Bad knees making me a better rider

Interesting. I’m 50 and have the exact same issue as my left knee is junk. Bone on bone. Funny thing is moto caused this issue But after I ride it always feels better!

I’m glad the pain went away, but you may want to talk to your doc and find out about any secondary affects of changing your gait. You may be unknowingly putting pressure on your hip or ankle, and wearing that out, too.

I can relate to your pain. For the last 2 years it has felt like there was broken glass inside the medial part of my left knee. The orthos told me the same thing, wait as long as possible before doing knee replacements. Cortisone shots stopped working and I was having trouble walking into a grocery store or gettiing out of my truck. I spent 18 months researching different options and decided to do Stem Cells from Bioxcellerator which is based out of Phoenix, AZ but does the treatment and research in Medellin, Colombia. Since I was going down there I decided to have both my shoulders done as well since my left rotator had tears from lifting weights and my right shoulder had tears from baseball. This was after having 3 separate surgeries to correct it.

I had the treatment just over 5 weeks ago and I can really feel the difference. I can walk without a limp but I still feel a little discomfort in the medial part of the left knee. I was told that in 3 months I will feel a big difference and by 6 months I should feel the maximum extent of the treatment. So far I have been extremely happy with choosing this route. You can always get a knee replaced but you can't undo it.

Moto88 wrote:

Interesting. I’m 50 and have the exact same issue as my left knee is junk. Bone on bone. Funny thing is moto caused this issue But after I ride it always feels better!

Mine was caused by moto, football, hockey, wrestling and lifting too much weights without regard for my personal health. My knee seems to feel better after riding but the next couple days after a race are rough.

Sully wrote:

I’m glad the pain went away, but you may want to talk to your doc and find out about any secondary affects of changing your gait. You may be unknowingly putting pressure on your hip or ankle, and wearing that out, too.

Oh, I have had that discussion with a few docs and physiologists. Yeah, I'm most likely jacking other stuff up but it's mostly just evening wear out.

Drfletcher wrote:

I can relate to your pain. For the last 2 years it has felt like there was broken glass inside the medial part of my left knee. The orthos told me the same thing, wait as long as possible before doing knee replacements. Cortisone shots stopped working and I was having trouble walking into a grocery store or gettiing out of my truck. I spent 18 months researching different options and decided to do Stem Cells from Bioxcellerator which is based out of Phoenix, AZ but does the treatment and research in Medellin, Colombia. Since I was going down there I decided to have both my shoulders done as well since my left rotator had tears from lifting weights and my right shoulder had tears from baseball. This was after having 3 separate surgeries to correct it.

I had the treatment just over 5 weeks ago and I can really feel the difference. I can walk without a limp but I still feel a little discomfort in the medial part of the left knee. I was told that in 3 months I will feel a big difference and by 6 months I should feel the maximum extent of the treatment. So far I have been extremely happy with choosing this route. You can always get a knee replaced but you can't undo it.

If you don't mind me asking, how much cash did it cost? I'm assuming that insurance told you to kick rocks....

I went to see a stem cell doctor and looking at my x-rays even he said it would never be like a new knee but it would get better. Trouble is $5k is a lot to spend on "hope it gets better."

Drfletcher wrote:

I can relate to your pain. For the last 2 years it has felt like there was broken glass inside the medial part of my left knee. The orthos told me the same thing, wait as long as possible before doing knee replacements. Cortisone shots stopped working and I was having trouble walking into a grocery store or gettiing out of my truck. I spent 18 months researching different options and decided to do Stem Cells from Bioxcellerator which is based out of Phoenix, AZ but does the treatment and research in Medellin, Colombia. Since I was going down there I decided to have both my shoulders done as well since my left rotator had tears from lifting weights and my right shoulder had tears from baseball. This was after having 3 separate surgeries to correct it.

I had the treatment just over 5 weeks ago and I can really feel the difference. I can walk without a limp but I still feel a little discomfort in the medial part of the left knee. I was told that in 3 months I will feel a big difference and by 6 months I should feel the maximum extent of the treatment. So far I have been extremely happy with choosing this route. You can always get a knee replaced but you can't undo it.

were you bone on bone? This is a huge concern for me as well. Tore my left ACL at age 9 and my right at age 11 and never had them fixed. I was the smallest knee that CTI had made a carbon fiber brace for at the time ('86). I'm bone on bone in both. Most Dr's (Kaiser) have said I am beyond anything except full knee replacement which I'm holding off as long as possible. Wondering if stem cells could be an option. I think they've told me there may not be enough tissue to reproduce itself. Hoping for a miracle. Wondering if they couldn't just bolt in a rubber grommet piece into the knee. I'm open to anything at this time. Thanks for posting.

