Any specific training to help with knee pain from descents

[MtDoraDave]

As others have said, slow down and take shorter steps down hill.
On moderate uphill, or downhill, where there's a temptation to go quickly, "place" your feet down, don't stomp! This requires effort at first, but will become habit after a while.
I was practically crippled by knee pain half way through a section, but stopping early and resting - and taking 2 ibuprofen that afternoon, that evening, and the next morning, I was able to continue the next day - and did 19 miles up and out of Hot Springs!

[QiWiz]

I was recently doing the Georgia section. I had trained quite a bit before hand building up to my planned pack weight. I increased intensity and steepness of hikes over a couple months.

I still encountered quite a bit of knee pain that got worse after descents. Is there any specific training or exercises that I can do to help alleviate this in the future?

What I do: [1] carry a lighter load to the extent possible; [2] use trekking/hiking poles to take weight off knees on descents; [3] slow down, smaller steps; [4] quad-strengthening exercises can also help

[NSHSDad]

I do curls and lunges with barbells. It's good for strengthening parts of the quads close to the knee. If you use those muscle in descent, you'll be helping your knee out. Also, the lunge and curls will force you to use lateral muscles to stabilize the knee, which is useful in real-life when you need to also provide balance on uneven surfaces. Finally, it connects through the core, which is always a good thing.

Mine is 35# in each hand, so 70# total. It seems to help. I just did a rust-buster on some fairly steep hills and managed reasonably well - was doing the curl and lunges periodically over the winter.

[jomo1983]

I can only say what's worked for me. I lost 25 lbs, had a meniscus flap removed and never leave home without a generous supply of Vitamin I.

[sadlowskiadam]

I was recently doing the Georgia section. I had trained quite a bit before hand building up to my planned pack weight. I increased intensity and steepness of hikes over a couple months.

I still encountered quite a bit of knee pain that got worse after descents. Is there any specific training or exercises that I can do to help alleviate this in the future?

I had severe tendinitis in my knees from descending Blood Mountain in Georgia during my 2013 thru hike. I bought a jumpers knee band for each knee and wore them all the way to Maine. My knee pain went away within a week or so, and never came back because the bands kept the patella tendon in place during the descents and climbs.

Here is a link to the type of bank I used:

https://www.eastbay.com/product/mode...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

[kbstock]

If the pain is on the outside of the knee and worse doing downhill....it may be your Iliotibial band (IT band)...which means the root cause of the problem is in your hip....but the pain manifests in the knee area. Google it.
IT band syndrome can be "fixed", but its not an overnight thing. Foam rolling helps, specific stretching and strength training exercises...and time.
It took me off the trail last fall after only 42 miles. I was devastated....but giving it another go next month.

[Fredt4]

I've just finished hiking the PCT last year and had no knee pains. I also did the AT in 2011 with the same results. Years ago I had tremendous problems with knee pains and was accustomed to dragging a leg after a weekend or week of hiking. Never figured out why the pain went away but have some decent suggestions. I switched from hiking boots to trail runners and I now use trekking poles. I can't say specifically that either provided the solution to my knee injury but I'm much happier with the results. In addition i also take Tylenol in the morning before I hike to also avoid the injuries but I've found that to be mostly unnecessary during my PCT hike. Had a few doctors talk about operating but didn't listen to them. Perhaps it was just bound to get better or perhaps it was natural improvements after years of hiking, but I believe the lighter weight of my pack along with the shoes and trekking poles made a difference. I also believe that people that use hiking boots are more prone to injuries, though I don't have definate proof thereof. During my AT hike many hikers that continued to use boots would advise me of the reasons for their use. A few of them then proceeded to injure themselves and would afterwards cite the boot as protection from a greater injury. Perhaps they were correct, but I didn't cross paths with any one using trail runners that subsequently injured themselves. There's probably sufficient data available for someone to show the probability of injuries but that's a bigger fish than im willing to tackle. I'll also note that most thru-hikers have ditched their boots and now also use trekking poles. Perhaps someone will choose to tackle these issues with some good data analysis.

[mississippi_dan]

Anyone mention arch supporting insoles? Sometimes they are helpful with knee pain.
I have found balancing exercises also helps, like walking across a small diameter log.
Dan

[kestral]

Some folks get needed support from taping. Perhaps you can go for a physical therapy apt and get the specific problem identified, then try strengthening and taping. We have PT offices around here that advertise for walk in, no insurance patients to get evaluated for $40 with treatment plans. Of course if you have insurance than use it.

At local races there are tables set up for free assessments and taping for marathoners. It seems to help.

https://barbend.com/kinesiology-tapi...ain-stability/

[Adfischer]

John,

I was in a similar situation and decided to go see an Orthopedic Doctor so I could be sure of the problem. With only knowing the symptoms, not the underlying problem, I knew I would not be able to fix it. In my case it turned out to be my IT band causing knee issues very similar to what you describe. I now do some stretching exercises prior to hiking and it has solved my problem.

My advice would be not to guess at the issue or try to solve your issues using the Internet, but go see a medically trained professional and get to to bottom of it. I hope all goes well.