Treat Your Own Knees: Simple Exercises to Build Strength, Flexibility, Responsiveness and Endurance

Great little book and more than worth the small price. The book emphasises that this is good for by far, most knee problems (including arthritis - which I dont have as far as I know). My left knee, the bane of my hiking life, is much stronger and healthier feeling than it has for a long while and I still only am 4 weeks through the 8 week program. The exercises are simple to do, take little time and need no specialist equipment (unless you call a pillow, specialist?). I would suggest that you do the pillow-based exercise, before you go to sleep, in bed, as Ive found it leaves my knee slightly sore for a few hours afterwards (by being in bed you omit this issue)! Plus the sleeping rests your leg thoroughly - which in itself is part of the fixing process. I can now concentrate on walking several miles every weekend, without worrying about hobbling back. Also a quick thanks to Amazon, as I wouldnt have purchased this book if I hadnt done a search on 'knees' and read the reviews. I would, therefore, still be suffering!

I have had this book for several years and the recommended exercises regime had helped whenever my knee got stiff and painful - until this year when, instead of helping, I found that the exercises were making things worse! I would not discourage you from trying the exercise regime suggested in this book, it could be just what you need. But it won't be the answer to everyone's knee problems. The book is concise and clear and I like that the author gives some background to his recommendations.

I purchased a copy of this book on the strength of the customer reviews here, and I have to say that after a couple of months I am in agreement with the general sentiment here. I have had pain in my right knee for several years, a problem that seemed to manifest itself when I began to run several times a week. It would come and go, but recently it has become more persistent. I'm 33 and put this down to the aging process, but was ready to give this book a try to see if it would make a difference. I think the biggest revelation for me is the concept of "proprioception", something that I'd never heard about before. It's basically about how your brain communicates, via your nervous system, with the various parts of your body - including your knee - and tells them how to function correctly. I combined the proprioception exercises with the quad strengthening regime. I tried to approach the book with an open mind, but I had to deal with my own ego when it came to muscle strengthening. I have been weight training for years, and my legs are probably my strongest body part. I can squat pretty heavy weights for my size, so I was quite skeptical when the book attributed weakness in the quad muscles as a contributing factor to knee pain. Anyway, I cast my prejudices (and arrogance) aside and decided to go ahead with the exercises. I was immediately taken with how quickly I noticed the effects. Within days, the pain in my knee had been reduced considerably. I didn't want to get too excited too quickly - there could have been other reasons for the lack of pain - but sure enough, I'm now writing after a couple of months have gone by and my knee is still holding up. Obviously, physiotherapy of any kind is no substitute for treatment, but I'm certain that following the guidelines laid out in this book has improved the health of my knee. I feel much fitter and eager to do the rigorous training that I used to do, and no longer have to worry about my knee playing up. I may or may not need surgery on my knee in the future, but for the time being I am very happy with the results brought on by this book.

Though it doesn't claim to be, there's nothing even remotely groundbreaking about this book. It's mostly just a consolidation of what the literature suggests and what's been proven to work by rigorous scientific evidence. It's really basic information you can find with a quick search. To save you the trouble of reading, the suggested exercises are: quad sets to strengthen the quads (every other day) quad and hamstring stretches (daily) standing on one leg for balance (every other say) light cardio (20 - 30 mins every other day) improve your mental health (he suggests the relaxation response technique daily) That really is all you need to know. The author makes it seem so quick and simple, which I think is why the book has the level of appeal it does. From my experience, the reality isn't quite the same. I would find it far more interesting to hear about what he's learned over the years from his own experience as a physiotherapist instead of regurgitating what's already known in the literature and so readily available all over the web. That said, if you're new to tackling your knee pain issues and want a place to start, it's quick and easy to jump into and quite an interesting read. It's also written in a very reader-friendly manner.

This book is simple, effective and worked (for me) better than steroid injections, knee braces, funny shoes and sports injury clinics. Having tried all the above and still had knee pain I was sceptical that simple stretching could really help that much - how wrong I was! At one point I had terrible knee pain after running a few hundred metres. Now Im up to 10 minutes at 12km/h with no pain and enough confidence to start building back up to 5k runs. Equally shocking was the speed at which the improvement happens - in less than a week I was feeling an improvement. Would recommend this book to anyone BEFORE seeing a doctor or specialist as it could save you a lot of time and money.

The book gives practical exercises and explains the functionality that the knees should possess. Overall a nice book. Needed to order this for my mothers knee agony and would say it was reasonably effective in making the pain manageable.

