Joint Pain?

[jfarnsworth]

Anyone else here have any problems with their knees no holding up as well anymore? I've found here lately that my right knee bothers the heck out of me quite often. I take the glucosamine/chondroitin combo. and it helps a lot. I also devote two days out of the week just to strengthen the leg muscles. Under the advice of a trainer on specific exercises that will help ease my knee pain. After doing umteen thousand kicks in my life I figured this to most likely be the problem to my knee but I'm curious about the rest of you all.:asian:

 

[Matt Stone]

You'll miss your knees when they're gone...

I have degenerative joint disease and arthritis, and I admit that it makes deep stances and repetitive kicks less than comfy most times. But, I simply adapt what I do somewhat without compromising the essential elements of what makes the techniques/stances strong and powerful.

Good luck!

Gambarimasu.
:asian:

 

[Klondike93]

Well I've had both knees "scoped" now, but the left one is the only one I think that's been damaged from kicking too much. After I had the right one done it didn't want to bend very far, then I got kicked in the back of it helping a brown belt and it's been fine ever since. I can squat all the way to the floor now for the first time in 15 years so it's all good now.


:asian:

 

[cali_tkdbruin]

Yup, I'm in the bad knee club
Until a couple of years ago I used to play a lot of basketball. I hurt my left knee a few years back, and instead of going under the knife I thought I'd take the advice to rehab it without getting cut. The result was that it hasn't really been the same since that injury. Even though I kept playing ball I was eventually forced to quit because of this.

And, just last week during sparring training I got BLASTED on the same knee by my opponent's side kick...
All that was heard was the echo of my knee cap getting hammered as if I were hit with a crowbar. I just wanted to run outside the dojang, dragging my limp leg, and let out a big *** scream! :wah:
But, I thought to myself I'm a BB, I have to tough it out. There's no tapping out allowed.
So, I gathered myself and I told the Sabumnim I was ready to continue scrapping. Luckily for me my partner also hurt his foot when he pounded my knee so he couldn't continue. :shrug:

Anyway, I don't have a broken kneecap but I do think I will have to get it scoped after all.

 

[Klondike93]

I do think I will have to get it scoped after all.

You will feel so much better when you do, then you'll ask yourself why you waited so long.

When I had my left knee done back in 93, that's what got me back into some serious training again. Before getting done I hadn't been training very hard because it just flat hurt too much afterwards. Then after getting the right done in 2001 all is good now with both, I can even squat all the way to floor again (which I hadn't been able to in like, forever!)


:asian:

 

[jfarnsworth]

Originally posted by cali_tkdbruin
And, just last week during sparring training I got BLASTED on the same knee by my opponent's side kick...
All that was heard was the echo of my knee cap getting hammered as if I were hit with a crowbar. I just wanted to run outside the dojang, dragging my limp leg, and let out a big *** scream! :wah:
But, I thought to myself I'm a BB, I have to tough it out. There's no tapping out allowed.
So, I gathered myself and I told the Sabumnim I was ready to continue scrapping. Luckily for me my partner also hurt his foot when he pounded my knee so he couldn't continue. :shrug:

Anyway, I don't have a broken kneecap but I do think I will have to get it scoped after all.

Good lord man, that makes me cringe just to even think about it.

 

[Cliarlaoch]

Yeah, I've been there... I'm only 20, for crying out loud, and I've had the muscles on the outer side of my right knee tear once, and had cartilage snap in the knee joint itself once as well (different occasions). Not fun. I just wear a knee brace on the right knee now (I've been advised not doing so is not wise, so I've kept it on during training for years). I also use a lot of leg strenghtening exercises as well. If you folks want, maybe we can compile some of the stuff from PT or from other experience that can be used to help deal with knee injuries? It might be a constructive way to help Jfarnsworth and others like him (I.E. ME!!!!) out.

Not to mention, since I've been told if I ain't careful I'll be in a wheelchair by the time I'm 50 on several occasions, I'd like to play it somewhat safe.

