-2009, 09:14 PM

I'm not an avid runner by any stretch. Most of my workouts consist of low-impact or no-impact (ellptical mostly). I've worked out for years, and often to the degree of over exercising/over-training. At the worst of my eating disorder in December, I dropped to 80lbs on a 5'6" frame. I took four months off from working out (I had previously been doing 7 days a week, often for anywhere from 2-4 hours .. all ellpitical).

Fast forward to now .. I gained some much needed weight, and wanted to get back to the gym more moderately to start toning and adding muscle and to regain my previous level of conditioning. I probably should have started slower (I pretty much jumped right it at an hour cardio) and am now only going 4 days a week. I pretty much only run of the purpose of cross-training .. plus it's easier to do intervals doing a walk/run .. than it is to do intervals on an elliptical.

The first two weeks .. totally fine. Was doing about 45 minutes on the elliptical, then going over to the treadmill to finish with 10-12 minutes of walk/run intervals. Initially it was fine .. walking at about 4.0 mph .. run at 5.8-6.0 mph for a minute, then back down to 4.0, etc ... Then I hit a barrier .. this entire week .. my knees/ankles are killing me! Almost like a pinched nerve kind of feeling, tender .. sore. I'm sure part of it is my body having to adjust to an additional 30 lbs on my frame .. but when I first started doing it .. I was fine. And I can't imagine those few sporadic minutes of running between walking would have done damage. I didn't twist anything, feel any pain, etc., but now .. when I try to even jog at a light 4.8 mph my knees feel like they're going to snap! I've tried Glucosumine .. I've tried Naproxen, Advil, Tylenol .. nothing is making running comfortable, and I really don't want to only be able to do the Elliptical, partially because it's boring, partially because I don't want my body to get too used to any one workout, and lastly because the Elliptical was my "go-to" machine during the height of my anorexia, and I don't want to take the chance on getting set in that mentality again that I HAVE to use the elliptical to burn the most calories, etc., etc ...

Anyone have any ideas what's going on with my body/knees/ankles? I'm starting to get frustrated because it doesn't seem to be getting any better .. and tests indicate that there's nothing structurally wrong.

sorry to be so winded!!

06-03-2009, 09:14 PM	#1 (permalink)
niclyf Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 124	Knee/Ankle issues ... need help please! -----> I'm not an avid runner by any stretch. Most of my workouts consist of low-impact or no-impact (ellptical mostly). I've worked out for years, and often to the degree of over exercising/over-training. At the worst of my eating disorder in December, I dropped to 80lbs on a 5'6" frame. I took four months off from working out (I had previously been doing 7 days a week, often for anywhere from 2-4 hours .. all ellpitical). Fast forward to now .. I gained some much needed weight, and wanted to get back to the gym more moderately to start toning and adding muscle and to regain my previous level of conditioning. I probably should have started slower (I pretty much jumped right it at an hour cardio) and am now only going 4 days a week. I pretty much only run of the purpose of cross-training .. plus it's easier to do intervals doing a walk/run .. than it is to do intervals on an elliptical. The first two weeks .. totally fine. Was doing about 45 minutes on the elliptical, then going over to the treadmill to finish with 10-12 minutes of walk/run intervals. Initially it was fine .. walking at about 4.0 mph .. run at 5.8-6.0 mph for a minute, then back down to 4.0, etc ... Then I hit a barrier .. this entire week .. my knees/ankles are killing me! Almost like a pinched nerve kind of feeling, tender .. sore. I'm sure part of it is my body having to adjust to an additional 30 lbs on my frame .. but when I first started doing it .. I was fine. And I can't imagine those few sporadic minutes of running between walking would have done damage. I didn't twist anything, feel any pain, etc., but now .. when I try to even jog at a light 4.8 mph my knees feel like they're going to snap! I've tried Glucosumine .. I've tried Naproxen, Advil, Tylenol .. nothing is making running comfortable, and I really don't want to only be able to do the Elliptical, partially because it's boring, partially because I don't want my body to get too used to any one workout, and lastly because the Elliptical was my "go-to" machine during the height of my anorexia, and I don't want to take the chance on getting set in that mentality again that I HAVE to use the elliptical to burn the most calories, etc., etc ... Anyone have any ideas what's going on with my body/knees/ankles? I'm starting to get frustrated because it doesn't seem to be getting any better .. and tests indicate that there's nothing structurally wrong. sorry to be so winded!!