Carrying and knee problems

D

Dashunde

New member
Has anyone else developed any knee problems, or had it get worse, since starting to carry?

After several years of cc and the slight change in my walk/gait it causes, followed up by hauling our daughter around in that "punkin seat" for her first year, my right knee has developed a few undesirable tricks.
It doesn’t really hurt, but it pops or feels un-solid walking normally on flat ground, but I can run up and down steeps.
Basically, it doesn’t like carrying a load while extended straight out as my left leg passes by for the next step, weird subtle pop behind the knee cap, if its kept slightly bent no problem.
 
What are the odds that you are describing an aging issue rather than a carry issue?

For what it is worth, I remember those baby carrier/click-in car seats. My back was not great before I had children, but those contraptions did not help it.

Welcome to being an old man. It gets worse.
 
I'm not that old! Early 40's...
After starting to carry, but before the kid, I began to notice a mild ache in my right hip and knee, and the knee would be complaining loudly following a afternoon at the mall or Sams Club & Grocery store outing.
I stopped carrying the PM9 altogether and those afternoons became much more bareable.
Then came the kid and that seat, which seems to have finished it off.
Fortunately my knee held up through all of that, now that she can walk, I cant (normally) :rolleyes:
 
You're going to think I'm nuts, but ...

If the lopsided gait caused by carrying one gun is causing problems for you, you might consider carrying two guns.

pax
 
After starting to carry, but before the kid, I began to notice a mild ache in my right hip and knee, and the knee would be complaining loudly following a afternoon at the mall or Sams Club & Grocery store outing.
Click to expand...

Solution: stay away from the mall, Sam's Club and the grocer.

I also used to get back and knee pain after being in the mall with my wife for a couple of hours. The problem is the people in a mall walk to slowly and they are always in the way. One cannot maintain a normal gait, and it takes more effort to walk slowly.

I have not been in a mall for years.
 
Damn you must be carrying one huge a$$ gun.

I've been carrying for nearly 50 years, and yup, my bones aint what they use to be but I really doubt it's carrying related.

I think my problem was jumping out of too many airplanes in my Army Career.

I could be wrong, but I really don't think its carrying related.
 
It's not the age it's the knees. I'm 47 and have had knee problems for over 10 years. I started exercising (biking and weights) and that has helped the knee pain go away for the most part.
 
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I'd suggest looking at your footwear. Proper support and fitting does wonders. Depending on your situation this could be anything from new/different shoes to orthotic inserts. All else fails, a visit to a physical therapist or orthopedic surgeon would likely suss out the root of the issue.
 
I'll bet it's just aging bones, but go to a shoulder holster and see what happens.

Biggest source of back trouble for men is the fat wallet under one hip. If you tend to 'favor' the carry side, it could be manifesting somewhere else, like the knee, but it's unlikely.
 
I found that wearing suspenders under a polo shirt helps a lot. It spreads the load around and it has helped reduce the pain on my hip bone. It is worth a try and suspenders are around $7 at walmart.
 
Just a thought, but if you are carrying a large gun, do you use a good leather gun belt?

A good belt spreads the weight of the gun across your hips. A cheap belt that sags doesn't and perhaps that could cause a change of gait?
 
One way carrying can cause back pain, and possibly by causation/correlation your knee/leg issue, is through driving a car and you are not seated properly due to the bulk in your side/back area - much the way truck drivers who used to carry very fat wallets in one back pocket developed back issues after a while
 
Carrying too much weight around (non-firearm) is also a prime cause of knee pain, and it's not unusual to add a few pounds a year in your 40s.
 
Right, so if 2-4 lbs of gear is causing you physical problems, then you potentially have some medical issues going on beyond just carrying a gun. Does donning a winter coat cause you problems? Heavy shoes such as boots. If you don't experience these things without the gun, then the gun may not be your problem. See a doctor.
 
When I was just starting the police academy I injured myself and needed a complete knee reconstruction.

It was called a "hybrid knee reconstruction". It used a cadaver braided with a piece of another one of ligaments so the cells would absorb into the cadaver. With a piece of titanium. ACL, meniscus, and MCL. I'm good to go, but my recovery was a real PITA. I couldn't go back for over a year unless I received clearance from my surgeon. Muscle atrophy that followed was another issue.


That said, CCW hasn't been a problem whatsoever with my knee. My surgeon was perfect and IMO a master of knee's.


It's worth flying to Miami to meet him and schedule an appointment. Dr. John Uribe.
 
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