By Lisa Snow
Personal Trainer

Do you suffer from knee pain on one or both sides?  Knee pain can be a big obstacle to your weight loss goals, since it may limit your ability to do cardio like walking and running, and may also limit your ability to do strength exercises like squats and lunges. Knee pain can also get in the way of having fun outdoors with your pets, children, or grandchildren.   

Most people with knee pain do one of three things: 1) Limit their exercise to upper body moves only, 2) Stop exercising completely, or 3) Attempt corrective exercises for the knee. Unfortunately, all 3 of these well-meaning approaches are misguided!  They assume you know what’s wrong before you’ve even gotten the knee checked out.  Are you SURE the pain is coming from a knee injury?  

If you have knee pain, the first step is to get a correct diagnosis!  You can do this by going to a medical professional such as a sports medicine doctor, chiropractor, or osteopath.  They will generally do x-rays as well as a physical exam to find the root cause of the problem.  Many people with knee pain (even severe knee pain) actually have nothing wrong with their knees!  A large percentage of people with knee pain actually have a hip injury or a muscle imbalance at the hip.  They never suspect it because their hips don’t hurt!  Going to a healthcare professional will let you know for sure if the problem is really the hip or the knee, or both.  

Once you receieve a specific diagnosis, get a list of do’s and don’ts in writing from your doctor.  What specific exercises do they want you to perform?  What specific exercises do they want you to avoid?  If your doctor recommends several months of physical therapy, it’s a good idea to finish therapy before contacting a personal trainer.  If your doctor says you don’t need physical therapy, you can call a personal trainer right away.  Look for a trainer who has a lot of experience with knee injuries and has certifications in post-rehab or corrective exercise.  It is generally safe to begin gentle exercise with a personal trainer at the same time you are undergoing treatment with a chiropractor or sports medicine doctor.  Most patients don’t need to wait until they’ve finished those types of treatments to begin training.  However, be sure to get individualized advice from your doctor!