Help! I have knee pain, too.

[little_blessings]

Hello, everyone! (I'm sorry in advance that this post is so long!)

This is my first post because my knee caps have started hurting! I started t-tapping in earnest a month ago. I have been so motivated and so consistent, and I was so proud of myself. I'm 29 with three little boys (5, 3, 10 months) and I'm a size 16 combo. (I'm actually not sure what kind of combo I am because I can't really find my bottom rib!) I've lost at least 20 inches and 13 pounds, but still haven't lost a pants size yet. I've been really trying to not be discouraged about the pants size and to just keep tapping! I was hoping for dramatic results, but my husband just keeps reminding me that it's a slow and steady process.

Anyway, a month ago I finally woke up to the fact of how huge I had gotten lately. I knew that I was headed for diabetes if I didn't take care of myself, and that I shouldn't get pregnant again unless I lose weight first. I want to be healthy, thin, and in shape. Then, my knee started to ache a little tiny bit, and I really decided to get in shape.

So, I did three days of the instructionals and then 10 more days of the Beg/Reh TWO. Since then I've done the TWO EOD, and this last week I was doing BWO+ on the off days. I also did OIP/HF and AL on my workout days. I was feeling really good, and trying my best, studying the instructionals and the book and having my husband correct my form. I know my form's not perfect but I thought it was pretty good and I was definitely going to my max. It was only this week I could finally just barely finish two sets of Hoe Downs.

But this last week my knees started to hurt, and finally yesterday they were really hurting, so yesterday and today I've rested and put ice on, but they don't seem to be getting better. I think it's mostly the knee cap that's hurting, and it's mostly in my left knee. I'm going to borrow my mom's MORE workout...should I have done that instead? I can get thru most of the TWO, even though it's really hard. I'm pretty discouraged...I really don't want to miss my workout, but I don't want an injury, either. I'm so afraid I'll put inches back on. It seemed like my knees hurt the most after the arms sequence when I'd been holding the KLT for so long. When I lifted my left leg to do the first hoe down, my knee would really hurt, but then as I did the hoe downs it seemed to loosen up. Now it hurts to do KLT at all, and esp. to bend to at all, and I when I had to jump up and chase after the kids both knees were hurting.

I've tried to read all the threads about sore knees and I saw Teresa's modifications, but I guess I'm not sure what I should do. Should I go ahead and try to do a modified BWO+ now, or wait till I can get MORE? Should I wait till all the soreness is gone or push through it?

Sorry for the long read...I hope somebody can help me. I so much wanted to be successful at this.

Thank you!
Heather

[cozumelblue]

Hi Heather,
First, let me say welcome to T-Tapp! I can hear the frustration in your voice and can tell you want to commit to this, so we will all try to help you figure this all out.

I would start with taking a few days off to get the knee pain under control and continue to ice it. If the pain is not subsiding and it is pain we are talking about and not just soreness, I would advise you to go see a doctor. If it is just soreness, I'd still take a few days off and use some magnesium gel if you have it to work on the muscle soreness. T-Tapp works the muscles around the knees so some muscle soreness is not unheard of as you strengthen those muscles. If you have been working on 'bending deeper' that could explain some soreness.

It is possible that if it is pain, it could be from pushing the knees out too far over the little toes. You don't want to force the knees out but rather push them out and feel the leg and hip muscles engage while keeping the bottom of the foot on the floor (so not rolling the ankle and standing on the side of the foot). T-Tapp helps rehabilitate knees (my dh and I both know this from experience), so any pain that isn't soreness could be a form issue or trying to progress through the workout too quickly.

It would be very helpful to begin using MORE as you ease back into your workouts. The chair workout is wonderful and will still give you something as you allow your body to heal. I would also recommend going back to Instructional #1 for awhile once you progress back to that point. If you have been inactive for sometime, have previous knee problems, or have a lot of inches to lose, you will benefit greatly from the shorter workouts and will be able to establish the neurokinetic flow to help rehabilitate your body and get stronger and therefore able to tackle the longer workouts. I know Blessedmama has had great success with shorter workouts so don't discredit them as not enough.


