Stiff knee

I know there is a lot of guys out there who have had issues with their knees, do I guess I am just asking for a little advice.

It seems like the last couple months my left knee has been stiff with some pain. I don't have pain when walk but can feel it when I kneel down or bend my knee all the way. My questions are-

1) Could there already be damage, or is it just fatigued and need to be rested?

2) Which type of exercise would be best? Working with weights or some kind of low impact cardio activity (I have a Nortitrack "running bike". The kind that you run on, but has the big wheels in the back)?

3) Would a brace do anything? I hear some people say not to wear braces because of a false sence of sercurity.

Thanks for any advice!

Have you tried stretching, Trevor? Tightening of the quads sometimes causes "stiffness" in knees. Especially after a leg workout, your muscles tighten and cause knees to ache.

I am doing physio right now for beaten up knees. Stretching is the key, and low stress workouts, squats with a ball, calf workouts, stuff like that. The most important thing always seems to be stretching though, it will also prevent any further injuries!

I have been doing stairs alot lately (like a stairmaster) it has helped out immensely with my basketball playing, my knees feel alot looser and stronger. I don't have any time for boardin' these days. If they are really hurting you, you should get them checked out before you start any exercise.

Hopefully there is not a tear in your cartilage...If it gets worse I would definitely have it checked out. Do you hear or feel any popping of any kind? When I was wrestling in high school, I had a minor tear in my lateral meniscus and could walk fine but when I would bend my knee it would hurt. Then it started to actually slide out of place, I would have to straighten my knee until it slid back. Brutal. Eventually it completely tore and flipped over. I had to get Arthroscopic surgery twice. Knee brace doesn’t do crap for a cartilage tear. Can't go wrong with stretching. Hope it gets better!

Hey bro.... I've had the exact symptom you are complaining about on and off since I started riding a lot. Two years ago it was so bad that I couldn't kneel down to pick stuff up off the ground. For some reason it never hurt when I rode, but was bad the next day. I went to the doc a couple times, but never thought it was major enough for an MRI, although he x-rayed it for some reason.

Anyway, last year it didn't bother me at all and I was riding the most I ever had. I also started regularly stretching before riding. Not sure if that helped or if it was "cured" by taking time off in the winter. This year its back. After riding Sunday my knee is really not happy walking or kneeling.

My guess would be that you have some meniscus damage (that's what I've been told could cause it). I've stayed away from doing anything about mine because it seems like people have a lot of complications scoping their meniscus.

Let us know what you find. I'd be interested for sure.

You may want to try some Flax Seed Oil supplement. I raced MX for a long time, broke a lot of stuff and beat up ankles, shoulders, knees and wrists over the years. A friend of mine had knee surgery last year and was taking it and told me about it. It really makes a difference, especially with stiff joints.....(can't believe I said that on the air)! But seriously, after a good weekend of wakeboarding, I could hardly walk on Mondays....it helped with soreness and stiffness bigtime..... I recently looked it up on Google, and it's good for a LOT of issues...check it out. I take it everyday.

Thanks for all feedback. I've been stretching more the past few days and I think it is helping. I need to make sure that I stick to it.

Evan, you're right...when I'm on the water I don't feel anything...and that makes me get stupid and take things into the flats. Unfortunately, I pay for it the next few days.

Trevor. If you have'nt already done so try iceing up the knee for 20 minutes x 3 times too stop heavy inflamation like 2 to 6 hours after heavy riding or as soon as you start too feel that throbing pain. If you wan't too go see a orthopedic do so while your knee hurts and tell him you would like to get a brace to prevent any possible acl tear in the future. They will usually write a prescription {maybe not if you have Kaiser} for a custom fit brace which is like a grand. They are the only braces that are truly comfortible. Your insurance should cover most of cost. Lot cheaper for them the paying for surgery.

I've been having the same prob. they lcok up after like 30 mins of sitting in the car.

I've been reading a lot about Glucosamine and Chondroitin. It's a supplement that was designed for arthritis but has been found to actually help protect and grow cartilage. I just started taking it a couple weeks ago cause I have bad knees. Too early to say first hand if it really works but I did read in a health book that its' the real deal. Costco has a whole aisle of the stuff.