what would be best board in chop for someone with a weak knee. does kiting hammer the knees? cheers.
my knees always ache after being in a bit of chop. I take glucosamine and chondroitin tablets (from vitamin shops) which helps any soreness immensely.
prolly doesnt answer your question very well but it will certainly ease the pain.
oh and I use a nobile 555 145-41 board.......normal straps...lovely it is too
grog
There are quite a few boards that will ride well in chop and flat - Nobile 555, Airush ProToy. Most brands make a free ride board that will handle most conditions.
CodLiver Oil is good for joints too.
take up longboard skating over winter... I got a bung anterior cruciate ligament that hurts at the start of every season due to the loss in muscle bulk. now I skate and the constant up and down of pushing the board kept the muscle there supporting the joint, brilliant cross training...I think it's actually stronger now than at the end of summer!
for the board, get something flexi with soft pads a nice concave and soft rails IMO
I smashed by knee some years ago and really did some damage to the muscle and ligament structure. However, it rarely troubles me nowadays... The secret... Good physio and a good set of skiing based exercises to strengthen the affected muscle groups...
I'm a big guy, so the knees take a pounding whatever I do, but keeping them strong and flexible is the key... I probably wont be able to walk when I'm 70, but I'm gonna die when I'm 69 !!!
By the way... 2008 Nobile 555 137 x 42. Totally rocks !!!
Happy kiting...
BAP
ste....make sure you get a board that has really good flex on the ends. Board design seem to be changing to shorter wider and stiffer boards. I used to have the same problem and i also kite mainly in the chop. I find narrower longer boards are better for those conditions (from a flex point of veiw). I use a Nobile 145 (shame they don't make this board anymore) as a light wind board and a TB Haura as my main board the Haura is by far the smoothest board I have ever riden. Pads can make a big diff also i have changed the pads on the Nobile to underground pads but the TB pads rock.
you might want to try putting on a different foot pad -
there are some really spongy ones - send a private messaget to cpt gumby he uses some some that have solved his sore knee issues
We find the board that rides smoothest in the chop is the Naish SOL, closely followed by the Chemical Krypton.
However you should figure out if it is actually the bounce from the chop that is actually causing you the pain. It could be a combination of other factors.
The wrong stance puts lateral stress on your joints.
Also if it's the constant strain you might consider riding a larger board with less kite power.
I definately wouldn'treccomend using a knee brace unless you have a diagnosed injury as they only disguise the problem and the extra support will prevent any weakness in your knee from strengthening.
Jason
Something with a thin/sharp rail aswell as keeping a hard edge when kiting in chop, which will also help with water projection to the face.
Hey STE
On top of all the other great advice - have you experimented fully with the different footstrap angles ???
Most people just 'plug & play' or try only 1 adjustment... use 1 angle adjustment per session - then record the affect on your knees. This may help as everyone has slightly different tracking alignment through their knee joint. The the jump n land method is good but doesnt suit everyone because of the above..
Remember - LAZY people who Dont try anything or stop short.. Always know in the back of their minds - I COULD HAVE TRIED SOMETHING but CHOSE not too !!
Start fiddling, dont Plug & Play 
Cheersz
Also..
You could use an 'Elastic' knee support.
This slightly pressurises the sensory nerves underneath it
- triggering the whole knee joint to react faster in supporting movement,
without it slowing reaction time down and becoming lazy as a knee brace does.
try a wake board, the extra rocker and tunnelled hull makes a huge difference in choppy water
I have a bad back and knees. I bought some liquid force comp straps and pads, the pads give unreal cushioning and have really helped with my injuries.
Some excellent advice from Save the whales, re footstrap angles, I find a more ducked stance to be less stressful, and I did experiment as he suggested.
I do find most people prefer a mid to more ducked stance, especially anyone with knee issues.
Seek medical advice from a qualified medical expert, not from this forum when it comes to things like knee braces and surgical options, even supplements and alternative medicine.
Taking large doses of any single mineral, for example can upset the fine balance in the bloodstream.
Most orthopaedic surgeons are very familiar with the excellent knee braces that are available now, and do recommend them for certain people.
If a knee brace is only worn for only for kiting to protect the knee joint from over extension (hyper), or uneven compartmental loading (in my case), or ligament damage from twisting falls, where one foot may get stuck in a footstrap, then they will not induce laziness or muscle wasting, they will just help prevent further knee trauma and injury.
