Supplements for knee pain

[blackshuk]

Any thoughts on some type of assisted squatting? Something that takes off most of the weight and I can gradually increase?

TRX Bands.
Super nice to have around the house. Great for assisted movements and also unassisted movements. You can get an awesome workout on them with just bodyweight

 

[Cameron945]

I’ve been slowly gaining mobility and range of motions back through stretching and the “flossing” techniques. Again, whoever that was that shared that, I cannot thank you enough. Who would have thought a simple post would have made such a huge difference.

now the next phase... I’m motivated to now fix the issues and prevent further issues by increasing my leg strength ( as mentioned by many on here). The problem is I’m still unable to do a plain old fashion squat with my body weight. There is just no thrust there.

Any thoughts on some type of assisted squatting? Something that takes off most of the weight and I can gradually increase?

Box squats aren't just for powerlifters. You can use them as a way to work up to a solid body weight squat. Use a chair. The higher the chair, the easier it will be to stand up from. Try to work up in reps before going down to the next chair level because lower platforms will be more difficult to stand up from.



You can also invest in a large strength band (rubber band approximately 3ft when folded in half). Loop it around something above you and use the hanging part to hold onto or wrap around your back, through your armpits for some assisted squats.

 

[CoffeeGoat]

You can do lunges/split squats with trekking poles as an aid.

 

[OutdoorsMD]

Good suggestions by many. It comes down to what the underlying cause for the pain is. The key is finding the correct balance of cardio/strength training that works. Wall squats are my favorite exercise in general for anterior knee pain which is the most common type of knee pain I see in younger (under 40) pts, especially runners. Maintaining a low(ish) BMI helps as well. People don’t like to hear it but losing weight if you are significantly overweight helps ten times more than any supplement/injection/exercise. I am a board certified orthopaedic surgeon. PM me if you have any questions and am happy to share my credentials with you.

 

[swampthing]

You can do lunges/split squats with trekking poles as an aid.

Great idea! I just tried these last night and they are still quite painfull. I could just barely do them holding a chair with one hand. I will do some every day now. My ountain hunt is only 3 weeks away!

 

[jeffpg]

When I was about 50 years old my knee pain got bad enough that I went to a sports Doctor. He diagnosed me with misalignment in my knee joints and gave me braces. I never really used them and the pain more or less comes & goes. I do take various joint supplements. I’m 59 now and the pain has definitely increased. I’m going to be looking at these various squats mentioned here and I welcome your advice divingpa and OutdoorsMD.

 

[CoffeeGoat]

When I was about 50 years old my knee pain got bad enough that I went to a sports Doctor. He diagnosed me with misalignment in my knee joints and gave me braces. I never really used them and the pain more or less comes & goes. I do take various joint supplements. I’m 59 now and the pain has definitely increased. I’m going to be looking at these various squats mentioned here and I welcome your advice divingpa and OutdoorsMD.

If there is one thing that helped me the most it was taking ownership of my own personal aches and pains. As many people have mentioned tracking down the root cause is vital, and next up is tracking down what helps you. Even something as simple as searching on you tube for "mobility" and what ever hurts "creaky knees" can get you some really good results.

In this case I follow that specific PT and know he's not a nut job, but there are others who are similarly good and usually you can find some mobility exercise that will help (along with strength training). It'll be a bit of a personal journey to find your own junk and fix it, and it'll likely take some trial and error q and time.

Treat joint pain like any other health issue, some stuff you can self treat, more serious stuff might need professional help, but please don't ignore the issue. You wouldn't ignore some big blisters - don't ignore knee pain.

 

[hewittja]

I have heard some really good things about krill oil for inflammation if that is the problem. Similar to what others have suggested I have also found that squats/lifting but also stretching or using a foam roller really helped.

 

[lam396]

A high quality fish oil helps my joints a ton. I stopped traveling without it cause my knees would be hurting by the end of a trip.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

 

[Southwesterner]

Stretching. Lots of common knee pain is caused either by muscle imbalances or tightness in the legs (calves, quads, etc.)

