Knee pain after skiing?

[xxs_skier]

Wasn't sure which topic to post this under, so mods feel free to move this.

I've noticed when skiing my left knee will feel sore/achey after skiing and sometimes the day after. I have a feeling it's from not having arch support (will be seeing a bootfitter and getting a proper footbed), but because I'm new I'm almost certain it's technique as well.

When I first started skiing and doing the wedge, I was twisting with my knees (my joints are pretty flexible so it was more natural for me to do that than from the hip). I haven't gotten into parallel yet so I still wedge when turning, but I've stopped twisting with my knees. I still tend to lock my knees when turning which I'm trying to stop.

The only other activity this happens is when I'm on my Peleton and it's just my left knee.

Are there any tips to help mitigate the pain?

 

[snoWYmonkey]

I was going to suggest spinning, but that is also aggravating it apparently. Makes me wonder of if a visit to a PT who can analyze how you move and likely imbalances might be worthwhile.

In theory the knee joint can only open amd close and not, or ahould not twist. The twisting we do of our skis on snow is from the hip which does have the ability to rotate in the socket. I cam also point my foot side to side by twisting my ankle, but that is not as common in skiing as the boots limit that movement.

Wedging is brutal on the knees in my opinion. The sooner it becomes a seldom used tool in the toolbox, the happier the knees and the hips will be!

 

[kiki]

Knees can be problematic. Definitely the boot fitting will help. Taking lessons and getting good form will help, the wedge is not a friend to your knees. Also try getting a roller or massage tool and stretch and massage your thigh muscles and calves in the AM before you ski as if they are too tight it will pull your knee. Yoga helped me a lot with skiing.

 

[Iwannaski]

I had a rough start to this season and went to my PT … she found the issue with my IT band and gave me specific things to do. I would start with lots of stretching and foam rolling (if you have a peloton subscription, anything with Hannah Corbin with the foam roller is OWmazing) and once it was resolved it was resolved. Mine was my right knee mostly, but it’s always usually one side. But if you can get to a good PT, I would HIGHLY recommend it.

 

[xxs_skier]

I had a rough start to this season and went to my PT … she found the issue with my IT band and gave me specific things to do. I would start with lots of stretching and foam rolling (if you have a peloton subscription, anything with Hannah Corbin with the foam roller is OWmazing) and once it was resolved it was resolved. Mine was my right knee mostly, but it’s always usually one side. But if you can get to a good PT, I would HIGHLY recommend it.

I love Hannah Corbin! I have no idea how she does those classes without wincing in pain. Although one class she had to stop and take a breather, so she is human after all, lol.

I'm going to try seeing a physio and see what might be causing it. I've also got a private lesson in less than 2 weeks which is great because I already have bad habits starting to creep in...eep.

 

[scandium]

Definitely see a physio! If you have any hypermobility it's very easy to get in terrible habits of using whatever is easiest because your joints "can" bend or move that way even though they really shouldn't and often aren't actually strong in that range of motion, making you double susceptible to weird pain and injury. Generally, good proprioceptive skills, and LOTS AND LOTS of strengthening + encoding the muscle memory to remember to pull you out of less-optimal positions is the key to longevity in your joints when you don't have flexibility restricting you.

 

[xxs_skier]

Update: the physio was amazing! Within minutes she was able to assess what was going on. My knee wobbles a bit due to lack of hip strength. Then tight quads on top of that was pulling on the knee more. I had IMS on that quad (yowch! I usually don't make much noise during IMS, but holy cow that hurt!) She gave me a bunch of functional strengthening exercises and said I should try doing them before skiing to help activate the muscles.

 

[xxs_skier]

This was one of the exercises and she said that this was more functional than the clamshells lying down:

 

[echo_VT]

with the boot fitting, find out if you need canting done. that can help if you have bow legged knees (knees face outward) or pigeon knees (knees face inward) or non symmetrical knees that can cause pain long term and restrict movement too. alignment is really important in ski boots especially long days on the hill in hard boots.

 

[geargrrl]

Glad you went to PT. Knee stability is affected by all sort of things. You can throw all the internet advice at knee pain that you want, but unless you know the root issues it's pointless.

 

[xxs_skier]

with the boot fitting, find out if you need canting done. that can help if you have bow legged knees (knees face outward) or pigeon knees (knees face inward) or non symmetrical knees that can cause pain long term and restrict movement too. alignment is really important in ski boots especially long days on the hill in hard boots.

Will ask, thanks for the tip. I know that canting isn't included in the fitting and a separate charge.

 

[liquidfeet]

This was one of the exercises and she said that this was more functional than the clamshells lying down:

Ouch! I can feel that glute working and screaming at me ... in my imagination. I'll give this one a try. Looks incredible.

 

[SarahXC]

I had knee soreness for a year or two but on and off. I was asking an instructor about it at a lesson — he said when done correctly skiing shouldn’t hurt the knees and was I sure I didn’t revert to the “back seat”. For me that turned out to be the magic bullet. When conditions were harder I was opening my ankle some esp on the right side and that was creating the stress on my knee. Don’t know if that’s your situation also but worth checking out if it helps. And it’s free and will help your skiing anyway…

 

[Scribble]

Back seat skiing absolutely kills my knees. After more lessons this year, I'm skiing mostly ungroomed areas with less knee pain than ever. Huge, huge difference! Now, my knees only get achey when I've had a bad day or if I'm tired or nervous.
I focus on my ankle joints, keeping them tightly closed, and I stand tall and forward. I think about it as hanging over the tongue of the boot so gravity and momentum pulls my weight down into the tongue rather than using the muscles in my quads to push against it.
Because of how I'm built, its very easy for me to have a ton of pressure on my shins and remain in a squatty, back seat position. I needed a different focal point and a good instructor to help me connect the dots.

 

[Jilly]

If you're boots need this type of work, plan on not seeing for a day or 2. Also you really should wear shorts. One of the things they do is take measurements from your knees. My guy used a marker to mark the areas on and near my knees that he needed and I ended up with "smiley faces" on them. Sometimes they can do it inside the boot with shims that will get attached to the footbed.

 

[Jilly]

Just thought this might help. I see Barry has gone high tech!! No more smiley faces.

Ski Boot Fitting | Ski Boot Alignment | Ski Connexions

Not only does Barry look at how the ski boots fit your foot, but also how the boot aligns to your knees and legs to ensure the best performance.

www.skiconnexions.ca

 

[xxs_skier]

If you're boots need this type of work, plan on not seeing for a day or 2. Also you really should wear shorts. One of the things they do is take measurements from your knees. My guy used a marker to mark the areas on and near my knees that he needed and I ended up with "smiley faces" on them. Sometimes they can do it inside the boot with shims that will get attached to the footbed.

Ok, well I only have skiing for 2 days after I see him so that's not happening this visit. Should I still wear shorts? Was planning on wearing leggings.

 

[Jilly]

Looks like Barry's changed so leggings should be OK. I have smiley faces!! But it was August when we did mine.