Maintaining healthy joints

[wyojdubya]

I'm in my mid-40s and in generally good health (6'3"/220, packing about 5 more pounds than I should). In the last two years, I've noticed increasing joint pain after hard days on the mountain, particularly in my hips and knees. It's not surprising--those joints have taken lots of abuse over the years. But it sucks when I hit day 3 of a hunt and I find myself thinking through every step, especially downhill, because it hurts. What have you done to deal with this? Are there any supplements or exercises that have helped keep your joints in good shape?

 

[huntnful]

2000mg Krill oil daily and ibuprofen BEFORE and after big hikes. That’s all I can contribute.

 

[wyodan]

I am now using Voltaren on my joints before and after big hikes. It's probably not keeping them healthy, but it sure helps with the pain.

 

[ianpadron]

Mobility plus strength equals no joint pain.

I dramatically overhauled my leg training about 5 years ago, incorporating lots of old school Poliquin style training (now popularized by Ben Patrick aka knees over toes guy). Instead of trying to be as strong as possible, the goal became unlocking more range of motion with the same weight/load, and becoming legitimately flexible.

Most dudes have a flat-out sad amount of flexibility, and spend all their time strength training with very limited ranges of motion.

Within a few months the aches in my knees, hips, feet after long hikes/hunts was gone entirely and didn't come back until this past year when I had to take 3 months off due to a fractured knee cap snowmobiling.

Incorporating the same stuff as rehab and almost back to 100%...it really does work.

Skip the pills and injections, toxic to your body long term, eats cartilage alive, and doesnt address the underlying issue.

Get strong and get flexible

 

[mtnbound]

I'm in my mid-40s and in generally good health (6'3"/220, packing about 5 more pounds than I should). In the last two years, I've noticed increasing joint pain after hard days on the mountain, particularly in my hips and knees. It's not surprising--those joints have taken lots of abuse over the years. But it sucks when I hit day 3 of a hunt and I find myself thinking through every step, especially downhill, because it hurts. What have you done to deal with this? Are there any supplements or exercises that have helped keep your joints in good shape?

What kind of pain? Where is it located? Both knees and both hips? What is your current fitness plan?

 

[Tilzbow]

I turned 60 this year. I’ve had 3 knee surgeries, major lower back and neck surgery, a dislocated right ankle and a broken left leg just above the ankle so my lower body has some miles and abuse. I’ve also had five upper body surgeries I won’t go into since they don’t affect my knees.

My knees feel better than they have in 30 years. Some of this has to do with the lower back surgery I had a year ago which has helped tremendously with my lower body flexibility and strength. In addition I’ve been doing the Mountain Tough workouts for 2.5 years which focuses on hip strengthening and mobility along with lots of movements that many believe are harmful to knees such as squats, deadlifts and lunges. These movements aren’t bad for the knees. A hard foam roller is also a great tool to build healthy knees, the specific movements are covered in a knee segment on the Mountain Tough app. The “Knee Over Toes Guy” is another good resource.

I think Mountain Tough is running a special right now. At a minimum a trial membership would be a great first step but you’ve got to do the work. Mobility (flexibility) and strength is the solution however you decide to get there.

 

[North of 60]

A few ideas to consider:

I would drop a lot more weight...losing a bunch of weight reduces stress on joints. Think about the literal impact of carrying a 20, 30, or 40 Lb pack everywhere/all day long. Dropping weight has greatly reduced chronic pain in my back/hips.

What type and how much are you training to get into shape/maintain it? Is it not enough training? The younger i get the more important stretching has become.

I would get checked out by a physical medicine doc for overall guidance as you may have arthritis setting in...in various joints and some PT may be in store.

Knee braces have helped me at times, especially with reducing pain in knees for descents. Strengthening your medial quads may help stabilize those knees: https://totalshape.com/training/best-vastus-medialis-exercises/

Are your shoes/boots optimized?