Knee pain!

[Shelley226]

Second post in 10 minutes!
yesterday myself and a friend walked halfway up Ben Lomond (went totally unprepared and completely misjudged how long it took 😄)
On the way back down the outside of my knee started to get sore and I had to walk down sideways then the other started to go sore too, they’re still sore today.
Also have quite sore ankles and hips today which I know is from probably completely inappropriate footwear
We’re going to go back and do it again, any tips on how to avoid the sore knees?
Walking poles maybe?

[Skyelines]

Walking poles can help in reducing the load on knees and hips but effort has to be put in to get the benefit.

I was very sceptical about poles as having watched walkers using them it seemed most were not putting any force on the poles. Why take poles for walk?
But as I was suffering from joint pain in knee and hip I decided to give them a try and having observed those taking poles for walks I knew that I had to put some force in to the pole to ease the load on legs.
On my first walk with them I certainly felt the benefit on my knees and hips and felt the muscle work out in my arms and shoulders which meant that they had taken some of the load.

Basically unless one actively pushes down while climbing up or leaning and lowering on the pole going down then there is no benefit in them.

[KatTai]

I'm prone to knee/ankle problems though touch wood I have been managing it well for a while now. For me footwear is the key inappropriate footwear = pain and this included what I wore on my feet to work as on one occasion having bought a nice pair of suitable-looking shoes I found after a week I could barely walk in them and was having a lot of pain in my ankles. I would invest in getting some proper walking shoes/boots and break them in before going into the hills again. Walking poles may help (I personally don't use them) but if what is on your feet is unsuitable then you will still be causing yourself problems possibly even without noticing in the short-term and unsuitable footwear affects the knees and hips as much as the ankles, it creates a bad body posture so can result in pain away from the feet through the body having to compensate.

[Sgurr]

I agree. Might be pain from lack of foot support. My recent knee pain went when realised I had changed from my navy shoes which had prescribed insoles, to black shoes which hadn't. I had worn them so long, I had forgotten to change them. Boots have insoles as a matter of course, and I now seldom get knee pain after walking in them. Equally, you might just have overdone it, maybe build up gradually next time.

[Outnabout]

Can sympathize with you after doing beinn ime and narnain today and suffering the same as you, the pace during the descent of narnain was unbearably slow by the time we got to the bottom, also fell three times whilst favouring the knee. On the last few outings I've tried walking without a stick and I've had problems with the outside of my right knee with today's hike being especially unbearable at the end, so will try using sticks again next time if that doesn't work will look into other ways to fix it. Hope you find a solution as it totally ruins the day.

[Ben Nachie]

Basically unless one actively pushes down while climbing up or leaning and lowering on the pole going down then there is no benefit in them.

I disagree. I use a single pole and don't generally place much force on it. I use it more for balance, it improves proprioception (position feedback to the brain) and so I find it takes a great deal of strain off of the knees as my body has to not work as hard to maintain balance. As a result I don't have knee problems any more.

[Mojocat]

I use just the one pole for balance too, I usually have the dog lead in the other hand so can't manage two. I was knocked off my motorcycle twenty odd years ago, severely damaging one knee. Over time favouring the bad leg has taken its toll on the good one. I use sports knee supports on both knees and wear extremely lightweight boots. I 'dig' the single pole in when ascending to haul myself up and use it for balance and confidence on the descent. Makes a massive difference for me, before this I would sometimes end up descending hills crab wise. Once on Helvellyn I had to walk down backwards! Without the pole I find I tense my knees which brings on the pain much quicker, and also makes it last longer, sometimes I would ache for days afterwards. If you use one pole remember to change hands every now and then, it makes more difference than you would think. Good luck finding what works for you and don't give up.

[thatweebirdie]

I've just done the Midnight 13 mile for St Andrew's Hospice - that was on the flat, on concrete, around Motherwell, and I am feeling it in my knee and hips today! I feel your pain and will be watching the responses with interest, though I suspect a lot of my problem is my advancing years!

