UKC

when im doing some lengthy high level walking ,i nearly always suffer excrutiating pain in the sides of both knees when walking downhill towards the finish.it comes pretty much without warning but once its there its relly painful and wont go away,sometimes i have to go downhill backwards or walk up hill to stop the pain .on the flat or on the ascent its not an issue
just wondered whether anyone else suffers with these symptoms and has any ideas to stop this nuisance

In reply to colina:

When i had some knee pain from Running the Physio showed me a way to tape it and keep it tracking properly.( It wasn't both sides)

It could be something that simple or you could be worn out.
Best thing is to get the best professional advice and do the Exercises they give you religiously.

In reply to colina:

Yup. It's called old age

In reply to Wiley Coyote: you know what coyote,youre probably right,i may be 52 but in my head im still 17 !
maybe i should admit defeat and succumb to pipe and slippers...

In reply to colina: I have the same thing. I had to go to a podiatrist to get my knee sorted. They fixed me up with some insoles and some exercises to help me out. Try googling Iliotibial Band Syndrome and see if that describes your symptoms.

In reply to colina: Hope you are using poles to take the load off your knees and reducing the jarring.

In reply to colina:

Step very lightly and go slower.

This works for me!

In reply to colina:

I has this, and it turned out to be patellar tendonitis. That, and iliotibial band syndrome are common in alpine type stuff.

Could well be ITB syndrome, essentially a tightening of the muscle that runs the length of your hip and inserts at the knee and causes the joint to track out of line and leads to lots of pain particularly when descending. It's a very common injury in anyone who does a lot of up and down or in runners and is often referred to as runner's knee.

Get down to your GP to have it checked out (who will probably refer you to an NHS physio) or suck it up and go down private and get it dealt with more quickly.

In reply to colina:

strengthening the VMO often brings considerable improvements

In reply to Styx:

Actually the ITB is a tendon, albeit a pretty big one. Inflammation in active individuals is usually but not always a result of suddenly increasing activity -say increasing weekly mileage when running too quickly.

ALC

In reply to colina: I had this. The cure was to do some hamstring stretching exercises. It solved the problem within 2 weeks and I have never had it since. I was very grateful to the sports injury specialist who diagnosed the problem after others had failed. One time I had to descend Ben Nevis in winter most of the way on my arse after which I thought I would have to give up climbing. You have my sympathy.

Al

In reply to Gaston Rubberpants: thanks al .i too came down the pyg track and the tourist trail on the ben on my arse a few years ago ...glad im not the only one ! .will pop to see a physio with a view to getting some strenghthening exercises done although its not a major problem unless im out for a considerable day.thanks

In reply to colina: Try superfeet insoles and stretching exercises
http://www.halhigdon.com/15Ktraining/Stretch.htm like these, not just before and after a walk but every day. Also look at your boots. I find it better to have a lower back around the ankle or even wear trainers instead of boots. Always use 2 poles as one can cause you to twist. My knees have improved a lot over the past 4 years but I still get caught out sometimes.