Eliptical trainer bad for knees?

[progman_2000]

I have been using an eliptical cross trainer pretty heavily for the last 2 months and have had an onset of knee pain recently. I have never considered the Elip. trainer the source of the knee problems (assumed it was tennis :( ) but I just talked to a guy I work with that said he has been doing eliptical for the last month or so and is also having recent knee pain. Does this make sense to anyone? I considered this low impact = good for joints.

[jb193]

I noticed a weird light stinging sensation on the back of my knee that went down my leg. I never got that from anything else I have ever done. My wife, however, uses it frequently doesn't have any problems with it.........

[johndagolfer]

The elliptical trainers that put you on a foward incline can really put a lot of strain on the knees. I have been using an elliptical for 4 years now with no problems at all.

[scotus]

I guess it would depend on the quality of the elliptical machine, since it ranges from $100 to $3000 or so.

I prefer a quality elliptical to the treadmill or even regular running. It is much easier on my knees.

[tom-selleck]

i too like the eliptical... although i like the one where you can go vertical too and it has no arm workout.

i noticed knee trouble on the going backward portion... so i switched it to forward only (a certain module) and no more problems.

[jamauss]

I bought an elliptical about 3 months ago and haven't had any knee trouble yet.

Make sure all the screws are tightened well and don't go more than about 20-30 minutes without taking a rest off of the machine to stretch and cool down. I like to do 30 minute sessions ...I do 2 or 3 (occasionally 4) of those when I work out on it.

[tonysk83]

If you are afraid of hurting your knees while working out, stationary bikes are the best.

[El Diablo]

No such thing as "good for joints" -- only less bad (than impact exercises) for joints. Even a bad elliptical or bike is likely less damaging than running, but any machine you feel pain with is telling you to do something else with your time.

[GuyClinch]

FWIW:

I can't say why but that has been my exact experience. i have tendinitis type pain in both knees and sometimes it hurts when I sit down for a very long time or go down stairs.

The ellipitical walker and it's a very nice one (at my gym) made the pain worse. The stationary bike actually helps my knees. Not only does it not hurt my pain lessons.

Pete

[chess9]

Well, I can certainly add to the confusion. I had a knee strain about a month or so ago and have stopped running while it heals. I've been using the bike and the elliptical trainer. I get zero pain on the elliptical trainer (I do 70 minute sessions.) and very little pain on the bike. I tried running on the treadmill yesterday and went about 10 steps before I stopped. I'm not ready yet.

Resting is very important. I have cut my tennis down to hitting against the ball machine set to the center line. Not much movement. I do one hour and that's it right now. I ice afterwards when I get home. I've stopped taking ibuprofen because some studies suggest it inhibits blood flow.

-Robert