 

[Quick Sand]

I have knee problems but they're not from injury. They're just inherited. They started in when I was only 10 years old. It's not as bad these days but I still take Advil sometimes. I just started taking Glucosamine about a week ago so I'll see in a few weeks if that helps at all. I'm only 21 at this point.

I have a quesiton though. When I was first diagnosed by my doctor, he told me not to do any weight bearing activity that had my knees bend past 90 degrees. I figured things like squats were out. That was about . . . . 7 or 8 years ago.

I took a health course last term though, and our prof said that squats are actually really good for you knees and going all the way to floor is actually better for you knees then stopping at a 90 degree bend. She's had knee problems and was a serious olympic style weight-lifter for many years.

What have you guys found? Do squats help or hurt your knees? How far down do you go?

 

[Klondike93]

Before I had my knees scoped I couldn't do any squats at all, just hurt too much.

Now I don't have much problems at all. I do them all the way down, very slowly. They're called '40' count squats cause you start counting to 20 as you squat and at 20 your at the bottom. Then you start back up ending at 20 and your standing up. Of all the leg work I've done these have helped me the most.


:asian:

Klondike

 

[XxTKDPenguinxX]

This might sound a little...wippy... but I wear martial art shoes when doing exercises that don't require a lot of pivoting on my feet (no form work, kicking drils, etc.) I found that, when barefoot, it help absorb the shock to my knees when jumping and moving about the dojang.
I used to just be barefooted when I trained, but as the years went on, I discovered that my knees and feet would hurt so bad in the mornings, that I could hardly walk. It got to the point I dreaded training (sometimes still do).

 

[Shodan]

Another member of the bad knee club here. Back in 1995, I blew out my right knee during the middle of my 2nd brown test. I just stepped in to block a punch and POP...there it went. It had been hurting during the training for the test, so I had a neoprene brace on it during the test. No huge injury directly to the knee that I could think of......just a lot of wear and tear from Kenpo over the years- kicking, stretching, etc.

Nowadays, the aches and pains come and go. Sometimes, the knee is fine and I can move on it like I never had to have rehab. surgery.....then there are other days where it feels very fragile or gets achy. Recently, I have apparently strained something in the back of it cuz I am having a heck of a time straightening it. Last night for class, I wore my knee brace for the first time in a long time- it is a de-rotational knee brace that won't allow me to straighten my leg past 15 degrees when I kick and won't let the same type of injury happen to it again. For some reason, today my knee is worse!! Very stiff and sore.....bizarre. The weather (cold especially) seems to bug it nowadays too and sometimes the good leg starts to act up......my suspician is that it is from babying the bad leg and making the good leg work too much.

I am really looking forward to trying the glucosomine stuff but won't be able to take it for awhile as I am currently pregnant. This is another issue with the knees right now- I have to be very careful stretching and working on the knee......there is a hormone released during pregnancy that allows your ligaments to become more stretchy than normal. So.......I'll have to take it easy for awhile....but later, when I can try the glucosomine, maybe the achiness will get better- I've heard it really works well for some people.

Hope all your knees feel better soon.......no fun having them act up when we need them to be stable in the sport we do.

:asian: :karate:

 

[Tae Kwon Doughboy]

That's what I'm dealing with right now. Got the results from the MRI today. The doctor says there is nothing structurally wrong with my knee! It is feeling better but it still isn't 100%. He doesn't recommend TKD to anyone much less adults so he wants me to do the right thing and quit, or at least for a month.

This week I found that there is a place that teaches Tai Chi and watched one of the classes. I also recognised how much I miss the "feeling" I have when I was practicing Tia Chi.

I guess I have a decision to make this weekend. I love both TKD and Tai Chi but can't afford to take both.

As a kid my knees would give out but I grew out of it. In my 20s I had trouble with the cartilige in both knees floating which was painful and scary. A doctor told me to drink warm gelatine and wear ankle weights for a month. Haven't had that problem since.

I think I will do that again to see if it helps with my current problem.

 

[karatekid1975]

Another member of the bad knee club here. I pulled my hammy really bad about two years ago. Then I hyper extended the knee on the same leg. I was told that my leg muscles are weak, which is causing too much stress on my knee. Now my left one aches, because I favor the right one.

