my 34 year old knees

[skididdie]

lately after playing basketball and using the stairmaster i find that my knees are very achey. is this a sign that my 34 year old body is starting to fall apart????? i want to know from all the walking wounded what kind of pills they pop or what kind of self-therapy they do to keep those knees feeling good.

 

[ctenidae]

lately after playing basketball and using the stairmaster i find that my knees are very achey. is this a sign that my 34 year old body is starting to fall apart?????

Yes. If I jog across the street, my knees hurt for two days.

 

[Grassi21]

i've been feeling it lately. the weights lifting i have been doing to get ready for the season makes my left knee a bit sore.

 

[JimG.]

lately after playing basketball and using the stairmaster i find that my knees are very achey. is this a sign that my 34 year old body is starting to fall apart????? i want to know from all the walking wounded what kind of pills they pop or what kind of self-therapy they do to keep those knees feeling good.

I'm 48...don't have many aches and pains even with all the surgery I've had on my legs and knees.

Don't like popping pills...I'll take 2 Advil if my right knee is really sore which is rare.

I take it easy with things like the stairmaster...for some reason that thing makes my knees ache too. I use my Lifecycle at home. Stopped riding the mountain bike because all of my Supeman moves over the handlebars were killing my shoulders. I do alot of crunches, alot of light weights, and yoga.

I stay active, avoid running on hard surfaces, and see my chiropractor without fail every 6 weeks.

 

[Marc]

I'm young and if I destroy my knees, it will be from skiing, and skiing only. Cycle, sail, kite, etc etc.

Never like running or stairclimbing because of the impact and various other reasons.

 

[Paul]

I'm 35. When my knees (or back, or hip, or neck, shoulders, elbows, shins, calves.....) ache, I know its Miller Time.


Beer, the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems. - Homer J. Simpson

 

[David Metsky]

If you have persistant pain in your knees, see your doctor. Knees are extremely tricky, and what may seem like one particular thing when described over the 'net may be something completely different. There could be any number of things wrong, so get a real diagnosis before you start worrying about treatments.

-dave-

 

[ctenidae]

Never like running or stairclimbing because of the impact and various other reasons.

Football did it to me. Strong safety- my two jobs were to count, and then occupy the offensive end, usually by fallng on top of him after he took out my knees.

I wasn't very good at football, but I could count.

 

[JohnGD33]

I am only 26 but I ski bumps and have knee problems because of a football injury. My brother(college football injury), father (fell of a roof), cousins((college football injury), all swear by this pill from GNC call shark or shar catalidge or glucose-sulfate (excuse the spelling) I guess it works on the joints. you should check it out

 

[Charlie Schuessler]

I found racquetball and competitive basketball hard on the joints so I switched to other things. Consider activities like cycling (trainers while indoors and road or mountain outdoors) swimming, tennis and trail hiking. Take care of your joints and they will last a long time, having watched several friends go through with it, replacement joints are not what you want at 40…

 

[JimG.]

I am only 26 but I ski bumps and have knee problems because of a football injury. My brother(college football injury), father (fell of a roof), cousins((college football injury), all swear by this pill from GNC call shark or shar catalidge or glucose-sulfate (excuse the spelling) I guess it works on the joints. you should check it out

These remedies may work when you are younger, but as joint damage becomes more chronic they are not a cure. My orthopaedic surgeon who rebuilt my right knee went so far as to call them b*llsh*t. Then again, his main line of research is in artifical cartilage...once cartilage is damaged it is permanent, so the doctor who perfects artifical replacement cartilage will become very rich.

However, the mind is powerful in the healing process and in the pain tolerance process...if you believe something is effective, most times it really is. Lot's of folks swear by the glucosamine/chondroitin products you mention.

 

[Darwin]

Oooooh My Knees

First thing I would do is buy a box of tissues to wipe the tears from my eyes. Then I would go to the mall and buy myself a skirt and then I would go to the town hall and change my name to Sally and my screen name to skibiddie. Come on Diddie tough it out I know you can do it! I love you Tommy you da man. Just do some Ibuprofin it works for me and I have had four knee surgerys if not a nice pink blouse with the skirt might make you feel better! I'll see you at the Loaf on 12/9 peace!

 

[Bumpsis]

I have yet to see one good clinical study that really proves the efficacy of all the stuff like glucosamine/chondroitin. Yeah, a lot of people "swear by it" but how much of that is a placebo effect, which in itself can be quite strong - never discount the power of self delusion.
I am sure that good over all nutrtion is absolutely essential to one's well being but cartilage, tendons and joint problems in general just don't lend themselves to quick supplement fixes. If they are allowed to heal, they do so very slowly. Took me two years to recover from an irritated knee tendon - I stopped running on pavement.

Check with your doctor to eliminate any possible medical issues that can be identified like for instance, early onset of arthritis - yes, it can happen in a young body as well or some other pathologies. A consult with a physical therapist would also be beneficial.

I've had my share of knee issues over the years and I found that keeping all knee supporting masculature is essential to prevention of knee problems. Stop the activities that bring on the pain and try building up your leg muscles with excercizes that don't irritate you knee. Some of the best moves that helped me(still do them) are those that are done with the knee not bent, like a staright leg lift (from sitting or prone position) with some weight on the foot/ankle or restance through a rubber band.
Isometrics done with a straight leg are also quite benefical.

If there are no real underlying pathologies and you're mindful of your body, you're ought get good "milage" from your knees. I'm in my 50's and despite earlier knee traumas, I can still ski bumps (well, matter of opinion), ride an occassional centrury on my bike, hike vigorously and play soccer.