Few days back had another knee surgery, nothing drastic meniscus again. Previous was about 4 years back. I made it about a year, maybe longer after that surgery before I dipped a toe and tweeted my knee again. I blamed it on that dang 2023 Honda that the rear end likes to step out on corner exit lol!
I walked around, rode with a sore knee for a good while. Finally couldn’t go any longer and had it cut on the other day. Doc said I tore a piece of my meniscus and it kinda grew where it shouldn’t have best I understood him. Doc called it removing a flap from my meniscus.
Being older along with laying off riding for many years until 2019. I don’t stand as much as I should or when I should. Once I get back to where I can ride I plan to try really hard to learn to ride with feet on the pegs more. I want to limit dipping a toe, hang a foot whatever as much as I can. I’m thinking about finding a trainer that can give me the right coaching on keeping feet on the pegs, form/technique etc.
Just curious I’d anybody changed style/technique to deal with a knee injury. I’m also bored having to take it easy with my knee therefore another post lol.
Im in same condition with knees, both full ACL reconstruction with meniscus repairs….I wear braces, probably more mental than anything but I tried without and I need the braces, with that said…I have been trying my hardest to keep feet on pegs at ALL times…. Toes on pegs, sometimes arches ….. I have been doing drills….ovals & figure 8”s with the sole purpose to keep feet on pegs as much as possible….don’t worry about speed, just focus on feet on pegs….I also work on tucking my feet in tight to frame and squeeze bike with entire lower leg, from knees down to feet. I also add in looking ahead and no brake & clutch drills…. I”m 58, trying to protect my knees at all cost to continue riding long as possible…. A nice flat area, just start riding a small oval & figure 8, ruts will form, then have a good rut track to practice….its a natural reaction to stick a leg out when you feel like you are about to fall, the drills retrain the brain to keep feet on pegs…. Its not a one & done drill, even the Pro”s work on the basics continuously….I have a woods loop I ride, sometimes I will ride a whole loop while trying to stand with feet on pegs…
Thanks for the comments. What I was planning on doing to get started once I get to where I can ride is take my KX450 to Ultimate MX not far from my house. They have a good kids track, if they made it wider it would almost be a vet track. I’ll stick my 450 in second gear and lug around toes turned in, focus on gripping with my knees which I’m not always good at and ride around feet on the pegs as a start. Then see how my knee holds up and then take it to the main track. The main track at Ultimate MX is easy for most part. Other than a couple of right handers that will be hard for me feet up.
I’m a month or six weeks away from the track. I’m actually worried more about loading my bike in my tall truck with a bum knee !
Yup, changed my riding up a lot. After my second surgery to fix my knee I ride maybe once a year now and just live threw my kids racing lol
You smarter than me….I can’t stop riding, I have toned it down a bit and don’t pressure myself like I used to, but there is no replacement for me….
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After 2 knee reconstructions, the absolute best and only thing you need to sort your knee is reverse sled pulls, I was sceptical at first as I had done so many years of rehab and got nowhere but more knee pain, but after a few weeks of reverse sled pulls I was pain free, after a few months and I forgot which was my bad knee.
If you are still in the healing stage after your surgery …..maybe just stationary bike and leg strengthening routine….don’t come back too soon to riding….if it still hurts from surgery you are not ready to ride..IMO…
I had myself in pretty good shape before surgery. My knee started slowing me down some last few weeks before surgery. I plan to get my leg back in shape. What was funny about my knee. I could go to the gym, do leg extensions, squats within reason etc and didn’t bother my knee. I could ride at the track too. What I couldn’t do was spend any time on my knees or bend and twist my knee like to put my socks on.
I’ll probably hit the gym tomorrow do upper body and leg extensions the doctor has me doing and the other exercises he has me doing too. But do them on a machine with no weight.
I plan on being best the best I can before I ride again. Once I do some stuff on my own hope a to find a trainer for old guys lol. One of the problems getting older and Race Tech will tell you the same when you call about springs. As you get older you tend to set down more. They are right I catch myself setting when I shouldn’t all the time.
My knee is a bandaid scratch to some of you guys.
Sandman, I could have written the exact same reply, word for word. Except for "I'm 58". I'm 67 (1st knee surgery in 1983) and have been protecting my knees for many years so I can ride/ski/hike for as long as possible. wwdiii, one thing is to continue to ride like you know how to ride. Once you think to much about your knees, you're not thinking about riding and are more prone to make mistakes. Good luck. Have fun. Keep rocking!
Every injury changed how I ride. With knees especially, I learned to keep my legs tight to the bike, never letting them dingle-dangle around. I raced a lot of high speed desert and some motocross. The high speed dabs were a bad habit of mine, until I busted my tibial plateau. Long legs don’t belong on dirt bikes.
I’m actually worried more about loading my bike in my tall truck with a bum knee. Get a quad ramp. Double ramp. Bike on one ramp, you walk up the other. Been doing it for years cuz I'm short with bad knees.
I have been doing reverse/ walking backwards on treadmill….I will try the reverse sled…..
Yeah. I try to make up for 70% strength in left knee by overusing my right. Definitely changed the way I ride. Been no acl/ torn meniscus since 2007 though so im pretty grateful just to be able to ride still tbh.
I don’t know if I’ve seen anybody at the Golds Gym I go to doing reverse sled pulls. I’ve never done reverse sled pulls. I googled it and it’s good low impact for bad knees as opposed to squats. Once my knee gets better I’ll be back doing goblet squats, squats on a machine and leg press. But looks like reverse sled pulls make sense to kick start a knee after surgery. Too soon for me to start something like sled pulls but I’m going to check and see I’d they have a sled at the Golds I go to.
