How do you guys keep your Knees strong and healthy?

[MaraviaDave]

I initially thought it was hokum, but I started taking a glucosamine+chondroitin tablet every day.
I can honestly say that it really really helps, and I regularly outwalk/climb/work people 25 years younger than me.

^^^^this has also been my experience.

In my 20’s I was a wildland fire Hotshot. All the miles, carrying heavy loads (pack and saw), along with fitness running, caught up with me. My knees felt like they had been permanently damaged. Which caused me to get out of fire and pursue another career. My knees would lock up if I straightened them too quickly, popped while twisting in place, hurt while walking up stairs and were always sore.

I began taking 1,500 mg Glucosamine + 1,200 mg Chondroitin. After about 6 months I felt like they might be helping, but hadn’t seen a significant improvement.

I then went to a Dr. who was in his 70’s that had spent a lot of time carrying heavy packs on expeditionary mountaineering trips, back pack hunting and running marathons.

He told me that in addition to Glucosamine + Chondroitin, I should add 1,000mg of Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM).

After 6 months (12 months total) my knees felt like they were 80% healed. After 24 months my knees felt great. The results were amazing.

I stopped taking the supplements. After about a year, my knees started feeling achy again and seemed to be getting progressively worse with time.

I began taking (daily);
1,500 mg Glucosamine
1,200 mg Chondroitin
1,000 mg MSM

I’ve never stopped taking these supplements, since then.

By the way….they’re not expensive, you can find them at Walmart, in value sized packaging.

I’m in my late 40’s now. My knees feel strong, stable and pain free … like they did in my early 20’s (before Hotshots).

I now spend 10 days every year back pack sheep hunting, 10 days moose hunting (includes packing very heavy meat loads), along with at least one other hunt (mine or helping buddies). In addition, winters are spent backcountry skiing, springtime ski mountaineering, summer mountain biking, fishing and backpacking.

I know of quite a few others who’ve had similar results.

I’d strongly recommend trying these supplements. Don’t expect instantaneous results. Give them a try …. by faithfully taking them daily for at least a year.

Damage to knees generally occurs over long periods of time. This treatment is similar, in that it takes time to see rebuilding results.

 

[mike.adams.467]

69 here and have been taking it for 4 years. Still hunt solo for the most part. Packed out my elk by myself this year. Steep downhill too. Have to take it for a few months before the results really show but will never stop.

I'm 62 now and I take it as well. I packed out my elk (with a helper) about 3 miles this year, and packed out a boned out mule deer buck as well. I try to stay active year round.

 

[Seeknelk]

Kneesovertoesguy...his stuff is very legit!

Also- Voodoo floss above and below knees(one at a time) during workout warmups has been very big for me! Wrap, and do 20 air squats, unwrap, feel the blood rush back in and do good things. Range of motion instantly improves.

 

[Jimss]

I used to run long distance in college and had to quit due to bad knees. What helped be recover more than anything was hiking hills. It strengthened all the muscles surrounding my knees. Obviously not a lot of steep downhill pounding. Someone above mentioned trekking poles and that’s a fantastic idea for steep downhill especially with a load on your back.

I hike miles each day at work and now don’t have any knee problems. If you can simulate the terrain you’ll be hunting on you will be that much better off. If your knees are super bad I would recommend swimming or something else a little less harsh until you get the muscles around your knees strengthened.

 

[chrissytoosaucy]

^^^^this has also been my experience.

In my 20’s I was a wildland fire Hotshot. All the miles, carrying heavy loads (pack and saw), along with fitness running, caught up with me. My knees felt like they had been permanently damaged. Which caused me to get out of fire and pursue another career. My knees would lock up if I straightened them too quickly, popped while twisting in place, hurt while walking up stairs and were always sore.

I began taking 1,500 mg Glucosamine + 1,200 mg Chondroitin. After about 6 months I felt like they might be helping, but hadn’t seen a significant improvement.

I then went to a Dr. who was in his 70’s that had spent a lot of time carrying heavy packs on expeditionary mountaineering trips, back pack hunting and running marathons.

