High Sierra Topix

Freestone

That sucks! Somehow despite many 100 day skiing years a thousands and thousands of vertical ups and downs my knees are ok. But hips are another story but not bad enough to keep me off the trails or off of extensive cross country travel. Keeping my fingers crossed as I approach 70, though.

Mike

I used to. My knees were so bad I would lay in bed at night and almost cry they stung and ached so bad. I started Crossfit and the pain is completely gone in one knee and about 90% gone in the other....I must have had some kind of tendonitis or something. I thought for sure I was headed to knee replacements...whew...

Knee problems are the worst!

5+ years ago, I basically blew out my "shock absorbers" in my knees years back w the constant down pounding on Mt Katahdin in Maine - 4,000 feet up and down in a day. For 1-2 weeks after hobbled. Took time off trail/exercise for a while and when resumed training/getting back into shape for following summer had to get into PT for a few weeks to rebuild the muscle and flexiblity. This year, once again, I landed hard on my knee cap slipping on winter ice up in Death Valley's peaks. Nearly fractured my knee cap. Serious bruising. Once again back in PT -setting me back big time during my training for summer backpacking.

One thing I learned - this time around is PT plus regular (Iyengar) Yoga is keeping me strong and flexible. But the stability and balance is the key. Need to work all muscle groups and give it variety. I had been overcompensated certain groups (quads) over others (glutes) to my detriment. Now need to re-build and work it all up from the ground. That and need the regular maintenance - not stop/starting on the training, exercise bit - to maintain the balance/flexibility.

Worse part - can hit you at any age... I'm not even 40....

folded the left knee a few years ago after a left ankle sprain (combined injury). Now the patella clicks. doctor told me to extend it with a 1lb sand weight on the ankle to build the outside muscle strength. appears to be working.

Update 4/25 after an actual x-ray of the ankle. Appears I actually broke that ankle in the early 90's 8 miles in..

FINDINGS:

BONES: Evidence of osseous remodeling distal fibular shaft
suggesting an old, healed fracture. No acute fracture identified.

Go figure. Patella still pops, but it could be worse. I'll just rub some dirt on it. And maybe get in shape before I go out and be more careful.

Several years ago my right knee got damaged(?) and started hurting after a hike in the mountains.

I started using stair climbing as a way to strengthen my knee.
For almost a year I had no progress when I was stepping on each stairstep.

Then I started stepping on every other step when walking upstairs and on every step when walking downstairs.
In a few month this pain was almost completely eliminated.

BE SURE and have an orthopedist check it out. Recently I had a really bad knee and it was a meniscus tear. I had surgery and it was completely well a year later (more rapid recovery for those of you who arn't so old like me. I had mine torn in 1967 and operated on in 2014 and after all that time the operation was a complete success.