Weak knees - literally

marc_9 said:

As my already seemingly advanced years stack up, I find my knees are
getting weaker - literally.
I find i am not able to run, even a normal jog puts stress on them.
I also have the honour of having flat feet, which did not give me
problems as a kid, but am feeling the affects via wear on my knees.
This is one reason why I ride my bicycle so much, in comparison to
walking.
Apart from seeing a doctor, would anyone out there have any pearls of
wisdom to share?

Do you have flat feet or weak arches? i.e., are they flat all the time
or only when you stand on them.

Is the knee pain due to weakness in the muscles around the knee, muscle
imbalance etc., or due to the jarring motion of running? If it's
jarring, then it's a technique thing, easy to fix - try shortening your
stride, check your shoes are adequately cushioned, and make sure your
feet don't land too far in front (in which case they push you backwards,
why would you want that?). If it's a foot problem, which tends to spread
to knee/hip/back problems, then getting the right pair of shoes or
orthotics can be great.

If you find you cycle more comfortably with your cleats angled such that
your toes turn in, it may be that you overpronate - most of the
overpronating triathletes I know that don't get orthotics for their
cycle shoes have their toes turned in a bit to compensate.

Then again it could be something like low joint fluid or cartilage
damage, in which case you can take some glucosamine sulfate but mostly
rest is best.

Don't waste time seeing a GP because they usually can't help. Most of
them just don't understand sports injuries. Given your flat feet I'd
recommend seeing a podiatrist first, see a good sports podiatrist. They
know lots about legs and feet, and they should also know drills for
improving technique. Alternatively see a good physio or a good doc
specialising in sports medicine.

Don't ask a shoe shop for advice, even shops with podiatrists in store.
(A podiatrist won't give you a prescription for free.)

T

Tamyka Bell said:

Don't waste time seeing a GP because they usually can't help. Most of
them just don't understand sports injuries.

Hey! I resent that - even though it might just be true...:o

Johnny O-R said:

Tamyka Bell said:

Don't waste time seeing a GP because they usually can't help. Most of
them just don't understand sports injuries.

Hey! I resent that - even though it might just be true...:o

--
Johnny O-R

Disclaimer: the person responsible for the initial post makes no claim
to an unbiased opinion about the ability of any said general
practitioner of medicine to make an accurate diagnosis of
beforementioned suspected sporting injury.

Tee hee. (too much tv) I really meant no offence. But...

Ummm... unfortunately, unless it's a broken bone or a dislocated
shoulder, you'd be hard pressed to find a GP who has the latest info.
Some doctors don't even recognise ITB friction syndrome, etc., even
though a huge percentage of the population participates in sports that
make them liable to exactly that injury. That being said, if you're
misdiagnosed, it's unlikely you'll die. Unlike that time I had
meningitis...

In addition, there is pressure for GPs to instantly cure problems with a
wonder drug. Unfortunately the many overuse injuries in sport don't
respond to that but rather to a bit of rest, and then retraining to
prevent the cause rather than just treat the symptom. So last time my
ITB friction suddenly went from mild to
oh-dear-i-have-to-catch-a-bus-home, I skipped the GP altogether and went
straight to my physio emergency room (which means I walked in and said
"I need to see Shane, my ITB has just stuffed up in a real hurry and I
don't know whether I should ice it or just start bashing the [censored] out of
it, and then he bashed it for me while other clients waited, yeah, it's
fun being a star).

Just my $0.02

T

In article <[email hidden]>,

Tamyka Bell said:

I need to see Shane

Just make an appointment.

;-)

--
Shane Stanley

Shane Stanley said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Tamyka Bell said:

I need to see Shane

Just make an appointment.

;-)

--
Shane Stanley

:-P

T

quote='Tamyka Bell'Shane Stanley said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Tamyka Bell said:

I need to see Shane

Just make an appointment.

;-)

--
Shane Stanley

:-P

T[/QUOTE]
How'd you guess my middle name?

I'll try not to stuff up too much...

Johnny 'Ferrari' O-R

marc_9 said:

Apart from seeing a doctor, would anyone out there have any pearls of
wisdom to share?

Work on keeping your cadence high.
Low cadence will make your knees worse.