He told me that in addition to Glucosamine + Chondroitin, I should add 1,000mg of Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM).

After 6 months (12 months total) my knees felt like they were 80% healed. After 24 months my knees felt great. The results were amazing.

I stopped taking the supplements. After about a year, my knees started feeling achy again and seemed to be getting progressively worse with time.

I began taking (daily);
1,500 mg Glucosamine
1,200 mg Chondroitin
1,000 mg MSM

I’ve never stopped taking these supplements, since then.

By the way….they’re not expensive, you can find them at Walmart, in value sized packaging.

I’m in my late 40’s now. My knees feel strong, stable and pain free … like they did in my early 20’s (before Hotshots).

I now spend 10 days every year back pack sheep hunting, 10 days moose hunting (includes packing very heavy meat loads), along with at least one other hunt (mine or helping buddies). In addition, winters are spent backcountry skiing, springtime ski mountaineering, summer mountain biking, fishing and backpacking.

I know of quite a few others who’ve had similar results.

I’d strongly recommend trying these supplements. Don’t expect instantaneous results. Give them a try …. by faithfully taking them daily for at least a year.

Damage to knees generally occurs over long periods of time. This treatment is similar, in that it takes time to see rebuilding results.

Thanks so much for the info!! Going to take all your advice into account and try these supplements soon. Really appreciate it


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[Hussar]

A couple things I do that help my knees:

• Losing 30lbs (also just helps with life in general)
• Cutting out processed foods and vegetable oils (inflammation is no joke)
• Correctly performed squats (I follow the Starting Strength squat model)

If I eat something with vegetable oils or is typically processed, my knees will start hurting the next day. It takes about 2 days of "clean" eating to let the inflammation go away.

I can usually go a couple weeks without squatting before I start noticing knee pain again. The pain goes away after a good squat workout though. I follow 5/3/1 programming, so my rep range falls somewhere within 2-7 reps per set. I also adhere to the Starting Strength low bar back squat as I've found that works best for me.

I've heard great things about knees over toes, but haven't explored his programming (yet). Maybe if I find I need some additional help, I'll look to his information next.

 

[bc54]

Plus one more for KOTG exercises.
Also, as mentioned before losing a few pounds had a tremendous effect for me when it came to knee pain.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is minimalist shoes. I do know it's not for everyone.
But for me, I've switched over almost entirely to minimalist shoes. I wear minimalist shoes running/workouts and I wear "minimalist" boots (not as extreme as the shoes, has a 2mm drop and more support than the shoes) daily.
In cold weather, I have conventional boots. On long hikes over rocky terrain I wear conventional boots. If running over 8miles, I wear typical running shoes, though I rarely run that far these days.
The shoes have helped change my running form and standing posture for the better.

 

[Blandry]

• Losing 30lbs (also just helps with life in general)
• Cutting out processed foods and vegetable oils (inflammation is no joke)
• Correctly performed squats (I follow the Starting Strength squat model)

If I eat something with vegetable oils or is typically processed, my knees will start hurting the next day. It takes about 2 days of "clean" eating to let the inflammation go away.

I can usually go a couple weeks without squatting before I start noticing knee pain again. The pain goes away after a good squat workout though. I follow 5/3/1 programming, so my rep range falls somewhere within 2-7 reps per set. I also adhere to the Starting Strength low bar back squat as I've found that works best for me.

I've heard great things about knees over toes, but haven't explored his programming (yet). Maybe if I find I need some additional help, I'll look to his information next.

Resistance training and like others have said, balanced leg training with squats, leg press, leg curls, stiff leg deadlifts (also good for lower back strength, needed for long days up and down hills with pack weight), deadlifts (also leg/hip/lower back strength), seated and standing calf raises (which work different parts of the calf muscles, lower-seated and upper-standing). Balancing the quads, hamstrings, calf muscle strength around the knee joint. If I stop resistance training for a several months my knee pain returns on long hikes. Within a few months of strength training again the pain stops. I'm 52 by the way and have been strength training on and off my entire life. Sometimes I'll take a year or so off but have never gone more than about 2 years w/o getting back in the gym. It works for sure.

