Front Knee Pain

[JohnE]

Do you find that your front knee takes more of a beating than your rear?

When you arrive at the lift, you take your rear boot out of the binding and skateboard to the lift. Once on the lift your front leg (knee) takes the load of the board all the way up the lift. When you get off the lift you ride on your front leg alone until you are able to put your rear boot back in the binding. 

Now wonder my front knee hurts more than the rear. 

[DMKW]

I had the opposite experience.  As a Regular foot rider, this meant my right knee was typically quite angry and painful.  At one point I recall a consultation with a knee specialist regarding this knee.  He made the simple and asinine suggestion to just switch it up and ride Goofy.     WTF     

In the end, the biggest improvement I found was not through arthroscopic surgery (no real benefit to me), but strengthening leg muscles, lots of time with a firm foam roller, tons of stretching, and OTC anti-inflammatories (as needed).  I've lost weight in the last year and this seems to have helped too.  I still have middle-aged knees but at least I can ride without pain...for now! 

 

 

[Carvin' Marvin]

My front knee gets beat up, my rear ankle gets beat up. I don’t think it’s from chilling on the lift and skating around though. It’s definitely from the ungodly beating I unleash on them on the way back down. 

[Jonny]

Used to be more of an issue for me but last year I took the springs off my front boot and reinstalled the stock Raichle forward lean adjuster, which I have locked in the most upright position. It's much easier to find a relaxed posture when skating, traversing or just standing around, and has no real effect on either side when carving.

[barryj]

On 12/19/2022 at 3:10 PM, JohnE said:

front knee takes more of a beating 

I feel it most on my front knee when Im skating in the lift. But I feel it and have swelling on both  outside knees at end of day and next morning!

What's helped is pre and post advil and knee wraps with cold packs for 15 minutes on each knee after a day of riding.....really takes the majority of the swelling and soreness down for the next day!

[lowrider]

JohnE perhaps trying a plate is in your future.

[Odd Job]

I gym most days of the week to stave off the geriatric bloom.

Most people aren't working out enough. Even the brobrahs in their 20's thinking they are athletes living in a ski town; I see their watts on the bike as they cough their lungs out; it's pretty bad (I am no endurance athlete by far).

[TimW]

On 12/20/2022 at 12:26 AM, DMKW said:

I had the opposite experience.  As a Regular foot rider, this meant my right knee was typically quite angry and painful.  At one point I recall a consultation with a knee specialist regarding this knee.  He made the simple and asinine suggestion to just switch it up and ride Goofy.     WTF     

 

I am naturally goofy and made my first turns goofy on homebuilt board. Because that board was crap, I rented a board but could only get a regular setup (late '80s). Since then I have become regular, and my preference has changed to regular for other boardsports as well. I doubt I could ride a wave goofy, only skimboarding I still do goofy.   

So you can actually change. But I was 12 at the time, might be a bit harder now 

 

For knee pain from snowboarding, for me that has become much better since I do more running and less biking. I think that strengthening of main muscles without training the stabilizing muscles (with biking) allowed me to overload things while snowboarding. Now my overall fitness is probably less, but with (trail) running stability gets more attention.  

 

[barryj]

What also has helped is getting back to doing squats.  My rotator cuff surgery had limited my ability to reach back to grab the olympic bar when behind my neck.

Im now up to 3 sets of 135lbs 3 times a week.  Really notice more strength getting up off the ground or coming back up from being on one knee adjusting my boot,  etc...... 

[rst]

my knees feel better when I shave 10 lbs off my +-200; when I gain up to 210; knees say please stop

[SunSurfer]

So many different possible reasons for knees to hurt that others experiences count for little in solving an individuals pain.

Arthritic worn out knee

Damaged meniscus inside knee 

Damaged ligaments inside and around knee

Overweight (well known in medical circles that losing weight markedly improves knee pain)

Poor quads strength

Knee too flexed when under strain (saddle too low on a bike / trying to get too low on a board / front boot flexed too far forward) causing pain behind kneecap

Misalignment of binding canting/boots/rider causing ligament strain and lateral knee pain.