Terry Collins said:

marc_9 said:

Apart from seeing a doctor, would anyone out there have any pearls of
wisdom to share?

Work on keeping your cadence high.
Low cadence will make your knees worse.

Oh that's a good one. It's more practical than my preferred methods of
knee protection, such as not cycling up hills and demanding leg massages
from close friends and loved ones.

T

PS hippy - do knee warmers help?

quote='Tamyka Bell'Terry Collins said:

marc_9 said:

Apart from seeing a doctor, would anyone out there have any pearls of
wisdom to share?

Work on keeping your cadence high.
Low cadence will make your knees worse.

Oh that's a good one. It's more practical than my preferred methods of
knee protection, such as not cycling up hills and demanding leg massages
from close friends and loved ones.

T

PS hippy - do knee warmers help?[/QUOTE]
my knees were shot at the age of 20 from playing football and i started riding because i couldnt run more than a couple of hundred metres and i swear by yoga, stretching. Massage is good to, but nothing beats doing a bit of yoga.

also, when you ride do you use your glutes more or your knees to "push"?
bit hard to quantify, i know, but i try to drive my power out of my glutes and it saves a bit of stress on the old knees.

"Tamyka Bell" <[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

Terry Collins said:

Work on keeping your cadence high.
Low cadence will make your knees worse.

Oh that's a good one. It's more practical than my preferred methods of
knee protection, such as not cycling up hills and demanding leg massages
from close friends and loved ones.

T

PS hippy - do knee warmers help?

LOL.. I'm getting a strange sense of dejavu.. :-D

Not climbing hills - perfect.
Massages - Take all you can get.
Knee Warmers - Taking the world by storm! Get yourself
a pair now! Don't be left behind! Join the millions flocking
to this great 'life enhancer'. EPO? Pfft! Knee Warmers!!

hippy

Tamyka Bell said:

Oh that's a good one. It's more practical than my preferred methods of
knee protection, such as not cycling up hills

Walking up hills is an acceptable method of hill climbing.
I have used that argument when choosing routes a number of times.

Hint, do not rely on old bicyclist stopping so you can also walk.

Tamyka
In reply to your questions:
1. I believe I have flat feet not weak arches.
2. I doubt if I have weak muscles around my knee. Not sure about
whether it is due to muscle imbalance, although I strongly doubt it.
3. I dont have back or hip problems.
4. I dont use cleats but know I overpronate. I do use orthotics
insoles(spelling?) but have not solved major problems. Got them done in
1987 and not been back since! I know Iknow ...
5. My feet tend to overpronate outwards.
6. I will try glucosamine sulfate.

Thanks.

Tamyka Bell said:

marc_9 said:

As my already seemingly advanced years stack up, I find my knees

are

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

getting weaker - literally.
I find i am not able to run, even a normal jog puts stress on them.
I also have the honour of having flat feet, which did not give me
problems as a kid, but am feeling the affects via wear on my knees.
This is one reason why I ride my bicycle so much, in comparison to
walking.
Apart from seeing a doctor, would anyone out there have any pearls

of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

wisdom to share?

Do you have flat feet or weak arches? i.e., are they flat all the

time

Quoted message said:

or only when you stand on them.

Is the knee pain due to weakness in the muscles around the knee,

muscle

Quoted message said:

imbalance etc., or due to the jarring motion of running? If it's
jarring, then it's a technique thing, easy to fix - try shortening

your

Quoted message said:

stride, check your shoes are adequately cushioned, and make sure your
feet don't land too far in front (in which case they push you

backwards,

Quoted message said:

why would you want that?). If it's a foot problem, which tends to

spread

Quoted message said:

to knee/hip/back problems, then getting the right pair of shoes or
orthotics can be great.

If you find you cycle more comfortably with your cleats angled such

that

Quoted message said:

your toes turn in, it may be that you overpronate - most of the
overpronating triathletes I know that don't get orthotics for their
cycle shoes have their toes turned in a bit to compensate.

Then again it could be something like low joint fluid or cartilage
damage, in which case you can take some glucosamine sulfate but

mostly

Quoted message said:

rest is best.

Don't waste time seeing a GP because they usually can't help. Most of
them just don't understand sports injuries. Given your flat feet I'd
recommend seeing a podiatrist first, see a good sports podiatrist.