 

[Blandry]

I also use this supplement regularly but the MSM/Chondroitin dosages are well below what MaraviaDave takes. It does have the 1500mg of glucosamine https://www.evlnutrition.com/products/flexmode-capsules

I might start throwing in a little more chondroitin/msm..

 

[TradArcher]

If you wind up with torn meniscus like I did then avoid knee surgery and instead do the PRP shots or even straight up stem cell. You have to ask for regenerative treatment as it seems the orthos are keep from mentioning it where I go. Panorama in Golden CO offers PRP injections for like $850 per joint, I have had a few and its like a new knee with zero pain for me. My last PRP injection with a torn menuiscus lasted 3 years and I just got another not too long back. I need to schedule one for my torn up elbow too.

If you do the scope and resulting menisucs partial removal you are that much closer to joint replacement - that is a thing I want to avoid if at all possible and the PRP shots work great for me. My tear is the posterior horn of the lateral meniscus on my right knee for any others out there with similar injuries. I can snowboard, haul heavy packs and hike around the up/down country near where I live (which is in the CO mountains).

Hope this info helps out someone else.

 

[Fjellvei]

@Cam Hanes , please chime in . We would all like to replicate our knees in similar fashion to yours

 

[RuggedYogi]

Yoga combined with a strength training routine seems to be keeping me resistant to injuries so far.

 

[Blandry]

@Cam Hanes , please chime in . We would all like to replicate our knees in similar fashion to yours

Cam's an older guy 52 but NEVER stops moving and keeps his weight under 175@5'10'' height. That's the ticket.

Back in my 20s/30s I was a bodybuilder and wanted to carry 200+lbs of muscle. I'm still about 190lbs of muscle (215 with my fat). You want to be light to protect the knees or build the muscles to support the weight. If you have the weight and no muscle strength you end up like a lot of my coworkers over the years with full knee and hip replacements.

 

[dutch_henry]

Yoga combined with a strength training routine seems to be keeping me resistant to injuries so far.

Yoga is the bomb. Was an absolute game-changer for me and in terms of knees it helped me come back from a torn meniscus (surgical fix, would never know it happened) and then a massively shattered tib/fib (sucked and still sucks on occasion).

Another option is to incorporate band work and stability exercises into your w/o. Yet another is to do bodyweight exercises on uneven/unstable surfaces that work your stabilizer muscles. If a strength routine doesn't always fit, you can also add in fun stuff like balance boards or watching TV on a pilates ball instead of a chair.

 

[S.Clancy]

Strong hamstrings and glutes. So lots of RDLs, weighted lunges, back squats, Glute ham raises.

 

[Clarktar]

Jalapeno cheese dip. Has to be the Frito kind in a tin can. Has kept me basically ageless!

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[S.Clancy]

Jalapeno cheese dip. Has to be the Frito kind in a tin can. Has kept me basically ageless!

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I looked at the ingredients of the can you left at the house, it's not even cheese! It would be more appropriately called "Yellow Canola Oil Dip"

 

[Pony Soldier]

This might not be the right place - but close. I got pitched off a horse recently (twice) and have been having trouble bending my right knee. The discomfort isn't in the knee but the tendons in the back. Knee bends don't hurt but a mile downhill and I struggle pick up my lower leg and tend to drag it over logs.

It appears to be getting better - slowly. Any ideas?

 

[JohnB]

This might not be the right place - but close. I got pitched off a horse recently (twice) and have been having trouble bending my right knee. The discomfort isn't in the knee but the tendons in the back. Knee bends don't hurt but a mile downhill and I struggle pick up my lower leg and tend to drag it over logs.

It appears to be getting better - slowly. Any ideas?

Talk to a physical therapist. A decent one is a friggen wizard at diagnosing problems and suggesting exercises to get things functioning again.

 

[Clarktar]

I looked at the ingredients of the can you left at the house, it's not even cheese! It would be more appropriately called "Yellow Canola Oil Dip"

Them canola fruits for good oil for the knees!

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