Just some things to keep in mind when you are able to work out again. If I get lax about any of these things, I can cause my knee to have a bit of pain.
~Make sure you bend deep to the ends of the toes and not beyond. (place your toes up against a wall and then bend your knees - when your knees touch the wall, that is how far you should bend)
~You would want to hold the Plie position (omit the up and down motion) and just focus on the arm movements while still engaging the leg muscles and gently pushing klt to hold you in the 'down' position. Also make sure your feet are not wider than shoulder width apart when doing Plies.
~When doing Oil Wells, the legs should be just a bit wider than hip joint width apart and sink your weight into your heels with the knees again gently pushed out to klt.
~When doing T-Tapp Twist be sure you are holding those hips stable with knees facing front (and not allowing them to roll in) when you do the twisting to the sides. An easy way to focus on keeping those hips stable is to do TTT in a chair.

I'm sure other trainers will have some other thoughts as well. The biggest thing right now will be to address the knee pain and then work on slowly coming back to the workout. Please keep us posted as to how you are doing.

[just7]

I can hear your frustration, too. Everything that Tamara said is so true! My knees have been bothering me for a quite a few years. During PBS when you tuck and then scoop, my knees especially the right one would twinge and hurt. But I have to say that T-Tapp has done a great job in rehabbing my knees! Just yesterday I realized that my right one was twinging a bit again and so I paid attention when I went down the stairs and realized that I was ducking that right foot out a little.

I also have been in a bit of overtraining mode the last couple of months and just recently got my groove back. I've been doing the exercises using my book so I can take it real slow and focus on form. I'm holding the plies and I can really feel the muscles around my knees strengthening.

It's okay to slow things down a little. It's finally getting through my head that Less truly IS More with T-Tapp. Take care and let us know how you are doing!!

[little_blessings]

Thanks Tamara and Jennifer for your advice!

I would have written you back earlier, but we went to Tahoe to let the kids play in the snow, so I didn't get to rest my knees Sunday or Monday. However, they were feeling a little better (just some soreness) this morning so I started off with a gentle PBS, TTT, HD, and OIP. I was really glad that I was able to stand on one leg to do the HD. As soon as I post this I'm going to try MORE.

I think I had some pain from bending too deeply and pushing my knees out too far. On the TWO, Teresa says "Bend those knees deeper! The deeper the bend, the better the butt tuck!" So I was bending deeper! I guess I was overzealous...oops. I'm just wondering, is there a time when advanced tappers bend deeper past the toes, or do they always make sure not to bend past the toes?

I also ordered some Skechers, so I hope that they'll help support my foot better during KLT better than my $10 Walmart tennis shoes. It seemed so easy for me to push my knees out...I also didn't realize that I could go too far. I think that on some of the one-legged moves I would sometimes end up standing on the side of my foot in my effort to keep my weight off my big toe and knees out. What should I do about this?

I'll just keep trying to tell myself that less is more...slow and steady wins the race!

thanks again!

=)

Heather

[cozumelblue]

No matter how advanced we become, we never want to bend the knees past the toes - it puts too much stress on the knees.

You will enjoy working out in the Sketchers - they make a huge difference. They will also help with keeping you from rolling onto the sides of your feet. Just make sure you are keeping the bottom of the foot in contact with the ground and not letting the ankle roll out so much that you end up on the sides of your feet.

Keep us posted on your progress.

[jen6]

Welcome and Congrats on your success so far! How exciting!

Just wanted to let you know that you may experience some knee discomfort or pain while your knees are rehabbing. I have had several clients practically want to quit because of knee pain and then contact me a couple weeks later saying how incredible their knees felt now. Some have almost freaked thinking about what would have happened if they quit t-tapping! The knee cap is strengthening now and also the muscle attachement to the knee. Of course, listen to your body & follow Tamara's tips. MORE is a great program depending on if you have had knee issues and how many sizes you would like to lose. You will for sure still see results.

Keep us posted on how you are doing! SO proud of you for taking charge of your health and wellness!