Knee Band Hiking Aid
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For those of my older friends (60+ like myself) that may "feel it in your knees" when hiking steep downhill grades over rough terrain, note the band below my knee in one of the pictures from our hikes in New Hampshire, over very steep and rough terrain strewn with boulders and tree roots. I have pretty severe osteoarthritis in the one knee which a result of knee surgery after a ski accident years ago. It was eventually bone-on-bone. I had a ORTHOVISC injection to add some lubrication between the patella and bones, a few years ago, while also being told I'd need knee replacement soon after. I believe that my hill-climbing with a weighted backpack has helped the knee by increasing blood flow around the joint area due to it being a heavy cardio workout while the knee is constantly moving. I had no pain, even under strenuous conditions, until recently - it's now time for more of the ORTHOVISC injections. Here's a link to more discussion of such injections. The bands lift the patella slightly away from the bone, while in no way making the knee unstable. Many older hikers use poles, mostly for descending to help lessen pain in the knees - I still carry mine along, but used them only once along a section of mangled roots and boulders during all the hikes we did. The first picture below is a closeup of the band on my knee, and the second is me actually making use of it through rocky terrain. Find out more about the IMAK Knee Strap. zoom   zoom