If you ride with your feet pointing in the correct way you never have to remind yourself to squeeze, especially if u have knee braces on. Your knees naturally squeeze when your feet are pointed the correct way, I tell riders this all day. If you ride like a duck you will naturally be loose on the tank and your feet will naturally grab every rut and naturally rip up everything in your knees. I try to leave that part out but it’s truth, you point your feet the correct way and u don’t have to remind yourself because it will become natural.

McG194 wrote:

If you don't mind me asking, how much cash did it cost? I'm assuming that insurance told you to kick rocks....

I went to see a stem cell doctor and looking at my x-rays even he said it would never be like a new knee but it would get better. Trouble is $5k is a lot to spend on "hope it gets better."

Insurance isn't going to pay anything for stem cells. They consider it an experimental treatment. I paid for my knees $16,500. I was told that prices were going up around 20%. I know they do it in the states for anywhere between $5k and $18k but what they use are totally different. There are different types of stem cells and they need to be viable. I had 40 million stem cells injected in each knee along with 2 IV infusions of 50 million stem cells. Its a big risk and my fiance wanted me to have knee replacement surgery instead of spending the money. She sees now that she was wrong.

deadking wrote:

were you bone on bone? This is a huge concern for me as well. Tore my left ACL at age 9 and my right at age 11 and never had them fixed. I was the smallest knee that CTI had made a carbon fiber brace for at the time ('86). I'm bone on bone in both. Most Dr's (Kaiser) have said I am beyond anything except full knee replacement which I'm holding off as long as possible. Wondering if stem cells could be an option. I think they've told me there may not be enough tissue to reproduce itself. Hoping for a miracle. Wondering if they couldn't just bolt in a rubber grommet piece into the knee. I'm open to anything at this time. Thanks for posting.

The image is backwards. On the right side which is my left knee, the medial meniscus is almost gone. On my other knee which use to be my bad knee, I had a stem cell injection from an ortho Dr in Georgia who used a small dosage but it seemed to stop the progression. I was at a point that I couldn't walk. I hope this helps. Feel free to DM any other questions.

No more bone on bone for me!

I had my right knee replaced 2 years ago. I was back on the bike in a little over 3 months. I told him I ride. He said he could fix anything. The only absolute is NO running. I should have had it done a lot sooner. I was miserable. My knee pain would wake me in the middle of the night. Some days I couldn't walk to my mailbox. I don't notice anything different about my knee when I'm riding. My knee is a life time joint.

Google Kneesovertoesguy. Some interesting stuff regarding knee pain and mobility. Not sure if you're too far gone, but his goal is to reverse the trend of knee replacements in the US.

Jeff alessi wrote:

If you ride with your feet pointing in the correct way you never have to remind yourself to squeeze, especially if u have knee braces on. Your knees naturally squeeze when your feet are pointed the correct way, I tell riders this all day. If you ride like a duck you will naturally be loose on the tank and your feet will naturally grab every rut and naturally rip up everything in your knees. I try to leave that part out but it’s truth, you point your feet the correct way and u don’t have to remind yourself because it will become natural.

Not to derail OP”s thread but, this is 100% correct. I used to be good at riding on balls of my feet with toes pointed inward when I was younger. The last 5-10 years I really struggle with proper feet placement & squeezing tank... I seem to be good when by myself, but soon as I get into a heated battle or race situation, my feet start acting like “duck feet” ... any practice tips?

Hudd_421 wrote:

Google Kneesovertoesguy. Some interesting stuff regarding knee pain and mobility. Not sure if you're too far gone, but his goal is to reverse the trend of knee replacements in the US.

I never heard of the kneesovertoesguy but after googlling him I am very interesting in his program. Thanks!