For hill walking / rough terrain (rather than strolls in the dark around the central belt like me)

- Walking poles, yes! I just have a pair of cheap clunkers from Go Outdoors, think they were £15 a pair and they've done me proud; including the West Highland Way. I do tend to only use one, more for balance - I can't remember who said you have to push down on them; but different strokes for different folks. Sometimes I use them to support my knees and push down on them (going downhill); sometimes I use them to just steady my balance. Get some cheapies, take them out, see what you think. I found them SO useful on hills and rough terrain, and though I don't cry if I forget to take them, I'm much happier and more comfortable when I do.

- Shoes. If you're walking regularly and seriously; it's definitely worth having a shot on one of those machines that can look at your gait. Or you can get out of the bath and step down onto a light towel and have a look at your footprint for a cheap, easy look. Knee pain would often indicate that your foot rolls either in or out as you put it down - so subtly you probably wouldn't notice it; and that pain will transfer down to your knees. Stepping on a towel will show you your imprint; and whether you walk heavier on the inside or outside of your feet; and will also show if you have high arches or flat feet. You can then look into getting insoles that can help - they make a HUGE difference. Tiso have a machine you walk on that measures how your feet roll etc.

- Loosen up - Yoga and Pilates at home can really help your hips. If you pop 'Yoga hip openers' into YouTube, you'll find no end of really easy to learn moves you can do at home to open up your hip flexors so they don't feel so sore afterwards. When I am going out on a long wander, I tend to concentrate on my hips, lower back, shoulders and neck as they are the ones that feel hills and carrying backpacks the most. Sadly, yet to find anything for my knees!

- Hot bath when you get home with rosemary and marigold essential oil (10 drops of each into a few mls of milk added to the bathwater); and if your knee is really sore RICEing it won't do you any harm if you can manage it.

[Giant Stoneater]

On the subject of walking poles,using one pole can lead to some problems as you favour one side of your body over the other as weight is not spread evenly,could also lead to your natural walking alignment being off balance.

[Caberfeidh]

Sore knees, eh? Wish I could think of something for that....

[Billbobaggins]

Sore knees, eh? Wish I could think of something for that....

Are you looking for the amputation word again....?

[Robinho08]

Pain on the outside of your knee is most likely Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) it's common in runners and hikers. Foam rolling and or stretching can help. Orthotic insoles can also help too, you can get these privately, through the NHS or off the shelf in shops, Superfeet for example.

If the pain persists I suggest you see your GP and get a referral to the physio to see what is causing the issue

[mynthdd2]

...don't like poles as I like to keep my hands free. Plus they are lightning conductors.....

[Alteknacker]

After decades of abusing my knees running in the hills without any ill effects, I suddenly developed the most excruciating knee pain (in one knee) in the middle of a longish mountain walk. It took me hours to get down the hills and back to the car, for I couldn't move my left leg further forward than the vertical position. The pain persisted for weeks, and eventually my doctor referred me to a physio.

It turn out to be an ITB problem. I was given some amazingly simple stretching exercises by the physio, and after a couple of weeks of these, the pain disappeared completely, never (touch wood) to return - so far. So I'm back to abusing my knees .

I suggest it may be worth checking this out as a cause of your problem.

[Outnabout]

After decades of abusing my knees running in the hills without any ill effects, I suddenly developed the most excruciating knee pain (in one knee) in the middle of a longish mountain walk. It took me hours to get down the hills and back to the car, for I couldn't move my left leg further forward than the vertical position. The pain persisted for weeks, and eventually my doctor referred me to a physio.

It turn out to be an ITB problem. I was given some amazingly simple stretching exercises by the physio, and after a couple of weeks of these, the pain disappeared completely, never (touch wood) to return - so far. So I'm back to abusing my knees .

I suggest it may be worth checking this out as a cause of your problem.

How often did you do these stretches?