Damn those knees!

Okay, currently 54 years old and one knee is definitely weak and has been for years and is hurting badly after two weeks of skiing - have rested up for the last few days but it is definitely not good.

I really struggled turning on that knee and building up speed scares the hell out of me in case of an accident. I may be reaching the end of my skiing career.

Has anyone got a similar problem or can recommend / seen any specialists to see if something can be done, or any other tips like knee braces, strengthening exercises etc?

Feeling a bit down that skiing may be over for me until the next reincarnation. May have to take up trainspotting. :-(

I would not be so despondent 2 weeks is a lot of skiing, so would sugggest a few days off is normal.

The health of your knees is largely determined by health of the rear chain muscles. Your ass, your hamstring and calves. Spend plenty of time working on these before your next vacation and you will be good to go.

Few lessons here and there will also help. Interestingly one of my first snow experience was in Bulgaria and the ski schools out there are excellent.

I'm 65 and have weak knees. Did not start skiing until 55 ,but love it. I'm sure a physo would tell you not to wear knee braces but I now do. You need a good quality that fits well, visit a good shop or have them fitted. I have metal hinged type which give some support and would I hope help prevent injury in some circumstances. It's also important to be as fit as you can. I skied for 6 weeks last year with no knee problems but did have at least a week off between trips.

There is no need to give up skiing just because you have weak knees unless you want too. Happy skiing

Andy

I second Ranchero_1979's comments, based on personal experience. I thought my knees were shot when I was 19 and in college. I eventually got serious about doing resistance training for my legs, and I am now 38 and my knees feel fantastic.

Consider resistance training for your knees, it is never too late to get started!

Hurting in which way? Knee strengthening exercises will probably help, but I would have the problem diagnosed first. I have a particular knee problem and I know definitely there are certain knee strengthening exercises that involve movements and positions that I must avoid, if I don't want to make my problem worse. If I had been just blindly doing exercises from YouTube, this is what would have happened. The good news it's mostly all about engaging the correct muscles and can often be achieved in different ways as long as you know what to look for and what to avoid.

And as above, if you skied for 2 weeks that's a lot of skiing. Many knees will be hurting after that. But have it looked at by a doctor if it bothers you.

You should have a look at the Ski Mojo. http://www.thinksport.co.uk/Ski_mojo_gold.html?gclid=Cj0KEQiAhZPDBRCz642XqYOCpb8BEiQANUcwTw-Zv-iNe_leytONEXB_6oOz7aDfVIU5El91CZUrh6YaAmKF8P8HAQ

Ive a few clients who use them and report it really works, taking about 60% of the effort away from your Knees. Its quite pricey, but if you could get 60% more enjoyment, it might be worth it! The lkink above shows a price of £450. But Finches ski shop in South London has one I believe, they might do you a deal if you mention ski line!
Good luck with your skiing. At 57 my knees a starting to hurt now too!

I would not do any self diagnosing, buy any gear, do any exercises, until I had the right kind of help.

This winter will be my 50th year of skiing. Before that I was a track and fell runner, over 20,000 miles of running.

It goes without saying that I have knee issues. I have adopted a range of solutions, mostly, these are guided by having to have another life.

Some 10 years ago, I had my son fix me up with a sports scientist and a follow on physio. I ended up with a series of daily exercises to carry out. My only stipulation was that the program should be designed to be carried out at home, not in a gym. The program took an hour and a half each day, which I did while watching the TV news, so no lost time. The 3 winters following this program, I was skiing 6/7 weeks a season, and rarely suffered a twinge.

Then my ski buddy passed away, my skiing dropped to 3/5 weeks a season, and my exercise program halved, then after a year or so reduced even more.

Three years back, I started to experienced spiking pains in the knee. I followed this with more exercise, some physio, and a lot of cycling. The cycling has certainly helped during the past two seasons. I get aching in the knees, but no spiking.

A key, and easy exercise is a quarter single leg squat. I used to do 500/day, each leg, but I now do 100/150 per day each leg.This maintains a dual feature of strength and mobility.

This winter will be my least prepared. Looking after grandsons and training guide dogs is very time consuming. However, I will survive, and be targeting 60 years of skiing.....