 

[spc7669]

I was hurting all over when I turned 40. Started going to a chiropractor then found Stew Smith’s podcast that got me aggressively stretching every day. I also tried a bunch of stuff that didn’t work. It might take a minute, but you can find what will fix your problem. Best of luck!

 

[sd375]

When you are recommending stretches, specifically what types are you guys doing?

 

[BryceB]

I agree with some of the post above. Supplements might help a little bit the best solution is going to a long term one. Strength exercise, shoe choice, running form correction will help way more than any pills.
I would suggest a long slow transition to more flat, zero drop running shoes.

 

[dsotm]

Fish oil and using knee sleeves when squatting/deadlifting keeps mine relatively un-cranky

 

[*zap*]

I highly recommend Merrell Trail Gloves and Vapor gloves for e-z surfaces. These have helped me a lot since I started wearing them 100% of the time, started in April.

 

[morgchaput]

So I’m 30. Knees are not in the best condition at this point. I like to run. I should probably stop that and buy a mtn bike but in the meantime is anyone taking supplements that seem to work for them with knee pain?

I run and hike a lot, too much probably and I have terrible knees pain and I’m 25! I’ve tried glucosamine, BCAA’s, CBD, and collagen. I also invested in two different pairs of running shoes that are comfy but don’t help. I’ve yet to find anything that helps either. I’ve been to the doctor and they can’t find anything wrong but mine comes and goes. I’d be interested in this also!

 

[Northpark]

I run and hike a lot, too much probably and I have terrible knees pain and I’m 25! I’ve tried glucosamine, BCAA’s, CBD, and collagen. I also invested in two different pairs of running shoes that are comfy but don’t help. I’ve yet to find anything that helps either. I’ve been to the doctor and they can’t find anything wrong but mine comes and goes. I’d be interested in this also!

Sounds exactly like me. I’ve been bouncing different ideas around and trying different things. So far I’ve found a couple things that work.

1. 1:1 ratio of bike rides to runs. I used to run 6 days a week. Now I run 3 and bike 3.
Seems like the bike has strengthened my knees.

2. Only run uphill. I live in a pretty hilly area. I now plan routes that are a long uphill run with a shorter downhill on the way back. I run uphill which makes s lower impact and actually provides better a better workout and shuffle or walk downhill. No running downhill!

3. A little ibuprofen and ice if I feel any soreness followed by a day off.

It was really hard for me to do this stuff because I’m stubborn but it has really helped.

 

[Northpark]

I run and hike a lot, too much probably and I have terrible knees pain and I’m 25! I’ve tried glucosamine, BCAA’s, CBD, and collagen. I also invested in two different pairs of running shoes that are comfy but don’t help. I’ve yet to find anything that helps either. I’ve been to the doctor and they can’t find anything wrong but mine comes and goes. I’d be interested in this also!

Sounds exactly like me. I’ve been bouncing different ideas around and trying different things. So far I’ve found a couple things that work.

1. 1:1 ratio of bike rides to runs. I used to run 6 days a week. Now I run 3 and bike 3.
Seems like the bike has strengthened my knees.

2. Only run uphill. I live in a pretty hilly area. I now plan routes that are a long uphill run with a shorter downhill on the way back. I run uphill which makes s lower impact and actually provides better a better workout and shuffle or walk downhill. No running downhill!

3. A little ibuprofen and ice if I feel any soreness followed by a day off.

It was really hard for me to do this stuff because I’m stubborn but it has really helped.

 

[*zap*]

My knees were sore yesterday morning after 5 days straight hiking 3 miles a day, so I rode the gym stationary bike for 60 minutes/15 miles and today they feel better. I think the mix of bike to hike is something I will be doing for the next few weeks and see how that goes. Trekking poles will definitely help knees but I do not use them on training hikes because I am trying to strengthen my knees/legs. Proper foot placement/landing also helps, land on ball of foot. Lots of people heel strike, look at the soles of your shoes and it will be apparent if you heel strike.