Knee pain options

[geo4061]

Try compression socks. Yes, they helped me with knee pain and leg pain. They got me off the couch. I just started trying Copper Fit knee compression sleeves. The jury is still out on these.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

Not withstanding proper diagnosis and treatment, my best advice is to take 600mg Ibuprofen 3x a day starting a few days before the hunt and continue until you return home. You will likely find some relief.

I've had 3 knee surgeries and have some arthritis in my rt knee. The Ibuprofen works well for me when hunting. All summer I cycle, cycle, cycle. For whatever reason, cycling doesn't cause me knee pain and I can get in a great workout early in the morning and still have the entire day to complete life's chores.

 

[rustyshackleford]

Glucosamine and turmeric work for some people. Instead of running I'd look into Starting Strength or some articles from Bret Contreras. Obviously you need to find out what is damaged first but if I had to wager a guess you are like myself and most others and sit too much. There is a lot of BS around weightlifting but it's probably the easiest way to put in work and get what you want. Basically the nutshell is weak hamstrings, glutes, and low back put additional strain on the knees. Over time this damages the knees. Make those muscles stronger and the knee pain can go away if it's not too advanced. You don't have to set eye popping PR's to get stronger either.

 

[Elkeater]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I'm thinking a diet of Ibuprofen before this next hunt is in order then as soon as it's done I'll get an MRI. I'm actually a pretty active person in general and can't sit at my desk worth a darn. So I'm generally moving quite a bit through the day including getting out and working in the woods (forester by trade) but this is starting to effect that too. I'll try icing it daily too.

 

[26Reload]

Eat beef from the store...less elk.....

 

[Elkeater]

Eat beef from the store...less elk.....

Blasphemy!!! Seriously though any real reason?

 

[hpmag308]

Get a stair master. Doesn't put the thumping an pressure on knees like running does.

 

[Don A Parsons]

CBD oil,,, and you won't look back...

Don't cheap out,,, get the good stuff...

Cheers from the North

 

[26Reload]

Less working out on a bad wheel....and less competition out in the woods.....
Beef sucks.....

 

[Lynn Coleman]

7 surgeries on right knee, then replacement, left knee 2 scopes, First a full exam with MRI to determine cause of pain. I have used KT tape (per their instructions based on pain area) has helped. Reduce the impact on knees to prevent further damage. Good luck on your hunt!

 

[26Reload]

Heck....lets play doctors....
Diagnosis of bad knee....
Exercising hurts it.....yeah...
Going up hill hurt.....?
Going down hill hurt.....?
Can you relax it and rock the joint forward and back...?
Twisting side to side cause extreme movement and or extra pain...?

 

[Ldigio21]

So I'm about 40 days out from a Aoudad sheep hunt in west Texas and I'm doing what I can to stay in shape with a pretty good work out consisting of 9 (3 sets of 3) 100 yard uphill(run uphill and walk downhill) sprints with a set of 10 push ups between each sprint and a set of flutter kicks every third sprint. So 9 uphill sprints, 100 push ups, 3 sets of flutter kicks in about 25 minutes followed by going up and down that same hill carrying a 45 pound rock 3-4 times over my head so another 20 minutes. Seems to be a pretty good mix of cardio and strength training but...

I don't actually enjoy the above mentioned workout what I actually enjoy is running which is also the only thing that seems to work for weight loss for me. Here's the problem any more than about 2 miles of running and I won't be able walk the next day due to knee pain. So my question is what kind of knee stuff have folks done. I'm only 30 and while I wasn't exactly nice to my knees in my 20s I have a hard time believing they're already gone. I went to the doc once about it and they came up with physical therapy and an appearance that nothing was wrong. What do you guys think? A second opinion? What types of knee surgery have folks gone through? Any info at all?