Great little book very helpful and easy to understand

small book , difficult to read and totally useless

My "net" is that if you experience chronic or intermittent knee pain and you have no reason to believe that there is something seriously wrong with your knee(s), like an infection or torn ACL, buy this book, read it, and then perform the simple exercises on the schedule prescribed by author Jim Johnson. I have been doing four basic exercises for almost six (6) weeks now and the pain in my problem (right) knee has almost disappeared. If you follow author Johnson's prescriptions for knee exercises, I hope they will benefit you also. That said, I would also reiterate the author's closing comment: If you don't feel any improvement in your knee pain after doing these exercises for three (3) months, these exercises are not the solution to your knee problem. Since hiking up and then back down part of Barr Trail (the trail to the summit of Pikes Peak near Colorado Springs) in 1995, I have experienced periodic pain in my right knee. I attribute the cause of my pain to hiking downhill for about seven miles that day. That was 14 years ago. In the intervening years since that hike, the pain in my right knee has become almost chronic, lasting for several days to several weeks, and is often aggravated after riding my bicycle, hiking or doing other exercise or work that requires extensive knee movement. I had X-rays taken of my right knee in 1999 and the leg examined by an orthopedic specialist. The X-rays did not show any obvious problem(s) and the specialst could not find anything wrong after physically examining my knee. Perhaps an MRI would have revealed something, but I chose not to spend the money for that test then. Fortunately for me, the pain has never been debilitating and it can usually be alleviated by taking ibuprofen. A heating pad also helped. Specifically, the pain I experience is almost always on the right side of my right knee and in the back side of my knee. This spring (April, 2009), I helped plant a number of trees in my neighborhood. After that work, I experienced pain in my right quadricep in addition to the "normal" knee pain I had been experiencing for a number of years. I am now 67 years of age and retired and I would like to stay active by hiking, bicycle riding, ice skating, motorcycling, etc., so I became increasingly concerned that my right knee might ultimately limit my ability to do these kinds of activities. To address my problem, I searched the Internet and found, along with a lot of other interesting information about the causes and sources of knee pain, Jim Johnson's book. The book is short, well-organized, clear in its descriptions and examples - and inexpensive. The author gets immediately to the four (4) attributes our knees must have to function properly, without pain or damage to the knee, and how to help regain or improve the four (4) key attributes. I read the chapters addressing the four attributes required one at a time and started doing a recommended exercise as soon as I completed reading a chapter. The exercises, as described by the author, are: 1. Simple 2. Quick to do 3. Require no special equipment (see two tips of possible benefit below) 4. For me, effective. Tip 1. The exercise I chose to strengthen my quadriceps is done every other day. The leg is straightened and the knee is pressed down for five (5) seconds against a pillow folded under the knee or against the floor. The exercise is repeated 30 times. I found it hard to count the 5 seconds ("1000", "1001, ..., "1005") for each repetition and also remember how many repetitions I had completed. To solve my problem, I put 30 nickels (any coin size will do) in a dish next to me. Each time I completed a repetition of the exercise, I tossed a nickel out of the dish until the dish was empty. 2. Because each of exercises is timed, I located a handheld stopwatch I bought a couple of years ago at WalMart for about $12.00. I use the stopwatch to time all of the exercises. If you purchase a stopwatch, I recommend one with large numerals and that you can operate easily with one hand. I think the use of a stopwatch lends consistency to the timing of each exercise and also relieves you of having to estimate the 5 seconds or 30 seconds required for each exercise. For the record: 1. Age: 67 years 2. Weight: 155 (+/- 3-4 pounds) 3. Height: 5 feet, 8 inches I believe I am in reasonably good physical condition. I try to exercise by lifting weights, bicycle riding, hiking, ice skating, etc. on a (more or less) regular basis.

Answering the critics First, let me say that I was having almost constant low-grade pain in my left knee for about five years. Occasionally, I would gently twist my knee by accidentally dragging the ball of my foot on the ground which would result in two or three days of acute knee pain. Getting in and out of the car was a real chore. And sometimes my knee simply felt loose like it might come disassembled. I could feel stuff moving around in there. I bought this book, read it, did exactly what it said, and in about a month I was 95-98% pain free and my knee no longer felt "loose". For more, see my comments under Brian Hurler's 3-Star review. I feel I am qualified to review this book by answering the critics. The complaint is made that the book doesn't discuss specific treatments for specific knee disorders. Johnson spends a lot of words explaining why that's usually not necessary. If you can restore function by strengthening the knee support system, then the specific cause of the pain and disability is irrelevant. Johnson also tells you when you should see a doctor to seek specific diagnosis and treatment. Yes, all of Johnson's recommendations could have been put on one sheet of paper but then the reader might not be motivated to try the suggested regimen because he/she would not understand why those particular exercises were recommended and why they might be effective. One commenter complained that there was nothing about strengthening knees to prepare for playing tennis. The book is for people who have painful knees that need treatment. Nowhere is the book billed as an all-purpose comprehensive preparation for strenuous athletics although I believe the exercises in this book would be a good place to start - They build strength, flexibility, stamina, and proprioception. Then you can find more strenuous exercises that work the same muscles. Get the Men's Health Big Book of Exercise for some ideas. The complaint is made that there are only 4 exercises and those could have been obtained from a good chiropractor or a good PT. One of the things I like about Johnson's books is that he only gives you the minimum of exercises that will do the job. You don't waste your time doing redundant exercises and you don't waste your time doing exercises that haven't been proven to help the problem. It's very efficient. What is the cost of a chiropractor or a PT? And how do you know you have a GOOD one? How do you know if the exercises they give you will be as efficient and effective as these proven ones? One commenter recommends that you hire a personal trainer to train "all your muscles back to good form while using proper positioning to reduce further injury." In my experience, the exercises in this book are explained thoroughly enough that proper form can be executed; the exercises are effective at building the necessary strength and flexibility to reduce or eliminate knee pain; and they are certainly gentle enough that they aren't going to cause further injury. Effective, as advertised, for the problem and efficient of your time - I don't understand the complaints. Personally, I don't want to spend my life exercising or at the gym or at the chiropractor's - I just want to have a pain-free knee.