Fins for damaged knee (Spilt ?)

[chillyinCanada]

Try mares volos.

 

[DevonDiver]

OK .. I'll keep a lookout ... but £200 new is way too much for me.

As others have mentioned, you can get them second-hand at a reasonable price.

This really depends on the severity of your knee issue and/or the commitment you have to regular diving. My knees and lower legs are buggered from decades of rugby (prop), judo/jiu-jitsu and military service. I'd have never considered splashing out that much cash on fins... but I was recommended them, tried them once... and the investment was an absolute no-brainer.

Also, in respect to outright cost... my Force Fins are still going strong 6000+ dives later. They're virtually immortal - despite the worst abuses of some quite aggressive wreck penetration diving. I've had lesser fins die in only a fraction of the that time.

The only fins nearly as rugged are 'Jet fins'... solid lumps of cast-rubber that'll screw your knees quicker than doggy-style on cobblestone.

Volos? Quatros? Lets get serious.... fine if you dive once a year on holiday... or splash in on that rare balmy flat-calm weekend around the UK coastline... but these fins are neither hard-wearing, nor substantially beneficial for lower limb impairments.

 

[flots am]

Volos? Quatros? Lets get serious.... fine if you dive once a year on holiday... or splash in on that rare balmy flat-calm weekend around the UK coastline... but these fins are neither hard-wearing, nor substantially beneficial for lower limb impairments.

Either is the Twin Jet Max, recommended above. It's harder to paddle then the Jet Fins and they're solid rubber.

If you're still looking for a fin, try the Force Fin (I beleive there are different stiffness models) or the SCUBAPro Twin Jet, which is soft and indestructible.

 

[DevonDiver]

If you're still looking for a fin, try the Force Fin (I beleive there are different stiffness models)

The basic (softer) and the pro (harder) - but both significantly less exertion/stress than most fins on the market. The Tan Delta supposed to much stiffer - not tried these yet, soon I hope.

The first time you dive them, the sensation is like you forgot to put fins on at all. It's like diving bare-foot, except you shift noticeably.

...or the SCUBAPro Twin Jet, which is soft and indestructible.

I've not had chance to try these for comparison. Not that they'd meet my requirements for short/compact (for travel) and precision control (for wrecks).

The Force Fins are very soft on loading/stroke - and deliver power through elasticity inherent in the material. The design does a great job of channeling thrust exactly where it's needed (opposite to the direction traveled), rather than wasted water displacement above/below the direction of thrust.

 

[Dive-aholic]

Bad knees here. I was also told splits were the best for bad knees. That wasn't my experience, especially when swimming against current. You're better off finding a finning style that will work better with your knees than trying to buy equipment to fix the problem. I've had a few knee surgeries myself and at this point I'm done with those until the replacement happens unless I have a bad enough injury to tear whatever cartilage is left in them. Anyway, I found splits to be harder on my knees. They required more movement, which is not good for my particular knee issues. Instead, I now do a modified frog kick which requires much less movement of my knees. For that style finning you will be better off with stiff fins like SEAC fins or SP Jets, depending on how heavy you want the fins to be.

 

[C P]

For my one bad knee and the terrible calf cramps post surgery, I was told the same for splits, Tried a couple and ended up with the Genesis splits. With a little practice I can do everything in them as well as other fins, except for back fin which I can't do in paddles since surgery anyway. They drive the doubles in caves without silting and work just as well in open water. My knee is less sore after the dive and the cramping in my calf happens much less and isn't as bad when it does cramp. Well worth the purchase (for me), just had to practice with them. God luck!

 

[Phil_C]

I have used twin jet max from scuba pro (splits) and they are fine. For warm water wetsuit diving I also use Atomic Smoke on Water splits a lot which I have to say are brilliant and very easy on the knees and legs, but expensive to buy.

A word of caution though. I see you are based I the uk - if you do much drysuits diving then you may find splits just done have enough power to move you in the water, especially in a current. I have just gone back to solid fins for drysuits diving because the splits just felt too soft to move all that weight.

Phil


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[boulderjohn]

As I start to write, I am not sure how I am gong to finish, because I am conflicted.

I had a really bad knee about a dozen years ago, which is why I began to focus on diving instead of the other activities that caused the problem. For the reasons you describe, I purchased Mares Volos. They were OK for the purpose. I was still limited in what I could do, though. I had limited flexibility in the knee, and I had a lot of pain just getting to and from the dive sites.

Then I got the knee replaced.

After the full knee replacement, my life was totally turned around. I have no pain. I use stiff blade fins (either ScubaPro Jets or Hollis F1s), and I have no problem. I can do all kinds of kicks without an issue. I don't even think about my knee when I dive.

I hate to tell you that the solution may be in the knee rather than the fin, but....

 

[GDI]

After reading this thread I must say that I agree with the approach Dive-aholic's approach. I would first look at the finning style you are using and from where are you drawing your finning power from? A flutter kick may seem more natural but if forces are drawn from the knee area alone then you could expect stress on the knee. The frog kick may not be a good solution for you unless you have learned to use only the spinning ankle technique of this version. In whatever style you use I would investigate the use of another style before buying fins

 

[ams511]

'Jet fins'... solid lumps of cast-rubber that'll screw your knees quicker than doggy-style on cobblestone.

That is funny