Etc.

 

Edited December 22, 2022 by SunSurfer

[TWM]

I'm 49, and I've been riding dozens of days (or more) per season for 35 years. Despite not working out regularly, I only get post-riding stiffness (not pain) in my front knee, both hips, and back ankle.

I've gone through several cycles of heavy workout phases in my life--bodyweight, free-weights, etc. The phase that most benefited my snowboarding, by far, was a heavy (2-3 hour daily) yoga practice. The strength, flexibility and weight loss was miraculous for body mechanics (deeply bent knees, proper upright upper body).

I keep saying I'm going to take up yoga again, but saying isn't doing. 

Edited December 22, 2022 by TWM

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Yoga has been huge for me, both on the biking and boarding side. 

[DMKW]

I can't say enough about the benefits of increased flexibility.  Helped my lower back, hips, knees, you name it.  

[nextcarve]

Yoga is certainly good for (passive) flexibility. But what helped me is a mobility training called Kinstretch, which helped me to get better active/usable range of motion, body control and flexibility.

I had severe hip pain, because of a hip dysplasia and was able to better it a lot with this kind of training. But one has to take responsibility for ones health and maintain a regular routine, instead of passing it on and ignore the signals of your body.

Edited December 22, 2022 by nextcarve

[David Kirk]

On 12/19/2022 at 1:10 PM, JohnE said:

Do you find that your front knee takes more of a beating than your rear?

When you arrive at the lift, you take your rear boot out of the binding and skateboard to the lift. Once on the lift your front leg (knee) takes the load of the board all the way up the lift. When you get off the lift you ride on your front leg alone until you are able to put your rear boot back in the binding. 

Now wonder my front knee hurts more than the rear. 

Does your front knee hurt mostly while sitting on the lift or does it feel strained while riding?

 

dave

 

 

[pow4ever]

front knee is ok but back knee is not happy.
-- Swollen; feels weak. 

My back gets beat up from the violent(in a good way) edge transition.
work out/weights def help in that front but longevity seems to ride smoothly.

someone post the meme on Ford vs Ferrari on another post which is quite apt here:

Ken Miles: If you’re going to push a piece of machinery to the limit, and expect it to hold together, you have to have some sense of where that limit is. Look out there. Out there is the perfect lap. No mistakes. Every gear change, every corner. Perfect. You see it?
Peter Miles: I think so.
Ken Miles: Most people can’t. Most people don’t even know it’s out there, but it is. It’s there. 

[JohnE]

21 hours ago, David Kirk said:

Does your front knee hurt mostly while sitting on the lift or does it feel strained while riding?

 

dave

 

 

I think I notice my front knee when I exit the lift and have to ride some distance on my front leg only until I have a chance to engage my rear boot. The place I usually ride has about a 50' downhill offramp until I can buckle in. That's where I notice it the most. 

[David Kirk]

29 minutes ago, JohnE said:

I think I notice my front knee when I exit the lift and have to ride some distance on my front leg only until I have a chance to engage my rear boot. The place I usually ride has about a 50' downhill offramp until I can buckle in. That's where I notice it the most. 

Cool - are you running the front binding flat or do you have some toe lift?

 

dave

[ibrussell]

I get front knee pain when I run a front angle or 60 degree or less so I run a 66 and no pain

[JohnE]

1 hour ago, David Kirk said:

Cool - are you running the front binding flat or do you have some toe lift?

 

dave

I'm on soft boots so there really isn't a way to do toe lift. Right now I'm running about 30 deg F & 5 deg R.  

[ibrussell]

Oh soft boots never mind.  Good luck

[David Kirk]

42 minutes ago, JohnE said:

I'm on soft boots so there really isn't a way to do toe lift. Right now I'm running about 30 deg F & 5 deg R.  

The softboot angles change things a lot.

To skate in the lift line you are having to stand with your front knee twisted to the side by a lot and knees generally don't like supporting weight while being twisted.

I think we all assumed that given the forum we are on that you were using hard boots at narrow carve board angles.

dave