Anyone else getting sore knees due to torsion (i think). I can't pinpoint exactly when i hurt my knee, it feels like it has built up. i reckon one foot was left in the board and it twisted around and now my knee is noticeably tender, not debilitating, i can still kite surf but not sure if i should. I am getting an X-ray and Ultrasound on Friday to see whats going on.
I'm a fan of good old Voltaren Gel. Ice your knee after a session, do some knee bends and just don't push yourself as hard as you normally do when you kitesurf. If the pain gets worse then stop. You want to keep some physical activity if you can - stopping altogether can make things worse.
If you feel like it is an injury that has built up over time have a look into things like your stance width and angle. You may not have the stance angle high enough. Stand in your board straps on the sand. Squat down and watch where your knees go. They should push out over your toes. If they push out inside your feet, reduce the stance angle. If they push out outside, increase your stance angle. Granted your straps may not give you much to play with but if you can't make the adjustments you need then maybe change your straps.
Changing stance width is harder as most boards only have a couple of positions. To work out your stance width, jump off a step and land on both feet, bending your knees. Then note the separation of your feet. This is your ideal stance width.
Check out an eHow on "Setting stance width and angle for snowboard bindings" Ignore the bit on duck stance, freeride and downhill stance angles - you only can set your straps as duck on a twintip.
maybe a little bit of a electrical stimulation will help.. pretty sure you will get some natural electrotherapy judging by your other post.......
if all else fails you could come to the dark side and go strapless!!
I have trouble with my shoulder i find goana oil works really well for that it helps with inflamation if voltaren doesnt work for u try that
take it easy on ur knees mate blew his out hes got a 9 month recovery after surgery
salt, I had problems with my knees kiting and more so snowboarding because I have a tendency to drop my back knee in rather than pushing it out (hard to describe). I now ride with a more ducked out stance to make me flex the knee correctly and also remember to "love the kite" (ie keep hips pushed forward and tilted up).
Having said all that I have also had sore knee from accidentally pulling one foot out of straps and having board twist.
There are other opinions re ice. Ice is great to reduce acute pain and inflammation. However, ice also reduces circulation so healing and the removal of cellular debris will be slower, meaning recovery will be slower. In case of repetitive strain ice would be little benefit, yet much hindrance for the already slowed down healing.
Unless the injury is in the acute stage (intense pain, redness, inflammation) warm pack would be more beneficial: not a lot of pain relief, but definitely increased circulation and healing.
Electro therapy is very beneficial. However, the intensity matters. TENS machines produce high intensity currents in the milli Amp range. They may give you instant pain relief, but, again, they reduce cellular activity (In Vitro to its mere 30%), therefor slow down healing. Microcurrent (in the range of micro Amps), on the other hand, will provide somewhat less effective pain relief, but it increases cellular energy production significantly (In vitro to its 500% !!!), therefore accelerate healing. The other difference is the price: TENS $100 range, Microcurrent $1,000 range.
The third option is from my gymnastic coach (when I was a kid): when it hurts, rest it, when it doesn't, strengthen it.
pretty interesting show last night on 7mate? about footy players narrated by rusty crowe about the injuries those guys have and the fixes available "damage control" gave a pretty nice insight into the injuries those guys come back from... of course you need the money for the operation..... be interesting to see how many knee and ankle injuries kiting causes... my main reason for ditching straps .....being an old fart and all..
there is also the "spiritual purity , freedom of artistic expression and the enmeshing of one's inner being with the ocean " from riding strapless ..................................
and the fact that i can't jump or ride a twin tip for ****e
