Some knee pain questions

[Highway Man]

I develoed accute knee pains late last year. I didn't get things straightened out till mid of this year when I read a thread here that Ibuprofen can be good for those micro tearing and wearing. The pains are almost gone now.
My questions are, as I don't have superly prolonged backpacking experience,
- Can sustained use of Ibuprofen keep the knee pains way?
- How much/often should I use if the pains start again?
- How easyily or hard can it be purchased in drug stores along the trail?
Thanks.

[bigcranky]

Ibuprofen, along with other Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory meds like naprosin, has some potentially serious side effects for long term use. So, yeah, it can help with knee pain, but you want to be careful about it. You might talk to your doctor about your knees, and how to control the pain.

You can get ibuprofen at any grocery store or drug store along the trail.

[Highway Man]

Ibuprofen, along with other Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory meds like naprosin, has some potentially serious side effects for long term use. So, yeah, it can help with knee pain, but you want to be careful about it. You might talk to your doctor about your knees, and how to control the pain.

You can get ibuprofen at any grocery store or drug store along the trail.
Thanks a lot, Bigcranky

In terms of checking with my doctor, I already feel diappointed about him. He gave some X-rays around the knees and recommended me to have a physical therapy which I followed. At the same time I asked him if the Ibuprofen can be used to cure the knee pains in a simple way while I am out in the woods. He said lightly,"You can try it". Well, for less than $10 i spent in the drug store, the entire pains are almost gone. It seems to me he was more interestd in getting more out fo my med. policy.

I am not sure if it is fine as long as i take one or two 200 mg with food in my stomach daily, that I can use it over long period time.

[zoidfu]

I've suffered from it and regular excercise is the only answer(unless you have some chronic condition- as always, check with your Dr. first). Drugs just mask the problem.

[Highway Man]

I've suffered from it and regular excercise is the only answer(unless you have some chronic condition- as always, check with your Dr. first). Drugs just mask the problem.
Thanks, zoidfu2

I started having the pains around the knees in my early 40s. That's why I switched to hiking believing it is slow and soft. I always run/walk with great cautions. Nothing has been torn or twisted over there. i never felt the pains before. But frequently coming down from high peaks really caused damages to the micro tissues. The X-rays showed a slightly reduced cavities that contain the lubracant fluids at the knee joints. That's just an outcome of aging process. So I would eliminate it as a chronic problem at this moment.

[George]

Try glucosamine takes 30 days at first but helps with all joint problems. I find the premium brands do work better

[take-a-knee]

Ibuprofen is an effective anti-inflammatory. That will reduce swelling and help your body heal what it was going to heal anyway, it WILL NOT FIX ANYTHING. Only your immune system, a physical therapist, or an ortho doc can do that ( or some combo of the above).

[Highway Man]

Try glucosamine takes 30 days at first but helps with all joint problems. I find the premium brands do work better
Thanks, George

I'm gonna do a google search on that tonight.

[Highway Man]

Ibuprofen is an effective anti-inflammatory. That will reduce swelling and help your body heal what it was going to heal anyway, it WILL NOT FIX ANYTHING. Only your immune system, a physical therapist, or an ortho doc can do that ( or some combo of the above).
Thanks, take-a-knee

I understand the Ibuprofen is to stop the inflammatory enzyme released to the area. But the natural heeling and the physical theray don't sound too practical while I'm out doing a thru. Can cordisone shots do something better?

[TrippinBTM]

Yeah, Glucosamine works. My dog was on it for her hips, and it helped tremendously; my parents started using it after seeing those results. I use it sometimes now myself, for my own knees give me some pain now and then. I'm trying to hedge off any problems later in life while I'm still young.

as far as Ibuprophin, well, it's known as vitamin I on the trail, haha. It's used a lot. But I also don't suggest long time use (bad for the liver, among other things). Still, at need (accute problems), it's very good.

Maybe get a second opinion from a different doctor; preferably one you know as a friend or relative or something.

[Bulldawg]

Thanks, take-a-knee

I understand the Ibuprofen is to stop the inflammatory enzyme released to the area. But the natural heeling and the physical theray don't sound too practical while I'm out doing a thru. Can cordisone shots do something better?

I took three Cortisone shots in a nagging shoulder in 2007 and 2008. My ortho refuses to give me more than 3. He says surgery is the one and only sure way to stop the pain. I have decided at this point the pain is not bad enough to undergo the procedure they say I need (A shoulder resection BTW which involves cutting into the shoulder and removing the end of the collarbone which has an bone edema (sp?) on the end of it and resectioning all the ligaments, etc. to the "new" end of the bone). It does not bother me backpacking, only throwing a ball with my kids or really working the shoulder. Weight doesn't seem to bother it, just motion.

