You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
My knees are crap.
As quite a few of us are reaching a certain age, and enjoy a passtime that can put stresses and strains on our joints, I assume I'm not alone in this.
What tips and tricks do you have for keeping your knees pain-free and moving buttery smooth?
Keep strengthening the legs as much as you can. My doc friend recommended lunges for a pain in my knee I was getting running. I did a few gentle lunges a few times after running and the pain has vanished. Coincidence? Maybe!
The other knee has a torn meniscus and I just have to avoid twisting that one.
Muscles are good 🙂
Having the saddle at the correct height goes a long way to preventing knee problems in the future.
Not helpful to yourself, but just a note to others.
This list is pretty good for KneeHab work:
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/8-great-lower-body-exercises-for-people-with-knee-pain?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-gb
You might also want to add in single leg calf raises (bent and straight knee) and some step ups.
Also take a look at kneesovertoesguy on IG
I'm 64 and funnily enough my knees are OK cycling (apart from that time I rode 123 miles to London on the Grand Union towpath) but I now have a problem hiking. Anything over 20k and my left knee gives me grief. I have a lot of exercises from my physio and I'm hoping that by next summer I'll be OK for some big alpine trekking.
I would try to find a good physio and ask them to check you out. After a knee op this year, I rehabbed carefully but then had a big relapse. My physio couldn't come up with an answer, so I had an MRI which showed a degenerative meniscus tear.
Off to see the surgeon then a very well recommended physio. One look at me and the physio diagnosed a problem with my ankle. Two sessions of manipulation (torture) later and my knee has improved incredibly.
Still got work to do but I'm hoping to back on a bike soon.
Good luck with it.
https://twitter.com/JoshPughComic/status/1721425082587717756?s=20
But on a more serious note - this guy has lots of different knee and hip etc routines that can help too:
Stretches stretches stretches
Ride a bike (gently, and adjusted to fit you properly)... it's pretty low impact if you take it steady, use gears correctly... this is a bike forum after all!
Think steady leisure rides rather than 'sending it' downhill and crunching gears uphill.
Swimming, also pretty low impact on the joints whilst giving a fairly good full body workout.
I guess you need to strenghten the muscles/ligaments without battering your knee joints.
Piriformis release, my painful knees just stopped hurting once I started doing the right exercise.
Ride a bike
Unfortunately riding a bike does pretty much bugger all for the muscles that actually stabilise and protect the knee joint.
Unfortunately riding a bike does pretty much bugger all for the muscles that actually stabilise and protect the knee joint.
My ACL surgeon would beg to differ. As would I. Cycling has been crucial to my kneehab after 2 surgeries, alongside many of those exercises in links above.
Osteoarthritis in two places under my left kneecap, as a result of coming off my bike cause me some issues, I just rely on moving around and taking Naproxen morning and evening. Helps with the osteoarthritis in my wrists and thumb joints as well.
Cover knees when riding at 5°c or below. Be careful not to stomp either pedal when sat on lowered seat or if knee joint is at an angle approaching 90°.