Knees

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Re: Knees

Postby crollsurf » Mon 20 Apr, 2020 10:16 pm

Resting my knee and staying off it for 4 days really started to see an improvement. And surprisingly after that, Dencorub!! Dencorub seemed to work a lot better than heat packs and anti-inflammatories.

A lot of good advice above that I'll take on board re losing weight, stretching, working out etc.

Did it the first time 4 months ago and just thought it would fix itself. Realise now there's a lot of work involved in getting this knee right.

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Re: Knees

Postby madpom » Sat 02 May, 2020 4:41 pm

For me it's all about building up strength in the knee and maintaining it.

So long as I keep the strength up there are no issues. But as soon as I let it drop -like now during lockdown - problems result.

As my GP said to me yesterday - there is nothing as effective as cycling to build & maintain that knee strength.

Builds / maintains muscle strength around the knee. Keeps the knee in movements. Maintains alignment during exercise so no twisting (which aggravates my old injuries). And no impacts so easy on the joint.

Last time I really had knee issues I was on light duties at work & no tramping for 6 months with no improvement. In desperation took a month off without pay & cycled the length of NZ. Sorted the issue out & kept me trouble free for 2 years.

Till lockdown came along.
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Re: Knees

Postby Warin » Sat 02 May, 2020 4:56 pm

madpom wrote:As my GP said to me yesterday - there is nothing as effective as cycling to build & maintain that knee strength.

Builds / maintains muscle strength around the knee. Keeps the knee in movements. Maintains alignment during exercise so no twisting (which aggravates my old injuries). And no impacts so easy on the joint.

Till lockdown came along.


Exercise bicycle or roller trainer for the bicycle. Agree with no impacts on the joint, or any joint for that matter.

Note: roller trainer can be hard on back tyre ware.
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Re: Knees

Postby Hughmac » Wed 20 May, 2020 6:00 pm

Cycling is the best thing I've ever done for my knees - they were dead set buggered at one point but can now walk/run with almost no issues. I do use a stick going down hills though, which is a good tricep workout.
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Re: Knees

Postby RhondaL » Thu 11 Jun, 2020 4:18 pm

I have had terrible knees in the past probably from too much road running and associated injuries. I consequently suffered major pain particularly when hiking and moreso whilst going downhill. I remember being temporarily stuck at the top of Mount Roland but then taking twice as long to get down as it did to go up. I was reluctant to have a knee replacement so concentrated on strengthening the muscles in my legs. These were largely balance type exercises on one foot where I gradually increased the repetitions (small squats on the supporting leg and pointing the other foot around an imaginery clockface with each squat). I also did squats lifting weights. I constantly reminded myself to sit in a chair properly ie no crossing of legs, feet flat on the floor. At 69 I'm now able to walk up and down mountains and mountain bike without knee pain. I will say that after hiking the 4 day Inca Trail and hiking through Patagonia I find walking with poles a godsend so always use them now. So my exercise regime works .... either that or dementia has set in and I no longer recognise pain!
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Re: Knees

Postby 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.
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