They

Quoted message said:

know lots about legs and feet, and they should also know drills for
improving technique. Alternatively see a good physio or a good doc
specialising in sports medicine.

Don't ask a shoe shop for advice, even shops with podiatrists in

store.

Quoted message said:

(A podiatrist won't give you a prescription for free.)

T

hippy said:

"Tamyka Bell" <[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

Terry Collins said:

Work on keeping your cadence high.
Low cadence will make your knees worse.

Oh that's a good one. It's more practical than my preferred methods of
knee protection, such as not cycling up hills and demanding leg massages
from close friends and loved ones.

T

PS hippy - do knee warmers help?

LOL.. I'm getting a strange sense of dejavu.. :-D

Not climbing hills - perfect.
Massages - Take all you can get.
Knee Warmers - Taking the world by storm! Get yourself
a pair now! Don't be left behind! Join the millions flocking
to this great 'life enhancer'. EPO? Pfft! Knee Warmers!!

hippy

I'm telling you hippy, you should write a book. Or you could do a PhD
with a topic of the Performance Benefits of Knee Warmers in Sprint and
Endurance Cycling.

T

quote='Tamyka Bell'hippy said:

"Tamyka Bell" <[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

Terry Collins said:

Work on keeping your cadence high.
Low cadence will make your knees worse.

Oh that's a good one. It's more practical than my preferred methods of
knee protection, such as not cycling up hills and demanding leg massages
from close friends and loved ones.

T

PS hippy - do knee warmers help?

LOL.. I'm getting a strange sense of dejavu.. :-D

Not climbing hills - perfect.
Massages - Take all you can get.
Knee Warmers - Taking the world by storm! Get yourself
a pair now! Don't be left behind! Join the millions flocking
to this great 'life enhancer'. EPO? Pfft! Knee Warmers!!

hippy

I'm telling you hippy, you should write a book. Or you could do a PhD
with a topic of the Performance Benefits of Knee Warmers in Sprint and
Endurance Cycling.

T[/QUOTE]
'A double blind randomised control trial of knee warmers v body hair in the post adolescent male' perhaps?

"Johnny O-R" <[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Tam

I'm telling you hippy, you should write a book. Or you could do a PhD
with a topic of the Performance Benefits of Knee Warmers in Sprint and
Endurance Cycling.

'A double blind randomised control trial of knee warmers v body hair in
the post adolescent male' perhaps?

So you reckon my original 'Knee Warmers - They're The [censored]'
isn't such a good title?

What about:
"The utilisation of lycra-assisted compression and stabilisation
devices on the sub-iliopsoas region of an almost-human male
and their performance benefits when applied to modern
velocipede propulsion."

hippy

[quote="hippy What about: "The utilisation of lycra-assisted compression and stabilisation devices on the sub-iliopsoas region of an almost-human male and their performance benefits when applied to modern velocipede propulsion." hippy[/QUOTE"]
You'd set fire to some arses with a paper like that... somewhere...😉

hippy said:

"Johnny O-R" <[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Tam

I'm telling you hippy, you should write a book. Or you could do a PhD
with a topic of the Performance Benefits of Knee Warmers in Sprint and
Endurance Cycling.

'A double blind randomised control trial of knee warmers v body hair in
the post adolescent male' perhaps?

So you reckon my original 'Knee Warmers - They're The [censored]'
isn't such a good title?

What about:
"The utilisation of lycra-assisted compression and stabilisation
devices on the sub-iliopsoas region of an almost-human male
and their performance benefits when applied to modern
velocipede propulsion."

hippy

I almost passed out from lack of oxygen, reading that aloud.

"Tamyka Bell" <[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

hippy said:

"The utilisation of lycra-assisted compression and stabilisation
devices on the sub-iliopsoas region of an almost-human male
and their performance benefits when applied to modern
velocipede propulsion."

I almost passed out from lack of oxygen, reading that aloud.

Almost? Almost! Damn!
Next time you will not be so fortunate! mwahahahaha!

hippy

Johnny O-R said:

hippy What about:
"The utilisation of lycra-assisted compression and stabilisation
devices on the sub-iliopsoas region of an almost-human male
and their performance benefits when applied to modern
velocipede propulsion."

So I can't use my old footy socks with the toes cut out then? {:-(.