Research Corner - Q&A Arthritis in the Knees by Steve Rhyan | Date Released : 25 Jan 2002 0 comments Print Close Question: One of my clients is a ex-professional football player. He is 50 years old, has arthritic knees and also has a lot of discomfort in the knee joints. Any suggestions for exercise? Answer: Your client has probably had repeated injuries to his lower limbs. And in American Football, the knees take a beating. You have not stated what type of arthritis your client has or if he has had any knee surgeries, how many surgeries and what they were for (i.e., ACL reconstruction, etc.) There are several Research Corner Q&As on the site for different types of arthritis and knee injury (perform keyword search under "Arthritis" and/or "Knee Injury" to locate these quickly). The recommended protocol for pre and post workout care is listed in some of these articles. Refer to them for your client and give it a try for a few weeks to see if helps. My understanding on training and conditioning for people with this type of situation is first do things that do not create immediate pain. When trying “new” exercises, do them without a load to introduce the range of motion (ROM). Then, if no problems occur, add a light load. Squats are probably the most aggravating to this client’s knees. The leg press may be better for the overall training effect due to the closed chain activity. Try using the incline leg press and the horizontal leg press on different days to see if there is residual soreness and pain. I would do only one leg exercise per machine. Workout to examine what works and what does not. You can use two legs at a time to start and work into one leg at a time for unilateral strength. Another recommendation is the upright bike. Raise the seat to a level when the leg is about 90 percent straight at the bottom of the pedal stroke. This helps alleviate exaggerated knee flexion and allows most people with knee pain some ability to crank out a pretty good workload. Try these suggestions and let us know how it goes. Back to top About the author: Steve Rhyan Steve is a member of: National Strength and Conditioning Association American College of Sports Medicine American Society of Exercise Physiologists. <br><br> Steve has been an athlete, coach, teacher and trainer for over 20 years. Steve received his Undergraduate degree in Physical Education/ Biology and Graduate degree in Physiology of Exercise from San Diego State University, San Diego, CA. He has taught from middle school to college and coached high school, college and professional athletes. <br><br> As an athlete, Steve was a professional moto-cross racer for 10 years. He was California State Champion several times, ranked in the top 10 Nationally and in the top 20 Internationally. Steve has also participated in the Decathlon, numerous Triathlons, several Fitness Challenges and won the Police Heptathlon in San Diego, CA. To better understand "Body-Power," Steve studied Kajukenbo(Hawiian Karate) for several years and received a Black Belt. He is pursuing an education in Kodokan Judo to further understand anaerobic conditioning and the application of strength, power and agility. As a coach he specializes in Moto-Cross Racing, Track & Field, Mountain Bike Racing and Surfing. <br><br> Steve is presently a part time lecturer in Exercise Science at Santa Ana College for the Police and Fire Services and is Director of Strength and Conditioning at Specialized Personal Training(SPT) in Mission Viejo, California. At SPT, he specializes in Sports Medicine and Fitness Training for all ages, but especially people over 40 years of age. One of Steve's clients won the female division of the Navy Seal Fitness Challenge, she is 50 years old! Steve has several articles on training for a Fitness Challenge published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning. When he is not writing, studying, teaching or training you can find him, with his family, on the beach surfing. Aloha. <br><br> "I learn by going where I have to go." 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