MartinBryant
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- None so far. Hoping to walk Camino Frances in September 2020
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This is the brace I use on my left knee. I have a torn meniscus on that knee. This brace helps quite a bit. I can't tell you whether it's better than what you have.I have had a dodgy left knee for over 20 years (I blame it on seven years of karate when I was younger, I'm nearly 62 now) and so when I walk any distance I wear a simple, cheap tubular bandage on that knee which I feel helps relieve the pain and support the joint.
I have seen several commercial knee support products available online... 'knee support brace', 'compression sleeve' etc... but am skeptical that they would be any better. Does anybody use these products? And if so, what do they think of them? Are they worth the extra money?
Hi Martin - I have a very messed up knee (took a motorcycle over the top of a Pontiac back in '68, broke both me and the bike).
Ordinary tubular and cheap knee sleeves help in that they hold everything 'in', which reduces movement, and that is all they do (and not very well) - but the brace I use is pretty wonderful!
Made in America by McDavid (but sold in the UK) - has aeroplane grade aluminium hinges either side, which forces (gently) the knee joint to only track forwards and backwards, and it is the swivelling, especially on rough ground, that really hurts a poor knee (and eventually all good ones too).
Added to that it has compression straps .. once put on properly it helps stopping the top bones compressing down onto the bottom bones - all in all, a brilliant support.
Now - this isn't a cure - it is merely a support but over the last fifty years I have tried many and find this one supremely effective - get the right size now, not loose and not too tight - and don't forget, only wear a brace when you need it, take it off when you stop walking ... otherwise the support will allow the muscles to get soft, and you don't want that. In hot weather soapy wash your skin regularly and you will never get a rash.
Here the one I wear, the 429X - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00MGQRNA6/?tag=casaivar-21
Cheap? No. Worth every penny? Yes!
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Hi Martin. here is my opinion about a torn meniscus. A meniscus itself will not be able to heal on its own. In 2008, I had arthroscopic surgery to trim a torn meniscus which caused severe sharp pain. I was 63 at the time. I had been a runner for over 25 years but age and all that pounding will have eventual consequences on your joints.I have had a dodgy left knee for over 20 years (I blame it on seven years of karate when I was younger, I'm nearly 62 now) and so when I walk any distance I wear a simple, cheap tubular bandage on that knee which I feel helps relieve the pain and support the joint.
I have seen several commercial knee support products available online... 'knee support brace', 'compression sleeve' etc... but am skeptical that they would be any better. Does anybody use these products? And if so, what do they think of them? Are they worth the extra money?
@tomnorth - yes, a woven tubular, does offer some support by keeping things 'in' - helps with soft or 'over-elastic from over-stretched' ligaments by stopping them a bit from flexing, but doesn't help with alignment, nor keeping the knee joint from compressing together (meniscus is sort of the jam in the bone sandwich).
@Robo - exactly so, it is the swivelling under weight stress that causes an increase in the problem - and surprises the poor pilgrim with a supposedly healthy knee that suddenly 'goes' - tends to be often on rough ground on descents too! It is SO painful - and has ended many a pilgrimage.
The main thing about my McDavid (rather than their other designs) is the hinges .. they work so well and really make the knee track, as well as the straps that hold all together.
I have had problems with both my knees for years due to falls, had cartilage surgery on both now I get an injection of cortisone from a reputable orthopedic surgeon, and manage to do the Camino this year would have been my twelfth Camino.I have had a dodgy left knee for over 20 years (I blame it on seven years of karate when I was younger, I'm nearly 62 now) and so when I walk any distance I wear a simple, cheap tubular bandage on that knee which I feel helps relieve the pain and support the joint.
I have seen several commercial knee support products available online... 'knee support brace', 'compression sleeve' etc... but am skeptical that they would be any better. Does anybody use these products? And if so, what do they think of them? Are they worth the extra money?
some orthopedic specialists do not recommend total knee surgery mine will not do it because I have arthritis in both now. but cortisone helps me along with this cream I buy in Spain called Radio salil they usually keep it behind the counter.Hi Martin. here is my opinion about a torn meniscus. A meniscus itself will not be able to heal on its own. In 2008, I had arthroscopic surgery to trim a torn meniscus which caused severe sharp pain. I was 63 at the time. I had been a runner for over 25 years but age and all that pounding will have eventual consequences on your joints.
Immediately following the in office surgery, I walked out of the clinic unaided.
