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My knees have been chronically enfeebled for nearly eighteen years, and truth be told, it’s getting a little tedious. I’ve had three operations, the second of which involved a bi-lateral release. The third involved the consultant sucking through his teeth in a disapproving manner and saying, “You had a [i]bi-lateral release[/i]?”
Well, my knees are slightly better now, mainly thanks to building up the muscles around the knee through cycling. Unfortunately, they still limit me in a couple of ways – cycling up steep hills can be a bit painful, and pedalling whilst out of the saddle is pretty much impossible.
I want to avoid a fourth operation for as long as possible… preferably until they’ve perfected bionic knees or stem cell cartilage and ligament repair. As such, does anyone have any experiences with cycling and knee braces? I know I [i]should[/i] go to the doctor and get referred to a consultant, but I’m worried they’ll just tell me to take Ibuprofen regularly (which I do anyway) and give up any form of exercise other than swimming. Plus there are no doctors’ appointments at my surgery for three weeks. :/
I’ve seen that the Asterisk knee braces get good reviews from cycling sites, but they’re very expensive and I don’t know if they’d be right for me. Shame they don’t do demo days… 🙁
if you get no direct response try emailing [url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/knee-pads-7#post-3614613 ]mtbscoop[/url] about his experiences with them?
I'd thought I'd seen a indepth thread about this lately, but mtbscoops is the only posting I can find (may have been mistaken on the thread contents, as it wasn't of interest to me 😳 )
I feel your pain. I'm up to 5 knee surgeries now on the one knee. I had similar discomfort and inability to ride out the saddle when I first got back on a bike after my last surgery. That passed with time though.
I think braces are great for added security and confidence but I don't think they are the golden solution for all knee issues. I always ride with a donjoy Armor brace. I think it has possibly saved me from further damage on a couple of occaisons having unplanned dismounts. I have not tried anything else yet so can't compare. It can sometimes cause a bit of chaffing on long rides and ocaisonally needs re-adjusting. I wore out my first one at the hinges mainly due to not covering it up and mud getting in. They replaced it under warranty with no quibble. Since then I always ride with a cover over it. The cover helps stop your frame getting trashed by the brace hitting it too. The only problem with the cover is that in warm weather it can get a little sweaty.
Other things to consider are knee pads. I haven't been able to wear any in conjunction with my brace. However, I know Donjoy and others do braces that have add on knee/shin pads.
Building up the muscles through cycling will only get you so far too. When you can't get out the saddle or push on the climbs it will be difficult to build the strength and power you knee really needs. I would suggest some proper gym work if your knee can take it. I've had a lot of problems with traditional rehab as squating lunging etc cause my knee to swell up and cause more problems. I found a muscle stimulator very useful in regaining the bulk and strength without inducing large loads through the knee.
P.S. Taking Ibuprofen regularily is not good for you. There are other anti-inflamitorires that are better for that. You might need a prescription for that though.
Yeah, I take a lot of ibuprofen, especially on the weekends. I tried ibuprofen gel, but it didn't seem to do anything other than making everything sticky. :/ I do worry that I'm practically begging for a stomach ulcer.
Whenever I've gone to the gym they've always avoided anything that taxes the knee, from the treadmill to the leg weights things (technical term there). I'm banned from doing lunges in polite company because my knees make noises like scrunching crisp packets. 🙁 Truth be told, they ache a bit even going up stairs, and walking downhill can be problematic. Curse my crap genetics!
Might email mtbscoop, cheers Z1ppy. 🙂
I've had a knee problem for 30 years after having surgery which removed the cartilages from my right knee.
I am basically sorted using [url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mueller-HG80-Hinged-Brace-Kevlar/dp/B001F7GRMM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1335183432&sr=8-2 ]THIS[/url] Mueller hinged knee brace. If I didn't have it I wouldn't be able to ride. I'm sure its nothing like as good as the Donjoy type stuff, but it's only around £65 so worth a try
I don't use a brace on my knee, but I had bad problems with it after chipping the back of the knee cap after being tripped in school aged 12. I ended up with muscular atrophy of my left quads, and huge amounts of pain. After a year of physio things were a bit better but I still had to strap it up for any physical activity. I was prescribed a lot of ibuprofen 800s for several years and they really messed my guts up. Please try and find something else like Voltarol.
I hope you get sorted.
If anyone can recommend a good wrist brace I would really like to know.
Hi Mrs Toast, you have my sympathy, my knees are shot as well. I've had 4 ops, with the last one being autologous chondrocyte implantation & Tibial Tubercle osteotomy combined, which was fun. 2 years off bike and like you have trouble pedaling out of the saddle.
I've been using the Asterisk brace for last couple of years, and despite its size, its very comfortable, offers plenty of support and protection (not something you'll find in many braces) and once fitted (correctly) you don't notice it.
You do look a bit like Robocop though, and people will remember you for your brace rather than your amazing riding skills ;-). However, i don't ride without it, even if I'm doing short easy routes.
Since a motorbike accident nearly 27 years ago I have had to wear a knee brace as quarter of my knee joint is missing.
I couldn't get on with wearing a brace a cycling as it simply feels to restrictive. For the majority of time I've had CTI knee braces which I wear for the majority of time. I can't stand up in the saddle which means i'm restricted to seated pedalling. No big issue.
As knee braces go CTI are well thought of and robust.