I got it covered. I traded a bear honey hole for a strong back and a pair of stout young legs should I happen to down an elk.
Darn knees
- Thread starter RidgeRoamingRichard
- Start date
Wildabeest
Well-known member
Agree with others that getting old just plain suck from a “new pain everyday” standpoint. I’ve developed arthritis in most of my joints. Some exacerbated by various injuries over the years. I’m not much for meds, therapy, etc. I’ve tried them with mixed results, but nothing that really impressed me as really helping much. As mentioned previously, for me it’s activity. If I go a week without walking, that next walk is going to hurt, and hurt even worse the next morning. But if I make myself walk at least 3 miles (usually 5-10) a minimum of every other day, then my pain is greatly reduced. Still there, but much more manageable.
I had a knee surgeon tell me I should curtail my outdoor activities and do less stressful sports like golf. He weighed in around 300lbs. Funny enough they asked me to leave after I told him what I thought of his prescription. I still have the knee pain but I get a chuckle every time it starts acting up.
lodgepoleJoe
Active member
I don't want to sound like a drug pusher and I don't use it but my wife has had good results with cbd oil (the non thc kind). Uses it on her knees and found it helps the arthritis in her hands as well. I don't know what it does or if its just mind over matter but it seems to help.
SaskHunter
Well-known member
Here's what I do when my knees or joints flare up;
Stop, slightly bend you knees, lean you shoulders forward, rest your palms on knees, close eyes, have a painful expression (very important) and finally let out some dad noises.
Final step, pop two or three 500mg Tylenol and keep on trucking.
Stop, slightly bend you knees, lean you shoulders forward, rest your palms on knees, close eyes, have a painful expression (very important) and finally let out some dad noises.
Final step, pop two or three 500mg Tylenol and keep on trucking.
Durango Mike
Well-known member
Well I am headed for a full knee replacement in January, finally had enough after 5 surgeries to repair damage from college sports the ortho said I would know when I needed it as there was nothing left to put back together. Was roping and hopped off my horse to take a calf down and the next thing i was looking up and my horse wanted to know why I was on the deck. I waited too long to get a new hip and then wondered why I did not do it sooner. Press on with low impact exercise, biking and swimming help, but sometimes replacement parts necessary. Being 73 everything seems to hurt after a full day in the saddle let alone hiking with a full pack and my bow or rifle, but as long as I don't wake up to see a toe tag on my left big toe I know it will be a good day!
Straight Arrow
Well-known member
Don't climb down into rocky gorges with with loose rocks wearing a heavy backpack. Patellar tendon repair/reattachment last month, twenty-nine staples came out last week, first PT session tomorrow ... but at a young 75, my goal is to hobble-hunt for elk sometime late season. Wish me luck ... and be careful out there!
Durango Mike
Well-known member
Had that repair several years back, just be VERY careful you don't get ahead of PT and what you can do, I had a bad experience when I pushed too hard and undid some good ortho work.
jmveverka
Well-known member
I've got osteoarthritis in both knees, a bit different, but still hurts. When it flares up I treat with Voltaren gel, which just recently became available OTC. I always wear compression sleeves on both knees even while walking flat ground, but definitely in the mountains. Trekking poles to take weight off all the time not just when carrying a heavy pack. Preemptive ice even when I don't think it is going to be bad. And stretch before hitting the trail, I look like a fool doing stretches next to the truck, but it helps.
Biking, swiming, stretching (Yoga), any low impact exercise....all great suggestions. I was shocked the first time I took naproxen (alleve), meniscus inflammation when down really fast. Just to be safe, I went to an ortho yesterday and we discussed some options. He was good in my opinion. Didn't want to go the MRI routed after looking at my xrays. Told me to keep doing what I like to do and, if I wanted to try it, he recommended a cortisone shot to the knee. It won't stop or fix what is going on, but, it gets me pain-free for 3 months to a year.
RidgeRoamingRichard
Well-known member
Thanks for the tips guys. I've taken your advice to stay active and that really helps. On days I don't get to the woods, even a short walk around the black helps. Yoga and stretching help too.