Jeff alessi wrote:

If you ride with your feet pointing in the correct way you never have to remind yourself to squeeze, especially if u have knee braces on. Your knees naturally squeeze when your feet are pointed the correct way, I tell riders this all day. If you ride like a duck you will naturally be loose on the tank and your feet will naturally grab every rut and naturally rip up everything in your knees. I try to leave that part out but it’s truth, you point your feet the correct way and u don’t have to remind yourself because it will become natural.

sandman768 wrote:

Not to derail OP”s thread but, this is 100% correct. I used to be good at riding on balls of my feet with toes pointed inward when I was younger. The last 5-10 years I really struggle with proper feet placement & squeezing tank... I seem to be good when by myself, but soon as I get into a heated battle or race situation, my feet start acting like “duck feet” ... any practice tips?

You are not derailing it at all and Jeff was saying exactly what I have been experiencing. My pigeon-toed walk has made pointing my feet in a natural position. I no longer even really think about squeezing he tank because it automatically does it with my knees pointed in. My last ride it really struck me how natural it felt and how much more bike control I had.

Drfletcher wrote:

I can relate to your pain. For the last 2 years it has felt like there was broken glass inside the medial part of my left knee. The orthos told me the same thing, wait as long as possible before doing knee replacements. Cortisone shots stopped working and I was having trouble walking into a grocery store or gettiing out of my truck. I spent 18 months researching different options and decided to do Stem Cells from Bioxcellerator which is based out of Phoenix, AZ but does the treatment and research in Medellin, Colombia. Since I was going down there I decided to have both my shoulders done as well since my left rotator had tears from lifting weights and my right shoulder had tears from baseball. This was after having 3 separate surgeries to correct it.

I had the treatment just over 5 weeks ago and I can really feel the difference. I can walk without a limp but I still feel a little discomfort in the medial part of the left knee. I was told that in 3 months I will feel a big difference and by 6 months I should feel the maximum extent of the treatment. So far I have been extremely happy with choosing this route. You can always get a knee replaced but you can't undo it.

deadking wrote:

were you bone on bone? This is a huge concern for me as well. Tore my left ACL at age 9 and my right at age 11 and never had them fixed. I was the smallest knee that CTI had made a carbon fiber brace for at the time ('86). I'm bone on bone in both. Most Dr's (Kaiser) have said I am beyond anything except full knee replacement which I'm holding off as long as possible. Wondering if stem cells could be an option. I think they've told me there may not be enough tissue to reproduce itself. Hoping for a miracle. Wondering if they couldn't just bolt in a rubber grommet piece into the knee. I'm open to anything at this time. Thanks for posting.

Drfletcher wrote:

The image is backwards. On the right side which is my left knee, the medial meniscus is almost gone. On my other knee which use to be my bad knee, I had a stem cell injection from an ortho Dr in Georgia who used a small dosage but it seemed to stop the progression. I was at a point that I couldn't walk. I hope this helps. Feel free to DM any other questions.

I know that my left knee hurts when my shoes are worn. I always wear the outside first, and that makes the knee slightly crooked, causing more pressure/wear on the inner knee.
In the picture above I see that the inside of the left knee (on the right), the gap is smaller toward the inside.
For me, getting new shoes always makes the pain away, but for you, you might need some inserts for your shoes/boots.
They are made custom for your feet. Many chiropractors can do the fitting and they're not expensive.

Other than that, at 58, I take Glucosamine with Chondroitin supplements, along with Collagen Types 1 and 3, and it seems to help all of my joints.

Radical wrote:

I know that my left knee hurts when my shoes are worn. I always wear the outside first, and that makes the knee slightly crooked, causing more pressure/wear on the inner knee.
In the picture above I see that the inside of the left knee (on the right), the gap is smaller toward the inside.
For me, getting new shoes always makes the pain away, but for you, you might need some inserts for your shoes/boots.
They are made custom for your feet. Many chiropractors can do the fitting and they're not expensive.

Other than that, at 58, I take Glucosamine with Chondroitin supplements, along with Collagen Types 1 and 3, and it seems to help all of my joints.

I am a chiropractor so I'm very familiar with inserts and orthotics. I am not a big fan of them. You are correct in the left medial knee is smaller and that creates a "gapping" experience when my knee is put in compression. That is why it feels like broken glass at least thats the best way to describe it. I'm hoping the stem cells stimulate the body to regrow the meniscus and when it regrows it usually grows in thicker like a callous. I should see big changes at 3 months and 6 months but I already feel a lot better.