by Kuhr » Fri 19 Jun, 2020 6:15 pm
Interesting topic. I am 48, a heavier guy, and only been bushwalking for three years. May last year the day after a hike in the Ballows my left knee swelled up like a small melon. It then became a cycle of RICE, knee improving, another day walk, knee pain and swelling. Even walked Barney twice like this for the three months it took to get an MRI. The result was a fractured tibia, outer meniscus tear, ACL and MCL tear and bursitis behind the knee.
I tried everything until lockdown to keep walking and improve the knee - flatter walks, knee brace, pacer poles, activated cumen, ibprofen, etc. These all helped a little bit inevitably the pain returned.
Eventually my right knee also became injured, an ultrasound found a bursitis behind the knee and MCL tear. The doctor diagnosed this as a compensatory injury.
Oddly enough lockdown and the forced no walking has resulted in the injuries improving (but gained several kilos!). But a return to walking had started the cycle again to a lesser extent.
The last five weeks though I've tried something different. 3-4 weekday mornings between 5-5.30am I go for a 5km walk in the local forest. It inflamed things a bit at first, but now it's had a dramatic effect. I walk without a limp at all, the pain has almost disappeared, and I don't use a knee brace at all, and rarely poles. I feel fitter aerobically of course, tackle hills far easier, and my legs feel far stronger especially around my knees. Still carry most of the Corona kilos sadly but the difference is like night and day. Last weekend I hiked Flinders Peak expecting a sleepless night (pain) and hobbling the next day. Instead it was as if I hadn't hiked up the mountain at all, no pain whatsoever.
I still suffer stiffness, and my knees hurt on impact of big step downs, and I feel far less agile on scrambles with my knees, having to be really careful of the weight balance on them, but the frequent low intensity walks has been the single biggest improvement to my knees of everything I tried.