Sore knees when exercising - any tips?

[RedTiger]

Is there anything I can do to stop or minimise it? It's not really painful, more discomfort than anything atm but I don't want it to get worse. I have mainly been doing LBT classes in the last month or so, so quite a lot of squats & knee bending involved. Is it likely to be my knees just getting used to doing this, or could it be causing damage?

[Day_Dream_Believer]

I think you might not be doing it right. My knees hurt a lot when I did squats and lunges, until my trainer corrected my form. Then it didn't really hurt my knees much at all. Can you get someone to check your form?

[scrobble]

I'd also speak to the doctor and get it checked out. I suffer on and off with really bad pain, and was told never to do any impact sports - so things like exercise classes are bad news for me. My knees are always worse if I've been bouncing on the soft play bouncy castle. All I can really manage that never aggravate them now are swimming and cycling - and table tennis as I'm not good enough to need to move around much to hit and serve the ball!

[RedTiger]

Yeah I can ask the instructor next time I'm there. I find too that even if I've been out dancing for a night my knees get sore, maybe I'm just getting too old for it :lol:

[bubblewrap]

I'd pick up a couple of cheapy knee supports in the meantime and bung them on when exercising. Attractive they are not, but can't do any harm!

[bubbasweet]

Are you wearing the correct type of footwear for the exercise you're doing?

[DillyDally]

When you're doing squats, your weight needs to be back into the heels of your feet - as if you are going to sit down in a chair that isn't there! That should mean that you feel it far more in the backs of your legs and into your glutes, rather than in your knees.

[RedTiger]

Are you wearing the correct type of footwear for the exercise you're doing?

I'm wearing trainers for exercise classes, high heels for dancing :lol:

I'll pay more attention next week to where my weight is going, this particular instructor is really tough so maybe I'm leaning more forward once my legs feel like they are going to fall off and putting more strain on my knees.

[bubbasweet]

But are they trainers designed for high impact sports, that support your foot properly? As opposed to a tennis trainer or running shoes etc. Feet aren't standard and what supports one person's foot properly will be totally wrong for someone else. Just something to consider, anyway :thumb:

[RedTiger]

I actually have no idea, I've had them for years. They aren't a tennis shoe or running shoe. They are almost identical to these:

http://images.sportsdirect.com/images/products/27803632_l.jpg

[CaroCaro]

If my quads are not stretched out enough after I excercise my knees tend to hurt and also tight hip flexors will make knees strain