See your doctor and get a referral to a sports orthapedic surgeon, spend some money on an MRI and get the right advice.
You only get one set of knees and when one or both goes bung, the overall quality of your life can go out the window.
I cringe at the damage some young people are doing to their knees in this sport ans others, as a community we are all going to have to carry the cost of this in the future by paying more for Medicare and health insurance. When these people get older, their lives are going to be a living hell!
Cya and
Goodwinds
Steve
I ride a 133 cardboard with the standard foot pads and found my knees were getting really sore after a long session.I have invested in some liquid force pads,has made a huge difference.
Nothing wrong with the standard cardboard pads,just my worn out knees.
The best $200 Ive spent.Nothing worse than having to end a good session cause of pain.
Oh yeah,plenty of flex in the board helps heaps too.Gotta love cardboards,aussie made too.
And no I dont work for them,just stoked with my weapon.
nobile 555, great alround board, ive got a 130x39 and its A1, But me thinks the 132x40 is prob a better size, depends on you weight though. Im 90k and sometimes the 130 is a bit small, need little bit more wind than a 132. Knees, im a plumber and my knees are shot to pieces, so I wear nike knee supports (made from sort of neoprene) whenever I kite and they are exellent. Dont wait, go and get some, you may look stupid with them on without a wetsuit but at least you can get out without ending up in pain. Without them I can last about 1hour, with them, last week was out for 3 hours non stop, waves/flat everything.
Protect your knees with
1. Proper stance.
2. Ride as much toe side as heal side.
3. Move to strapless.
4. Use ice after a "bad" session.
your post must have been a premonition. I managed to twist my knee under myself yesterday and induce a great deal of pain. I think I have stretched the ligament on the right side of my right knee as i can not turn my leg in one direction.
Knee brace for me this morning......
Steve, can you recommend a specific type of brace for this delapidated old fogey?
will be off to docs when i get home to melbourne...
grog
from what my orthopedic surgeon said.. braces are bad in the sence that your knee forgets how to react to protect itself so if you ride with a brace you should still do balance type/core strength excersises for your knees..
i had a full thickness PCL and partial MCL tear with extensive bone bruising torn meniscus plates ( leteral and medial) in june... im still off the water now and its still sore in cold weather and fairly stiff in the morning.. what i found helps alot though and since starting to do this my knee has become alot more comfortable i got all my range of motion back in it now and the pain isnt nearly as bad anymore is getting either a Bosu ball or those inflatable disks you see in gyms.. you stand on it with one foot and balance keeping ur core stil and letting the balance be kept through movement of the knee... once you get ur balance good then start doing one legged squats on it.
I have had 3 months off due to partially torn MCL and damaged ACL ligaments so far. lots of physio and gym work and they have never given me trouble since. I always thought a knee brace would only weaken my knee.
Now after 3 days in hospital, 3 screws later, 7 more weeks not walking and a looking at whole summer+more off kiting im buying one of these
to stop this from happening again
Just to clear up some things, it has never been shown that braces weaken the muscles that normally take the load (scientifically), whilst it does make a bit of sense. It is REALLY important to see someone qualified (Physio or Chiro) to properlly asses the cause of your knee pain as there are many sources of pain and a standard knee brace will not be helpful for quite a few.
I think most people would recommend wearing a brace in high stress activities such as kiteboarding if there has been previous ligamentous damage or the knee is unstable (at least in the first year after), but also work out in the gym or at home doing excercises as charl mentioned without the brace (stop doing it if it is painful).
i think i might invest in one for this season atleast because i do not want to go through all that again! took long enough and i got out lucky this time around i wont wana sit through rehab n surgery if it goes again..
saw somewhere on the net that they are roughly $600US... what did you get yours for steve?
DONJOY ARMOUR
The last word in knee braces....... look em up. Adjustable so you can chose how much bend and extension your knee is allowed.
as used by the : US Ski Team
US Snowboard Team
Canadian Freestyle Ski Team
My mate Dic Smith
If you choose to have a Private health insurer it might be worthwhile asking if they will cover some or all of the cost for a "medical aid".
I am with Medibank Private which has a "Bonus package" scheme that you can use (if approved by them) for such items.
I have mates that have had knee braces and "Skins" "sports apparel" purchased using this.
Of course the Skins were for "prevention of deep vein thrombosis" ...not inners for wetties
Regards
The fossil
