Bad knee and fins

[brandnew]

I'm fairly new to diving and have a bad knee (the trade off from years of contact sports) Although I have gotten used to limping after certain activities I do try and avoid it whenever possable. A day after doing a couple of dives my knee will ache and I'll be limping. So heres the question, has anyone else had this kind of problem? Any ideas on ways to mininize the knee strain?

At current I'm using a pair of Agualung blades 2 flex and butterfly kick

 

[jimdiverman]

If you are swimming against a current, it is going to be tough the day after. If you are able to take it easy on your dives, and take them a little slower, I find that my knees give me less problems, particularly on successive diving days. I have tried force fins and they are okay, but not tech fins. I dived with Mares Avanti Quattro Pros for years, and they were always reliable. I have and still use Scubapro jet fins, but they seem to require more leg strength than my current fins, the Dive Rite fins. They are slightly longer and narrower than the Jets, and that gives me about the same power and technical kick capability, but with slightly less fatigue at the end of the dive. Fins are one of those things like masks that you just have to try them to see what works best for you.

 

[tc_rain]

My knee is about as bad as they come and I have tried several different fins. The only two that I have found so far that I can use with zero knee strain is the Tusa Zooms and the Apollo Bios. I mostly flutter kick but have used the frog kick every now and then. The frog kick is really felt in the knee after a few cycles though.

 

[Underwater Ogre]

My partner and I both have bum knees, mine from, skiing hers from netball. After a total of 5 surgeries and heaps of physio we still dive average 4 days a month. We both tried a bunch of fins and finally settled on Force Fin Pros, her first and myself about 2 months later.
I use a modified frog kick, not quite as wide a stroke as normal, and use a bit of ankle torque to help out. She prefers a short flutter kick that seems to suit her fine. We cold water drift dive in drysuits so we do have a bit of drag compared to warm water divers, but still manage to get around just fine.
They are lighter then the average long fin and put less pressure on the lateral of the knees when getting around on the surface.
Try them out...they are not for everyone. I dont dive without them, they fit nicely in a suitcase for travel also.

Good luck,
O

 

[shoturtle]

I have had both my knee surgically repair and a year of physical therapy, I use a pair of aeris velocity xp split fins, they do not strain my knees as much as my paddle fins. I mostly use a flutter kick. And I do not limp after a 2 dive day.

The Tusa X-pert Zoom is another good fin very little knee or foot strain with it too.

 

[Mr.X]

I have some metal in one leg, judo knees and ankles. If at all possible I try to develop the muscle in the leg @ the gym. This helps somewhat. If it's an extended dive with a lot of kicking I take an X scooter (38 lbs). The heavier SLA scooters are OK too if someone helps you move them into the water if it's a shore dive. The SLA scooters are bad for the back!

That being said I always have a lot of ibuprofen with me on every dive expedition for the inevitable aches at the end of the day.

X

 

[Diver Lori]

I had my knee scoped last December, as well as some useless tissue removed. I was concerned about diving, but have not had any problems. I primarily frog kick and was pleased when I had little to no discomfort in my jetfins.

I think alot of it depends on the type of issue you have with your knees, the type of kick you do, and your fin choice. I think experimentation is your best bet. Try different kicks and different fins.

 

[mikeb663]

I would recommend split fins. I had some carilage removed from one of my knees and I really don't have alot of problems when I use splits with a flutter kick. Personally, I have Oceanic V-12, but alot of the splits are pretty comparable.

 

[meesier42]

I think UnderwaterOrge nailed this one. ForceFins are very good at relieving stress from all your joints without sacrificing anything, ok, maybe a little if you "frog kick" but my normal is a sort of modified flutter, that is part frog kick and part flutter kick and glide that works very well, efficient and easy to maintain. But they will work well with a butterfly kick, if you choose to stick with that.

Since you know that you have a knee issue, I would recommend the Original ForceFin over the Pro Force. It has only slightly less response, but it is noticably easier to kick and more gentle on the joints. The amount of speed that you loose with be gained in comfort, really, how often do you need to go fast, but you always need to be comfortable. If you are quite strong or the damage to your knee is not as bad as I am imagining, the Pro Force may be better for you.

 

[teddyg04]

In my other life, I'm a mail carrier with very bad knees (both have been scoped). I'm also short, so I prefer the Apollo bios. They're a softer split that's easier on my knees, and I use both flutter and frog kicks. Haven't had any trouble getting speed out of them when needed either. I keep ibuprofen handy too, although I use it sparingly, as it sometimes gives me heartburn.