I can kick with the right one, I just can't land on it (for jumping kicks). It hurts like a *****!

I think sharing leg stregnthening exercises is a good idea. Anyone want to share?

 

[TigerWoman]

I've taken glucosamine sulfate and MSM for 6 six years and it certainly makes a difference whether I can participate in TKD. Taking ibuprofen to prevent inflammation which comes from too much jumping causing synovial fluid buildup and more cartilage/calcium/bone pieces floating around causing more pain. A wicked circle which with ibuprofen a half hour before exercise, a brace to keep my knee aligned and supported better, and icing it with a dixie cup of frozen ice-just peel back the edge and ice around the knee slowly until numb then move on, afterward.

One of my cartilage tears healed from glucosamine, all that puffiness on one side of my knee is gone and no more edge of pain! But the MRI that I had about 9 months ago, said I had another on the other side, but is really little. I don't feel that one. But my knee ligaments are unstable especially if I do some stretching exercises like squats or the lotus position stretch if pressed too far. I can't do very many side to side movements either. I always had knees that would go out of joint too easily, caused by sitting like a M when I was a kid. But I do knee exercises too to strengthen that VM muscle, hamstring pulls with a stretchy band for the back of my knee. Also I found that just walking helps alot. My knee became much more stable, I think, because of that. But there is the other thing that I am nearly 55 and would like to be able to walk the rest of my life so better quit this jumping thing. TW

 

[hardheadjarhead]

Anyone else here have any problems with their knees no holding up as well anymore?

I'm two months out of an ACL reconstruction. Its going well, but once its healed I'll have to see where I am. The doctor shaved some cartilage out of there, and found a bit of arthritis (not as bad as he first thought).

I'm 47...the stuff wears out. I was lucky it took as long as it did, I guess. One of my black belts is 22 and he's got ruined knees. He has such promise, too.

Got achilles tendonitis/tendinosis, too. Oh joy...

Stick with the glucosamine. Another good anti-inflammatory is fishoil. The stuff works. It suppresses prostaglandins that cause inflammation.


Regards,

Steve

 

[shaolinchi]

I'm not sure if anyone has perscribed this yet. But you could try Tai Chi. I had chronic knee problems, and honestly the Tai Chi has helped me greatly over the past few years. I would honestly perscribe this treatment to anyone that could take it.

 

[Faye]

well, speaking of knee problem, I do have some complaints. First, I dont' feel knee pain at all when I was training, but when I'm done and just standing there, I can feel some pain around my knees, not bad at all, but some aching is there, is this a bad sign? SHould I start taking the glucosamine combo? I'm in my early thirties.

Also, I used to play volleyball as a kid, and I have no clue whether I have seriously hurt my knees before, but lately, i felt like my right knee "pops" quite easily. I know it's not dislocated because one, it wasnt very painful, but it pops to a point that I will fall right away, but I can get back up immediately and continue wtih whatever I was doing (sparring was one incident where it "popped". What I mean by pop is that, i felt like my right knee popped out of place and back in within a split second...

Anyone with similiar experience? Thanks!

 

[The Kai]

I take flax seed oil for the same effect as fish oil. As far as keeping your knees healthy my #1 problem is running. For years ran to get in shape to tourny's problem I am just big enough so the pounding really messes with me. Running however is probably the best stamina builder out there thou..........

 

[bignick]

Being a bigger guy..as the name implies...i do suffer some knee problems...thankfully it's not usually enough to bother me or make me stop training...but i try to take care of them...cause i plan on using them for a while...

 

[Disco]

A couple of suggestions if I may...... 1) Taking glucosamine has proven to be helpful, so taking it is a plus. 2) Wrap or knee brace the knees to assist in strength and limit "Air KIcks". 3) Limit the amount of actual kicking done to the heavy bag or focus mitts. Granted, you have to practice to become good at anything, but moderation is the key to longevity in the arts. Start with this mindset early in training and you can be around for a long time. :asian: