Power Kite Forum

Knee problems from kiting?

kiteyakker - 2-9-2009 at 08:38 PM

Hey everyone, not sure if this is the place to enquire, but seems like as good a spot as any. A few weeks ago I developed a nagging pain in my left knee, sorta under my knee cap, and sometimes just a generally sore knee and a feeling of instability. Well, I went and had an MRI on it and found I have a torn meniscus. This is the membrane or covering between the knee cap and joint.

What I'm wondering is, has anyone else experienced a similar injury from kiting? I actually haven't done any kiting this summer (dont' ride on water, not yet anyway) but living in Northern Minnesota I snowkite every chance I get in winter and do it often. I down hill ski on occasion too. I also mountain bike a lot and really haven't had any bad crashes.
Anyone else have any experience with this type of injury??

thanks,
Jack aka kiteyakker

bigkid - 2-9-2009 at 09:04 PM

Yep. if I do it again it's a new knee, aint got any cartilage left in the left knee. Thats why I sit in a buggy and not stand on a board(not anymore than I can stand, HA HA). Scudding hurts the worst, 50' and I'm done for the day. The doctor says its part of old age, and being out of shape, so I hit him with my walker and said "I did not"!:crazy:

furbowski - 2-9-2009 at 09:09 PM

just did a search for kite knee injury prevention, lots of different results, some were quite specific to kiteboarders.

at 42 I'm not quite almost middle aged....:cool:

...but old enough to have to warm up and stretch out before a session, otherwise my chances of injury go through the roof.

must say I'm jealous of all the teenagers here just getting into the sport with bodies that can take like 10 times the abuse mine can...:flaming:

archkiter - 2-9-2009 at 09:35 PM

yes. i got a torn meniscus and ruptured acl from a fall kiteboarding (land). definitely get it fixed/ repaired if you can. recovery from meniscus surgery is much faster than acl surgery. i had to stop kiting for about 9 months- after that i decided that a buggy was better for me. the good news is that my knee is practically as good as new since having surgery to fix it.

flyboy15 - 2-9-2009 at 09:52 PM

Wow, I didn't realize we were such high riskers...

I'm gunna look into some preventative stuff, my girlfriend just got done with acl rehab after tearing hers in D1 soccer last year. She nearly died from an infection complication (scared the hell out of me, but thats a different story), and I don't wanna test my luck...

Definitely not to be taken lightly, I can testify to that. 9 months for sure.

Stay safe, even if you're young, do some stretches and things to keep things limber.

Tonka - 2-9-2009 at 09:55 PM

I think alot of land kitting knee injuries are the result of turning the hips sideways and/or the foot so one can brace the slide [or potential slide]. If your experiencing knee injuries you may want to have a buddy watch you kite and see what your legs are doing: worst case you purchase a set of motorcross knee braces but there is no substitute for good strong leg muscles!!!

Tonka - 2-9-2009 at 10:01 PM

For those that havent figured this out yet.....traction kiting is a grade #1 sport [grade #1 beeing the highest for injury potential!!!]

Knee surgery is not to be taken lightly [i've had mine opened up 3 times] and is it better then new....not a chance!!! can i walk yes.....do i kite, yes...does it hurt the next day, yes.

Take the only precautions you can......strength and stretching along with a dose of common sense!!!!!!

kitejumper - 2-9-2009 at 10:26 PM

there is no substitute for being in shape......i lift weights and it def has helped my kiting--my coordination,strengh,reflexes,it all ties together--the better shape youre in--the more stuff you can do.........

Bladerunner - 3-9-2009 at 06:28 AM

A fellow was showing off when I was just learning and was coming in WAY too shallow to jump for me. Predictably his board jammed in the sand and he blew his ACL.
Don't jump in shallow water.

f0rgiv3n - 3-9-2009 at 07:11 AM

pshaaaah, stretchings for wusses. :smilegrin: .......


No but seriously... this opened up my eyes, I'll be stretching before each session from now on! (Up till this point I haven't stretched at all... :rolleyes: )

kteguru - 3-9-2009 at 07:20 AM

Out of curiousity do you use clipless pedals on your mountain bike? If you do I would certainly suggest it's a contributing factor to knee problems. The amount of lateral float the human knee requires while pedaling is quite significant. So much so that in order to make a pedal that accomodates the human body the pedal system would need to be 100% free floating which of course wouldn't function. So the manufacturers give you what they think is a happy medium, a few degree's of float. I raced road bikes for many years and although there are certainly a long list of advantages to clipless pedals they will always be placing a greater strain on your knees. Which one is more important is up to you.

kiteyakker - 3-9-2009 at 09:55 AM

Wow, lots of comments and responses. Yes I do use clipless pedals. I used to feel a bit of pain in my knees after riding alot and training for off road triathlons, but it always went away. Well, this one isn't. I've always thought I had strong legs, but I ain't no spring chicken anymore at 49 years old, so I guess the years of wear and tear are adding up. I don't wanna quite kiting just yet, I just got into it a couple of years ago and it is too much fun, so I gotta get this fixed and take steps to prevent it from happening again.

Anyone know of any good strenthening exersises for the knees besides squats? I was told I'm not supposed to kneel OR squat (at least on that knee) until it heals. Maybe I need to see a good PT and see what he recommends.

WadoGal - 3-9-2009 at 10:30 AM

Here's a good quad strengthening exercise I used when I injured my knee (nothing serious - just an overuse injury). Using a resistance band, I looped one end around the bottom rung of a chair and the other end around my foot. Sitting up on the chair, flex your foot and lift your leg up keeping your knee bent - the tension from the band should provide resistace - I found it to be a good, low impact exercise (kind of hard to desribe without pictures though). But I'm sure a PT will give you many options for exercises.

bigkid - 3-9-2009 at 10:39 AM

Get the knee fixed ASAP. I let mine go for almost a year and I lost muscle on one side of my knee, (from limping) and spent 6 weeks in pt to build up that muscle to keep my knee cap in place. Then asked the pt to recommend some exercises to get me on and now I'm old and got 1 good knee.

f0rgiv3n - 3-9-2009 at 10:54 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by bigkid
now I'm old and got 1 good knee.


Good thing God gave you a spare :yes:

kiteyakker - 3-9-2009 at 11:43 AM

The doc that recommended the MRI said I should just continue with my regime of ibuprofen, neoprene sleeve support for the knee, and refraining from certain activities, running, jumping, squatting and the like. He said it should heal on it's own, that surgery SHOULDN'T be required.

It's already been almost 2 months since the onset of this. He told me give it a month and if it hasn't improved, then it's time to see an orthopedic specialist. I'm giving it about 1 more week, as it hasn't really improved much at all. It's starting to get old hobbling around like an old wornout NFL lineman....

kitejumper - 3-9-2009 at 03:53 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by kiteyakker
Wow, lots of comments and responses. Yes I do use clipless pedals. I used to feel a bit of pain in my knees after riding alot and training for off road triathlons, but it always went away. Well, this one isn't. I've always thought I had strong legs, but I ain't no spring chicken anymore at 49 years old, so I guess the years of wear and tear are adding up. I don't wanna quite kiting just yet, I just got into it a couple of years ago and it is too much fun, so I gotta get this fixed and take steps to prevent it from happening again.

Anyone know of any good strenthening exersises for the knees besides squats? I was told I'm not supposed to kneel OR squat (at least on that knee) until it heals. Maybe I need to see a good PT and see what he recommends.
the thing about squats is ,if done properly and before any serious injuries,they improve the function of the whole leg and esp the knee area--but once you have surgery,i dont think its a great idea in most cases--its the same with building up the back w deadlifts---u start out small and build your way up--good technique and the back is strong and able to do much more than before,however once a major injury occurs,you are pretty much finished--im lucky,i had a slipped/bruised/bulging disk from carelessly racking a heavy weight last year--i tried deadlifting heavy for a month after thru the pain,hoping it would get better,it didnt and as soon as i quit heavy back training my disk recovered w some help from the chiropracter......i was still squatting very heavy while i had the slipped disk, i used a narrow stance to relieve the stress on the back,but i never did tell the Doc--he would have killed me-anyways my back has never been better or stronger--

bigkid - 3-9-2009 at 04:24 PM

My doctor told me to leave it alone also till I complained about the increase in pain.
My tear folded over and that's what caused to extra pain. The Orthopedic Surgeon said they don't heal on there own. Chew out the flap and the bad loose stuff and you'll be good as new. :no:
The knee will never be 100%, I would settle for 50%. I should have invested in Ibuprofen Stock.

kiteyakker - 3-9-2009 at 07:29 PM

Kitejumper, I suffer from the occasional back problem too. I would have to start out pretty small if I was really gonna start doing deadlifts to build up my lower back. There are lots of good back exercises that are a lot less stressful than deadlifts. But that is another topic.

Back to the knee issue, I believe that I will be seeing the doc next week as I don't think its gonna heal on its own either. They (they meaning the radiologist that read the MRI) said the tear was minor. Well, it sounds like the only way to find out for sure is to get in there with a 'scope and really check it out. So that is most likely where I'm headed in the near future. Geez, I used to think my legs were invincible :(

kitejumper - 4-9-2009 at 12:00 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by kiteyakker
Kitejumper, I suffer from the occasional back problem too. I would have to start out pretty small if I was really gonna start doing deadlifts to build up my lower back. There are lots of good back exercises that are a lot less stressful than deadlifts. But that is another topic.