But yes Cortisone will help, for 3 to 4 months per shot in my case. But again, it only really masks the pain.

[Trail Gator]

I have suffered from knee pain for years due to past career-route work. After 2 doctors told me to change my hobby (right), I found an arthritis doctor who injected my bad knee with Synvisc! I was on crutches in April and hiking Maine in June! It is awesome and I will get another dose for my next AT hike. I am sectioning and up to 600 miles now. I also use an RX for the chronic pain, you may not be there yet but this is for anyone who has a doctor telling them they can't hike. I do recommend seeing a doctor. I section hiked in Maine the year before and really think I ODed on the pain relievers because the pain even kept me awake at night. Both legs swelled so bad I had to take a zero day. The right doctor can give you direction but it did take me 3 tries. Good luck!

[mkmangold]

Yeah, Glucosamine works. My dog was on it for her hips, and it helped tremendously; my parents started using it after seeing those results. I use it sometimes now myself, for my own knees give me some pain now and then. I'm trying to hedge off any problems later in life while I'm still young.
We fed glucosamine to my mom and now she's as frisky as a year-old pup!

[Joey]

Just be careful that you don't blow your knee out. Had to organize a rescue in October in Shining Rock for a man who had a bad knee and failed to heed the warning signs. Blew ACL and cartledge at the Narrows on the Art Loeb Trail. Took us 8 hours to get him down to the Scout Camp to my truck and then another hour to Mission Hospital in Asheville. He had a knee brace in his pack!

[Bulldawg]

Well I have a question about the knee thing. Whenever I hike, my knee tells me when I get much over 5.5 or 6 miles. It doesn't matter if I carrying a day pack or a fully loaded winter weight overnight pack. I get this little click in my left knee. And you can almost set your mileage counter by it, 5.5 to 6 miles in. It is like a little catch. I can adjust my stride a bit to put most of the weight on my right foot and usually make it another 4 or 5 miles. Then the night of the hike, it gets very stiff and hurts, no swelling, just pain. Usually by the next day I am fine again. I guess I should see a doc, but it seems that all docs nowadays want to do surgery. Cutting just isn't something I really want to do. I do know I could stand to lose 20 or 25 pounds, but diet as I might, I think I am genetically destined to weigh what I weigh. Suggestions?

[Think Spring]

I had a problem two years ago, a slight tear of the medial maniscus along with some bursitis. (Remember, I'm an 'older hiker'.) Long story made short, the doc, (an excellent sports medicine/orthopaedic man) drew off the fluid, provided me with "Supartz" injections, (one per week for five weeks), recommended daily glucosamine HCl (1500mg) and chondroitin sulfate (1200mg) tablets, two per day, and told me to "enjoy the trail". I'll be back on sometime in March,.....headed north. By the way, the doc is originally from Franklin, N.C., a nice "trail town". You're a lot younger than me, so a good doc should get you back in shape. Enjoy the trail!:)

[Highway Man]

To George, take-a-knee, TrippinBTM, Bulldawg, Gator from FL, mkmangold, and anybody else comes after

Thank you all for having given me those situation analysis. I've also done a little research on the net, and come up with some solutions. I know they won't be perfect, but certainly workable and practical.

- To continue taking Ibuprofen on a on-and-off basis with a small dose if needed now. The dose may get changed depending on how I feel on the trail.

- Go to GNC to get some supplement that can repair, strengthen, and improve those tissues. I'm a member of GNC and get 20% off at the first weeks of the months. I'm using Creatine, calcium, and other Vitamines now on a daily basis.

- Do squatting and stairway climbing with weight to increase the strength of the knees. Squatting should be a deep all the way down and up. The weight dosen't have to be a lot.

- Cordisone shots will be spared as I almost feel normal now. I don't think my situation is that bad.

- Avoid crazy steep trails to reduce the impact to the knees.

- Nutrition. To increase protein intake to help build up muscles/tendons/ligaments.

[Reid]

Glucosamine Chondriton. It is expensive but it works. Get it in your system and you'll be good to go.

[Ranc0r]

I had a meniscus tear excised in 2002. I took it slow in recovery, and waited a very safe amount of time before I started walking with ANY weight.

