Phyl - I'm almost 40 and have begun having problems with my knees too. No injury, but a lot of pain when I bend. I saw an orthopedist a few weeks ago who confirmed there is no arthritis, but I'm now seeing a physical therapist. They say my problem is that I need to strengthen my quad muscles so they've given me lots of exercises. Here a few that they've given me. You should ask your doctor if these might work for you. 1. Sit with your back against a wall or flat surface. Legs extended out in front of you. Contract your quad muscles, pressing the backs of your knees down into the floor. Hold each contraction for 5 seconds. Do 2 sets of 15. 2. In the same sitting position, bend your knees so that your feet are flat on the floor. Place a rolled up towel or pillow between your knees. Squeeze the towel and hold for 5 seconds. Again, do 2 sets of 15. 3. Lie flat on your back and do 30 leg lifts with your toes flexed (not pointed). Do each leg separately Don't hold the lift. Just make sure it's a slow, controlled lift that engages your quads. There are some others that they've given me, but they are more difficult to explain, but you can find many on-line. Look for ones that focus on building your quad muscles since those are the muscles that hold your kneecap in place as you bend, and will take pressure off of your knees and reduce your pain. Hope it helps - for your sake and mine. Hope

maggie I wouldn't stop the treadmill completely but I would make sure you use the settings that change it up so that you are not going the same pace all the time. Go up hill and fast and slow etc. Also I would vary your workout and use other machines. Stair steppers seem to have gotten a lot better and appear to be real climbers now . Also elliptical is another choice and the cycling classes. Variety is the spice of life. But...most important do not leave off weight training ! Make sure you lift weights. That is the key to no injuries. c

I was ill for years, lost a lot of weight and a lot of muscle mass. At one point, my knees were so weak that I had to crawl up the stairs. I found some gentle knee exercises that I did to strengthen my knees (actually, my thigh muscles) before I ever started working out. This website is about what I did. Now that my knees are stronger, I do both the treadmill and the recumbant bike, plus the Nautilus circuit. All of them seem to be working, because I can now easily go up and down stairs. Thanks, and good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: Gentle knee exercises

You may get some relief from joint supplements like glucosamine/chondroitin +/- MSM. You have to use them for 6 weeks to see if it helps. I've been using them for almost 4 years, since I got a dog with really bad knees, and it helped her, so I started taking them too. It's not a huge difference- I still can't run- but I can walk pain-free now, even up stairs. I've found that weight training helps a bit, specifically leg curls and leg extensions. I think you can do them at home with exercise bands, but I do them on machines at the gym.