CoffeeGoat
Well-known member
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- Aug 23, 2020
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Another vote for mobility - and I'd specify "mobility work" vs just "stretching." There is a bunch of psuedo-PT work you can do yourself and while it certainly doesn't negate the need for professional help it reduces it. I consider it kind of like first aid or brushing your teeth - you're much better off learning and practicing the basics rather than waiting until something is really bad and heading to a professional.
For knees, my go to is flossing the quads - here's a video. It's freaking magical, painful, but magical. Whenever my knees are a bit twingy it helps, and I do it religiously on my calfs (they get nasty tight). Lax ball work helps too, but for knees I'd start with the band.
For knees, my go to is flossing the quads - here's a video. It's freaking magical, painful, but magical. Whenever my knees are a bit twingy it helps, and I do it religiously on my calfs (they get nasty tight). Lax ball work helps too, but for knees I'd start with the band.
Brittany Chukarman
Well-known member
I get cortisone shots in both thumbs every 2 months and they really help. One of my fishing clients gave me a tube of Voltaren from Canada that was 4% and it was good short term on my knees. I would try some of the cbd stuff but my Coast Guard license doesn't allow it.
undercover
Well-known member
I’m 50 with severe shoulder arthritis right knee arthritis and starting to wonder if it’s setting in my ankles. What helps me with inflammation is being on the Keto diet, no carbs hi fat and protein. This is no BS but when I get back on carbs (cause I love my bread, noodles, beer) the pain is constant and I lose some range of motion in my shoulder. Not saying it works for all but I discovered big relief when I was on this particular diet to lose 25 lbs for my sons wedding last spring. No pain, better range of motion, and after sitting in my lazy boy for a spell watching tv I don’t have to use my left arm to help pull my right arm back from behind my head. Can always try it. Oh BTW my bad cholesterol went back into acceptable range even with all the fats in the diet. As always, consult your physician before doing this.
CoffeeGoat
Well-known member
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It can reduce inflammation which can help your knees if that's the problem and it's cheap to try. Attempt to hit a high amount of omega three acids (3 grams a day) for a couple weeks to see if it helps. If it helps you probably don't need that much and can reduce the dose, but its quicker to try that way.
Diagnosing the exact cause and correct treatment can be expensive and time consuming, trying inexpensive and non-harmful treatments (fish oil, PT, specific strength training) can short circuit the problem and help you find what works for you faster.
This sounds really good, all but the beer ...lol
What is Omega three acids?What exactly do I buy? thanks
CoffeeGoat
Well-known member
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All Fish oil is fat, but not all fish oil is the same, it's complicated but in general you can figure depending on which fish, time of year it was harvested, how it was processed, etc. All fish oils will have the amount of Omega 3 Fatty Acids (DHA/EPA) listed and the general idea is that the Omega 3 part of the oil is the part that helps reduce inflammation. You want one with a high amount because otherwise you'd need to eat a handful of pills to get the total amount of Omega 3 you want. Here's an example "Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega" - that one has 1280 mg (1.28 g) of omega-3 in each serving (2 pills) so if you took 2 in the morning, and 3 at night you'd get ~3.2 g a day of omega-3 - if you were to get cheap stuff then you might need twice as many pills to get that amount. 3 g/day is almost certainly unnecessary in the long run, but if you want to see if it helps it's quicker to do it that way. When I am taking it regularly I target about 1 g/day.
This is a simplification, and there is of course a variety of types (you can get pills, liquid, sryups, etc) and you could also just eat a bunch of fatty fish, but it's pretty simple to try if you just look for pills at costco, amazon, where ever and make sure it has enough omega-3 in it.
This is a simplification, and there is of course a variety of types (you can get pills, liquid, sryups, etc) and you could also just eat a bunch of fatty fish, but it's pretty simple to try if you just look for pills at costco, amazon, where ever and make sure it has enough omega-3 in it.