Ibuprofen helps with the acute pains. By that I mean the wrong step, bumped knee, kneeling on hard stones, etc. I find that Naprosin (aleve, there are "common brands" of course) work best on those dull achy days; the day after a long hike, recovering from just about any direct knee trauma, rain coming. I don't find Acetominophen (Tylenol) to help my knee a bit. All are available at any grocery, convenience or corner store, without prescription.

I use a cheap OTC neoprene knee brace when it feels "off", or if I KNOW I'm going to be using it too much. The expensive ones just bunch up behind my knee and are uncomfortable to me.

I guess my only word of advice is make SURE it can handle hard train life before you start popping analgesics to mask the discomfort. You're not pampering a bad knee on the AT. If you aren't sold on your MD, ask for a referral to a sports medicine specialist.

My $.02, feel free to have an opinion of your own.

Ranc0r
.

[take-a-knee]

To George, take-a-knee, TrippinBTM, Bulldawg, Gator from FL, mkmangold, and anybody else comes after

Thank you all for having given me those situation analysis. I've also done a little research on the net, and come up with some solutions. I know they won't be perfect, but certainly workable and practical.

- To continue taking Ibuprofen on a on-and-off basis with a small dose if needed now. The dose may get changed depending on how I feel on the trail.

- Go to GNC to get some supplement that can repair, strengthen, and improve those tissues. I'm a member of GNC and get 20% off at the first weeks of the months. I'm using Creatine, calcium, and other Vitamines now on a daily basis.

- Do squatting and stairway climbing with weight to increase the strength of the knees. Squatting should be a deep all the way down and up. The weight dosen't have to be a lot.

- Cordisone shots will be spared as I almost feel normal now. I don't think my situation is that bad.

- Avoid crazy steep trails to reduce the impact to the knees.

- Nutrition. To increase protein intake to help build up muscles/tendons/ligaments.

You are all over it Highway! That is a solid plan. Get to where you can squat like this:

http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFit_AirSquats.mov

[Highway Man]

I guess my only word of advice is make SURE it can handle hard train life before you start popping analgesics to mask the discomfort. You're not pampering a bad knee on the AT. If you aren't sold on your MD, ask for a referral to a sports medicine specialist.

My $.02, feel free to have an opinion of your own.

Ranc0r
.
Thanks, Ranc0r

The doctor I went to see is an orthopedic specialist. He didn't seem to be straight forward to me and gave me only one choice, physical therapy. But after having been using Ibuprofen for 4 months, I feel pretty good about my knees. The pains are still there, but light, dull. They can be stretched/bent to any positions without agonizing me at all.

I don't have any history of knee injuries in my life. It just popped up a year ago, went a little beyond what i could tolerate. I did a 85 miles round trip in five days from DWG to NJHP two months ago, and didn't feel any pain significantly worse than the time I started. So I assume my knees are just fine for the thru though I know I need to monitor the situation closely. In the worst case, I just get off the trail and head back home.

[Highway Man]

You are all over it Highway! That is a solid plan. Get to where you can squat like this:

http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFit_AirSquats.mov

take-a-knee,

Gee, getting to see the movie was difficult. Window 2000 doesn't work with the newest Apple QuickTime. I found a free converter and converted it to .AVI, then got another decoder in order play on MS Media player.

I 100% believe it works. It is also fun for some people to do it in a group. It might also be a good idea for the older people. I do deep squats using 2x25 Lb. dumbbells by my hands at home, slowly 30~50 times in a day session, a few days a week. I feel great and don't see it causes too much problem to the knees. Some folks have suggested go easy with the deep squats. I'll certainly take that into my serious consideration.

[jethro]

The doctor I went to see is an orthopedic specialist. He didn't seem to be straight forward to me and gave me only one choice, physical therapy....

Highway Man, I strongly recommend you speak to another doctor. Knees are nothing to mess with. With what we (and/or our insurance) are paying for medical care these days, we deserve to get an opinion we feel comfortable with. Don't be afraid to ask your current doctor for a handful of referrals to sports medicine specialists. Keep trying until you find someone who gives you a diagnosis you can understand and takes the time to clearly explain both the diagnosis and options for treatment.

Just my 2 cents....

[EMAN]

Exellent recommendations here.
But as with another post regarding minor knee ache at least here on WB, try the Cho-Pat knee braces. Not as a cureall to be sure but it definitely helps.

[Highway Man]

Thanks, jethro&EMAN

Your guys' advices are well thought. I'll keep that in my mind.