There are a lot of things it could be and other than knee pain there is little to go on to figure out what to recommend. How much do you weigh, does your knee swell, what is your BMI, where does your knee hurt? An exam , X=rays and potentially an MRI scan are all important but with so little time till your hunt its very difficult to diagnose and solve your problem. That said, I'm a 67 year old otrhtopaedic surgeon with knee and hip issues. Almost every year I hunt the Frank Church wilderness, middle fork of the Salmon area. It is very rugged steep terrain. I start training no later than December for a September or October hunt. Last November we diagnosed my knee with a degenerative tear of the medial meniscus and bad chondromalacia patella. I had a partial meniscectomy about 30 years earlier and did well till about October of 2018. I elected not to have surgery this time and started training using an elliptical alternating with squats working up to 405 on the squats in pyramid fashion to about 120 reps. After about a month my knee pain was completely resolved despite the known pathology. With knee problems hip abductor and quadriceps strengthening are very important in resolving patella femoral pain.
Perhaps the impact of the running is not for you. While cardiovascular training is important we usually are not running on our hunts. Low impact cardio and strength training may be more appropriate in your situation. Also used a 30 lb slam ball for cardio and if you want to rip your heart and lungs out and not beat up your knees give that a try. Another great tool is the use of a strong board balance board and do squats on that with a 25 or 30 lb sand bag.
In my younger years I hunted sheep and goats and could go where any mountain guide could go. Over the decades I clearly have experienced the ravages of time and have had to modify my training to get around ever mounting problems. So I feel your pain brother. Hope this helps and best of luck on your hunt.

 

[6MM06AI]

I had knee pain for quite a few years, tried several different treatments. Bought a techcare electro magnegtic pulse, about the size of a cell phone. Helped a little but what really helped was started to do squats and reverse split squats along with reverse leg curls with weight bands and hitting the HITT machine stair stepper along with my pushups and pullups and a core workout. Knees have never felt better. Hope you find what works for you. But they say too much Ibuprofin is hard on the liver so use caution.

 

[planetwaves]

So I'm about 40 days out from a Aoudad sheep hunt in west Texas and I'm doing what I can to stay in shape with a pretty good work out consisting of 9 (3 sets of 3) 100 yard uphill(run uphill and walk downhill) sprints with a set of 10 push ups between each sprint and a set of flutter kicks every third sprint. So 9 uphill sprints, 100 push ups, 3 sets of flutter kicks in about 25 minutes followed by going up and down that same hill carrying a 45 pound rock 3-4 times over my head so another 20 minutes. Seems to be a pretty good mix of cardio and strength training but...

I don't actually enjoy the above mentioned workout what I actually enjoy is running which is also the only thing that seems to work for weight loss for me. Here's the problem any more than about 2 miles of running and I won't be able walk the next day due to knee pain. So my question is what kind of knee stuff have folks done. I'm only 30 and while I wasn't exactly nice to my knees in my 20s I have a hard time believing they're already gone. I went to the doc once about it and they came up with physical therapy and an appearance that nothing was wrong. What do you guys think? A second opinion? What types of knee surgery have folks gone through? Any info at all?

I had a more severe knee problem about 7 years. I thought I was headed for knee replacements. Went to a doctor that specializes in knees. He examined me then took some xrays. He said there was no arthritis or bone spurs, but the muscles and ligaments had developed in an out of balance way from exercises I had done over the years, and were putting tensions on my knees, causing the pain. He referred me to a physical therapist. After evaluating my range of motion and flexibility, he taught me some stretches and exercises targeted at muscles and ligaments that affect the knees, gave me a sheet of paper with pictures and instructions and I was supposed to do it twice a day. He had me come in twice a week, and as I progressed he added to and modified my targeted workouts. It was painful for the first few weeks (had to ice pack after each session) but after 4 weeks I could see a definite improvement. After 6 weeks, he finalized my "maintenance" routine, and told me to do it at least every other day. After 7 years I'm still pain free.

Have been elk hunting every year since with no knee problems.