I learn something new everyday!
I had surgery on my left knee for ACL, MCL, and the meniscus. Doc said no more jogging your meniscus is gone. Right knee is very close to done as well.
By far the best thing I ever did was get a tall seat. The strain on my knees was instantly relieved, and my stamina and speed were much better as an added advantage.
I'm not that tall at 6" but a little on the heavy side...
They don't look glamorous but they are amazingly effective and completely safe, there is no weight on the knee or joint, only when you pull, so if it hurts just stop pulling. Start with no weight just the sled, or even a dumbell plate if there is no sled. I would be very surprised if you got more than 10 lengths with out your legs completely burning out. It will fire muscles you didn't even know you had. Enjoy
I’d probably ride more off-road if I had places to ride. Houston area has one National Forrest to ride in and I’d guess it to be an hour and half drive with no traffic, maybe two with Houston traffic. So I hit Ultimate MX not far from my house early during the week and sometimes have the track to myself for the first hour or so. I can make easy laps and not get in the way of the fast guys.
Even if a guy has good knees he needs good braces. I’m currently wearing EVS web braces. I got them on sale for about 800 or so. Best Moto money I ever spent.
I see a few guys on the treed mill backwards at times. We ran many miles backwards playing ball in high school. I’ve seen guys at outdoor gyms going pulls with sleds and tires. Something I’ve never done but I’m going to. Even if I have to find another gym. But I’d bet the Folds I go to has a sled. I’ll find out today.
Yes I bought a trials bike and learned how to balance more and keep my feet on the pegs more.
Get your leg stronger a knee injury should not change your riding style. My 2 nerves in my shoulder make my rt arm go numb. Left elbow nerve surgery made 1/2 my hand numb pinky & next finger. So I had to make changes to ride. I barely touch the grips I use a very light grip. Keeps the arms loose. Only time I sit is off a corner to get a burst off a corner. These r Prow Techniques. Lol Go faster in a higher gear & get on top of the sand or dirt.
Pit Row
I had the elbow nerve tunnel surgery and wrist too years back on my left hand. I death grip the throttle with my right hand lol!
I believe your looking for advice on a different riding style in order to keep riding
Moto academy
AJ and his trainers teach you to ride with the balls of your feet, and keep them on the pegs during corners.
Have a look at his YouTube
After tearing my acl/mcl/pcl all in one swoop, the only change I made was knee braces to protect my investment of somebody else's body parts. I ride a lot more MTB to keep everything is better shape now. My injury wasn't due to poor technique or anything though. Just a freak trail riding accident.
AJ popping up on facebook is part of what got me thinking about my riding style/lessons. I haven watched his stuff on YouTube but plan to it while I’m semi laid up. I’m going to the store and therapy the dr has me doing along with ice on my knee, but taking it easy for the most part. Plan to go to the gym tomorrow for first time since surgery.
I’m pretty good at riding balls of my feet but never learned to turn my hands in like his Videos on Facebook. At times I grip with my knees, other times with long legs not so much.
I thought it was pretty cool. One of his videos of a training session he asked who was youngest and who was oldest. The oldest guy was 71.
Came here to say the same.
A couple of classes now, use the ap constantly.
My knees are long since gone (46 yo, Infantry Marine, years of stunt riding/street crashes). Riding with the MA technique I'm faster, safer, jump higher/further than I ever have, no braces, no knee pain.
You mean turn your toes in to get more knee pressure in the bike ? Hey that’s great for practice riding. Not for racing though. I,m not hyper shifting if I hv my toes in. I think the bike moves less with toes in & knees smashed into the bike. How is the bike going to work with the track. ? Going slow into corners AJ style . Now how r you going to fly threw a corner if your entering at a snails pace. I think he’s good for riders obsessed with safety & perfect body position.
I have no idea why I'm engaging with you, but having seen AJ and his coaches ride in person, on track with them...
"going slow into corners AJ style"
Riiiiiight.
And that’s why 125 b/c among the fastest lap times at LL. None of the riders use the slow roll into corners. Right ? In sand I bunny hop & jump the braking whoops to hit the target- the corner.
Had ACl done about 15 yrs ago, torwards the end i couldnt ride much due to pain, 2 years ago had the knee replaced, im riding now mire than ever and hitting more jumps, not massive doubles etc.. but you get the idea, no knee pain adds cofidence, i dont have a ton of Rom, about 110 or 115, so foot placement is an active thought, not natural. But at 62 im thrilled!
So glad knee replacements got you going again. My wife needs one if not two knee replacements, but she’s holding out, she’s worried more about scars then have a good knee. It’s amazing how many guys ride again/more after knee replacements. My doctor said I have the knee joint of a 17 year old everything else is good but my meniscus. Laying here with ice on knee a few days after surgery it doesn’t feel like a 17 year old knee joint lol.
Maybe next week I’ll do some position stuff on the stand. I did some position stuff on the stand last year but didn’t hang with it long as I should have. Will help with flexibility too. I’ve been hitting the gym hard up last year, longer up until couple weeks before surgery. Leg is pretty strong but surgery locked muscles up pretty good. Therapy doctor has me doing is helping.
Can’t wait to get back on the track.
Hope you have good luck moving foward, didnt catch your age, and not sure if applicable, but stem cell replacement has come a long ways. I had 70 percent of my miniscus removed due to injuries in my youth, doctor said it would lead to artheritis. Keep an eye on it over the next few years.
My age, turned 70 couple weeks back. I’ll throw modesty out the window. I’m doing good for my age other than this dang knee lol!
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