Can powerlifting be your arthritic knee pain solution?

As a chiropractor, I’ve seen the limitations of chiropractic adjustments firsthand. While spinal manipulation can often provide pain relief, the results don’t last.

This is why I started offering exercise to help my clients find true freedom from pain.

Can I exercise with knee pain?

As a pain sufferer, you worry that exercise will make their condition worse. Afterall, your pain does worsen with prolonged walking or climbing stairs.

Based on these experiences, it make sense to think that your knee pain can worsen with exercise.

To some degree, you are right. It is possible for exercise to make your condition worse.

However, this doesn’t mean exercise — under professional supervision — cannot help you.

Numerous studies have been published on how exercise can help you with your pain and injury.

While doing the wrong exercises or too much exercises can delay your recovery, doing the right ones with an evidence-based chiropractor can help you get better.

My doctor say weights are bad for my knees.

Have your doctor told you to avoid squatting or lifting weights. If so, that is (in my opinion) lazy doctoring.

World Health Organisation made it clear that we should engage in at least two days of strengthening exercises per week. One of the most effective ways to strengthen your body is to lift weights.

Furthermore, research has shown that strength training helps knee arthritis patients with BOTH pain and function.

If you have pain with exercise, avoiding exercise is not the solution. What you need to do is to work on your knees so you can go back to exercising in a meaningful way.

We need exercise to be healthy.

The next time your doctor tells you to stay off weights, ask them why. Ask if they have any research to support their advice.

I am already xx years old. Exercise will wear my joints out.

Knee arthritis is NOT a wear and tear condition. Research has called out the “wear and tear” narrative as archaic, pejorative, and inaccurate.

If you have had a knee MRI and the report sounds scary, don’t worry just yet. Most knee MRI findings such as articular cartilage defects and osteophytes can be found in people without knee pain as well.

Just because your MRI scans show “damage”, doesn’t mean your joints are wearing out or that you have to live in pain.

In fact, research is showing that exercise can PREVENT degenerative changes.

Not only does exercise not wear out your joints, it can preserve your joint health!

No, age is not a reason to avoid weights.

WHO recommends adults to muscle strengthening exercises for at least 2 days a week.

For older adults (>65 years old)? Thrice a week. 

In short, the older you are, the more you need to strengthen your muscle and bones!

Meet Pauline. At 76 years old with arthritic knees, not only does she lift weights. She competes in national powerlifting competitions!

Like yourself, Pauline doesn’t have great knees. She has arthritis in both knees and also a torn meniscus. Thankfully, her physiotherapist recommended her that she did strength training for her rehab. Things couldn’t have gone better.

Pauline had since gone to break three state powerlifting records.

You think exercise is going to hurt you. Maybe, if done poorly.

However, exercise when done correctly can be the single thing that protects you from pain and injury!

We are super happy to see more and more patients sharing their recovery success in mainstream media.

There’s no need to be afraid of lifting weights. In fact, powerlifting can be the pain solution you are looking for.

Drop us a message to find out how our chiropractor and powerlifting coach can work together to help you find true freedom from pain.