very painful knees

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fizz-tally

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anyone else have problems with their knees when riding?

at the moment after 10 mins riding they are very sore & when i get back from riding i am crippled for ages,infact the pain NEVER goes
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i wake up at night as they are so sore,painkillers dont work, i am waiting for a doctor appointment
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wonder where i would get lessons in that
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?

really want to do alot of jumping this winter as i will have transport so want to get it sorted
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if this is getting old,i want my money back
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I get badly aching knees if I ride in my jumping saddle too much eg if my dr saddle is away being reflocked.

I therefore ride in my dr saddle all the time unless I'm in a jumping lesson or comp. It really helps.

You are DEF not old - from what I rem, you're either my age or not much older, & that's YOUNG!!!!
 
When i started riding again i was you age and had exactly the same problem but also had pain in my ankles - i bought some endurance stirrups with shock absorers and started taking 2000 mg of glucosamine every day (from natures best 360 tabs for £10 also give 2 day to my pony - much cheaper than horsey stuff) now i can do 3 1/2 hours long distance without pain!
 
I've been having knee probs since i was 8 (before i started riding). Its apparently really common in women, and especially those who ride. I've had millions of physio sessions and an operation (bi-lateral release of both knee caps and tidying up of cartilage). Op didnt work. Now back in physio, awaiting another op! Possible tear in crutiate ligament.

Always hurts when riding, unless i ride without stirrups. Seems to be ok then! Doctor said ideally i shouldn't ride! AS IF!!! x
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I have to ride long, it hurts ankles too......
The stirrups definitley do help. I got mine from ebay for 23 quid, they are a named one (But I cant remember the name! some showjumper, not Whittaker....)

worth it. I don't do jumping, so no idea what they are like for that.
 
I think that it is Sprenger Flexible stirrups which are meant to help. Other people have recommended the endurance flex ride stirrups but they do look a bit silly if you are riding english style!
 
I get the same thing an I am only 21
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But I don't think it has anything to do with age - more muscle fitness.

Without going into too much detail and confusing anyone, when you ride pushing the weight downwards (particularly if you ride with your heels firmly down) you exert a lot of leverage (sp) on your knee joint. If your quads are fit then they will basically transmit the forces better and put less strain on your knees. I find sitting on my seat bones and really trying to relax my hip, knee and ankle joint really helps and this often results in the heels comming up a little but provided your ankles stay soft and your feet level rather than toes down (i.e. toes and heels in about the same position) it helps. But otherwise try and work on your leg muscle, particularly quad muscle strength - to give you an example try "standing" in your riding position with as much bend in your knee as possible but without tipping forward or standing on your toes - Im prepared to bet you won't last more than 5 mins before your thighs start to ache (I know thats at most how long I'd last). If thats the case thats probably the root of the problem though being the gym-a-phobe that I am I have no idea which exercises will improve that muscle strength and help the problem
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thanks for that
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i teach kickboxing & kung fu so my legs are not bad at all,had a few rather nasty accidents when i was younger & competed at gymnastics & trampolining which have resulted in long term damage to my knees anyway
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along with a nasty fall a few months ago which has resulted in a large area on my knee being numb[IE shove pin in it & i don't feel it
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] i think they are well & truly bug***d
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doctor would like to do some more scans to see what damage has been done since the last lot so need to speak to them in the next few days, but i really don't want to stop riding as we are doing so so well just now
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Ahh, well that may explain it then! Seriously though, try to soften your ankles more and really relax your legs - try riding stirrupless and see if its any better, if it then use that as a starting point as I suspect your putting too much force on your knees and you could probably minimise it even though it might not look right. I am forever being told to push my heels down but it hurts like hell! My knees ache really badly and my ankles become very tense and "lock". Consequently I ride how I feel comfortable rather than worrying too much about what my legs are doing
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I use glucosamine. Quite expensive but worth it - get it from Holland&Barratt or Boots they recommend for old people with bad joints (so perfect for young horse riders!) you have to take every day for about a month before any effect.
 
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