Back to the knee issue, I believe that I will be seeing the doc next week as I don't think its gonna heal on its own either. They (they meaning the radiologist that read the MRI) said the tear was minor. Well, it sounds like the only way to find out for sure is to get in there with a 'scope and really check it out. So that is most likely where I'm headed in the near future. Geez, I used to think my legs were invincible :(
u dont have to use huge amts of weight to deadlift to get results-heck,u could even use dumbells and do some-deadlifts are a full body exercise not just benefiting the back muscles--good luck with the knee though........

rip2tide2 - 4-9-2009 at 01:35 PM

I've also had something similar happen. Except in my case I feel like I hyperextended it while scudding. It killed the first week after that and felt extremely loose -> like my knee cap would shift outward. I'm a big runner and have had to lay off of that for the summer. Every time I do, my knee cap gets real wobbly. It has been slowly getting better, and by that I mean it doesn't feel loose all the time anymore. Initially, I was a little afraid that I tore my ACL or something, but someone said you would know it if you did (kind of like breaking an arm or something -> you know it!). Now that you mention your meniscus, I can't help but wondering if that's what has happened to me. Does your knee ever feel wet inside?? Ironically, I have switched to bicycling which has helped.... it's only when I stop bicycling now that it starts to get loosy goosy. Anyway - I should probably go to the doc and get an MRI or something, but you just don't do that without health insurance, but that's another issue....

kiteyakker - 4-9-2009 at 05:25 PM

Well, it's kinda hard to describe, but some of what you say sounds similiar. The knee feels unstable at times, and when i walk it feels like the knee is flexing backwards too much when I push off to take another step. The kneecap itself doens't feel "loose" but the pain/tenderness seems to be to the top and inside of the cap. Can't say that it really feels "wet" inside. The two tendons behind my knee are tender and sore at times too, but I think thats just from me favoring the knee.

I don't know my medical terms, but I think they said the tear was to the medial meniscus, not really sure where that would be. Riding a bike feels ok, as long as I don't ride very far and keep the bike in an easy gear. I guess it feels somewhat better than walking. I don't really do much of either.

I static flew my 11M frenzy the other day, in very light winds, (just bought it and had to try it) and the pressure that you put on your legs when diving the kite into the powerzone did not feel good on the knee at all, and this was in maybe 4-6mph of wind. So no flying/boarding whatever till I get this taken care of. :(

Jack1988 - 9-9-2009 at 05:26 AM

Im not surprised, i used to do alot of freerunning and im going to feel that 20 years down the line lol. Ive always thought that for me ( flying static atm and jumping) the most effect and likely to be used piece of safetey kit would be ankle and knee braces, especially after realising how the 4.5 ace jumps, i can see that on a board or buggy, a helmet is absolutly essential.

lad - 9-9-2009 at 06:14 AM


I keep a pair on-hand.

kiteyakker - 9-11-2009 at 10:58 AM

Well, after much deliberation and a visit to a good ortho specialist, I've decided to go ahead and have arthroscopic surgery on the knee. I was told that recovery time would be 2-3 weeks, and if thats true, i can live with that. Hopefuly i made the right choice, time will tell i guess. I wanna be ready when the snow flies!

jellis - 9-11-2009 at 11:38 AM

New right knee, 63 get out of my way.:wee:

kiteyakker - 9-11-2009 at 12:59 PM

New as in "knee replacement??

jellis - 9-11-2009 at 03:52 PM

Yes sir replaced the right knee January the 5th 2009.

kiteyakker - 14-11-2009 at 07:43 AM

Hey Jellis, do you do any boarding with that new knee or just ride buggies?

Hopefully I won't be looking at anything like that, but I did have arthroscopic surgery 3 days ago. There was a tear on the medial side that the surgeon removed. He said everything else looked normal. Its stiff and swollen of course but very little pain.

Now I'm just wondering how long before I can safely snow kite? A month? Two? Can anyone that has had similiar surgery comment on that?

furbowski - 14-11-2009 at 07:47 AM

can't comment on recovery time, just hope you're back up and kiting soon! Your description of your wobbly knee earlier didn't sound good.

jellis - 14-11-2009 at 10:09 AM

I leave the land boarding to the younger guys and buggy. Can't comment about the recovery time as it is quite different from what I did to my knee. I can tell you not to be in too much of a hurry and let it heal properly so you don't have to do what I did later on.

kiteyakker - 19-11-2009 at 11:03 AM

Had my check up wth the ortho, its been just over a week since surgery. He said i should make a full recovery and be ready to rock in 3-4 weeks. I need to work on flexibility and regaining muscle mass. Amazing how quick you lose mass after something like this, but it feels like i'm getting a bit stronger everyday. Should be ready to go by Christmas!

popeyethewelder - 19-11-2009 at 11:17 AM

I have met at least three buggiers who were complaining of knee discomfort after being in the buggy for an hour, they changed to a leading Link set up and can buggy all day with no discomfort what so ever

doublespeed360 - 22-11-2009 at 06:07 PM

what a leading link.?

Maven454 - 23-11-2009 at 04:14 AM

A form of suspension for the front end of the buggy.