I do not believe in using compression sleeves but believe in physical therapy and gradual rehabilitation. Every thing in moderation.
In 2016, I completed the Camino without aid of compression sleeves or walking sticks because, in my case, they were not desirable.but a super pair of well fitting shoes were essential as well serious and balanced training for distance and terrain.
my surgery was so successful that I often forget which knee needed the surgery.
Buena Suerte Peregrino
They work for me, for sure. I played netball for years (one of the worst sports in the world for knees) and had a knee reconstruction after I tore my left ACL and MCL. Also spinal fusion surgery a few years later.I have had a dodgy left knee for over 20 years (I blame it on seven years of karate when I was younger, I'm nearly 62 now) and so when I walk any distance I wear a simple, cheap tubular bandage on that knee which I feel helps relieve the pain and support the joint.
I have seen several commercial knee support products available online... 'knee support brace', 'compression sleeve' etc... but am skeptical that they would be any better. Does anybody use these products? And if so, what do they think of them? Are they worth the extra money?
I agree, shoes made a huge difference to me. The ones my knees preferred were Altra Timps or Altra Lone Peaks. I think the zero-drop were what helped.Hi Martin. here is my opinion about a torn meniscus. A meniscus itself will not be able to heal on its own. In 2008, I had arthroscopic surgery to trim a torn meniscus which caused severe sharp pain. I was 63 at the time. I had been a runner for over 25 years but age and all that pounding will have eventual consequences on your joints.
Immediately following the in office surgery, I walked out of the clinic unaided.
I do not believe in using compression sleeves but believe in physical therapy and gradual rehabilitation. Every thing in moderation.
In 2016, I completed the Camino without aid of compression sleeves or walking sticks because, in my case, they were not desirable.but a super pair of well fitting shoes were essential as well serious and balanced training for distance and terrain.
my surgery was so successful that I often forget which knee needed the surgery.
Buena Suerte Peregrino
I guess when people get to be your age things break down!!!!!!!! stay safe and I will give you a call soon.A compression sleeve was recommended to me by my orthopedist. My tear is on the outside. This sleeve helps me a lot.
I agree. I switched to the Timp 1.5 (while also adopting a move conservative style of walking that doesn’t allow my knee to get too far out in front of me) and have noticed a difference too.I agree, shoes made a huge difference to me. The ones my knees preferred were Altra Timps or Altra Lone Peaks. I think the zero-drop were what helped.
I have had a dodgy left knee for over 20 years (I blame it on seven years of karate when I was younger, I'm nearly 62 now) and so when I walk any distance I wear a simple, cheap tubular bandage on that knee which I feel helps relieve the pain and support the joint.
I have seen several commercial knee support products available online... 'knee support brace', 'compression sleeve' etc... but am skeptical that they would be any better. Does anybody use these products? And if so, what do they think of them? Are they worth the extra money?
Hi Martin, have you had the knee scanned to see what is the damage? I say this because I had a similar experience, also with a background in martial arts. I used to wear different knee supports like you mention. I would just get used to putting up with occasional pains, try various physiotherapy treatments which helped temporarily. However, eventually I had a sudden click in the knee one day while running up some stairs, from then things got more serious. So eventually I went to the doctors who first examined me and then proceeded with X-Ray check first, all was ok. Then they sent me for a magentic resonance scan which came back with results that clearly indentified signinificant interior meniscus damage. I was then referred to key hole surgery, which was done successfully. (All of this happened while living and working in Madrid).I have had a dodgy left knee for over 20 years (I blame it on seven years of karate when I was younger, I'm nearly 62 now) and so when I walk any distance I wear a simple, cheap tubular bandage on that knee which I feel helps relieve the pain and support the joint.
I have seen several commercial knee support products available online... 'knee support brace', 'compression sleeve' etc... but am skeptical that they would be any better. Does anybody use these products? And if so, what do they think of them? Are they worth the extra money?
Save the dollars and spend 5 euro a day for your luggage to go ahead.I have had a dodgy left knee for over 20 years (I blame it on seven years of karate when I was younger, I'm nearly 62 now) and so when I walk any distance I wear a simple, cheap tubular bandage on that knee which I feel helps relieve the pain and support the joint.
I have seen several commercial knee support products available online... 'knee support brace', 'compression sleeve' etc... but am skeptical that they would be any better. Does anybody use these products? And if so, what do they think of them? Are they worth the extra money?
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