# Anybody wear knee sleeves?



## northidahomike (Dec 29, 2016)

Looking for some compression knee sleeves that don’t restrict movement but will keep my knees warm and help prevent injury and relieve pain. Old age sucks. DonJoy makes some specifically for snowboarding but they’re 80$ per leg. I wouldn’t mind paying this if they’re actually worth the money compared to the cheaper ones


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Because of the force and impact when riding, nothing is going to prevent injury but volleyball knee pads judicious riding and knowing how to fall.

Another related issue is physicality and endurance. When physically and mentally tired, we do dumb things. To combat this I use compression on my calves and it gives me alot more leg endurance throughout the day. I use these over my snowboard socks and they extend down inside the boot liner...they work great and are like heavy duty compression sleeves

http://www.lfsmarineoutdoor.com/imperial-neoprene-wristers-2-pack.html


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## Rip154 (Sep 23, 2017)

Tiger Balm


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## poser (Mar 7, 2018)

If you’re looking to keep the knees warm, I’d consider a pair of neoprene knee sleeves. 5mm should be sufficient for this. Take a warm shower in the morning and then immediately put the sleeves on and it should keep your joints reasonably warm. 

Heavier duty ones are available. I wear a pair of 10mm for gym training, but I think these would be overkill for snowboarding. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## f00bar (Mar 6, 2014)

When I first started I worried about my knees and used to wear the standard compression sleeves you can pick up at Dicks Sports. I didn't expect them to be able to save me but I think they did help a bit with fatigue. After a season and a few days of forgetting them I found I didn't really think I needed them any more.

But they are cheap, unrestrictive, and while you can argue that they won't save you from injury they certainly dont' hurt.


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## poser (Mar 7, 2018)

f00bar said:


> When I first started I worried about my knees and used to wear the standard compression sleeves you can pick up at Dicks Sports. I didn't expect them to be able to save me but I think they did help a bit with fatigue. After a season and a few days of forgetting them I found I didn't really think I needed them any more.
> 
> But they are cheap, unrestrictive, and while you can argue that they won't save you from injury they certainly dont' hurt.




I’d be inclined to say i an of the same opinion. In terms of “preventing Injury”, I don’t see much direct benefit outside of keeping the joint warm. Since there is so little tissue on the knee cap (seems like a evolutionary flaw) it’s easy for your knees to get cold and feel creaky. In many legit powerlifting federations, knee sleeves of more than 10mm are not permitted. Once you get to 13mm, that’s where you actually start to get some support -they’ll give you a bit of a “spring” out of the bottom of a squat, but 13mm are very very stiff and uncomfortable when worn tight enough to be effective. Some compression can also help hold blood in the compressed area, though that’ll restricting blood flow to the extremities. I have my doubts about the effectiveness of sports compression outside of the the absolute highest level of performance and even then it’s just a minuscule contribution. That being said, if it “feels” good then you “feel” better about the joint or muscle and may enjoy your day more. I always wear 10mm knee sleeves when training in the gym. Even though they are not stiff enough to contribute to a bounce reflex when squatting, the one time I forgot them felt very weird and “weak.”


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## SlvrDragon50 (Mar 25, 2017)

wrathfuldeity said:


> Because of the force and impact when riding, nothing is going to prevent injury but volleyball knee pads judicious riding and knowing how to fall.
> 
> Another related issue is physicality and endurance. When physically and mentally tired, we do dumb things. To combat this I use compression on my calves and it gives me alot more leg endurance throughout the day. I use these over my snowboard socks and they extend down inside the boot liner...they work great and are like heavy duty compression sleeves
> 
> Imperial Neoprene Wristers, 2 pack


I wear G-Form knee pads which are kinda compression but not really. Plus they slip down a lot. wrathful is correct though. When I first started riding I would go til I was completely exhausted and falling constantly. Now I call my rides when I start to notice the first hint of fatigue (usually nearly catching an edge on chudder or something, tired quads = no shock absorption).

Do you exercise regularly? You'd see greater benefits from that than wearing a knee sleeve especially since the joints heat up pretty quickly.


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## northidahomike (Dec 29, 2016)

Where do you even find 10 or 13mm knee sleeves? Every powerlifting fed I know of doesn’t let you go above 7mm and I don’t think they even make knee sleeves bigger than 7mm. Belts are 10 and 13 so I think that’s where you’re confused. Also 7mm sleeves are too thick to do any kind of physical activity other than squatting or strongman lifts and 7mm SBD sleeves will give you bounce out of the hole and assist your squat. That being said, I used to power lift competitively and that is where my knee pain is stemming from. It’s not really a pain but more of an annoyance. When I was competing I would wear knee sleeves every day to help my knees feel warm, no they won’t prevent injury but they will just make your knees feel good which is what I’m looking for in snowboarding. I want something that won’t be too thick and restrict my movement so I was thinking 3 or 5 mm rehbands, and I don’t want them to prevent injury...obviously they won’t do that, I want some that will keep them compressed and “fresh” feeling. My knee on my back leg gets an annoying pain after the end of most days and a lot of times if I land a jump funny it will enhance that feeling, I’m trying to get rid of that.


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## SlvrDragon50 (Mar 25, 2017)

northidahomike said:


> Where do you even find 10 or 13mm knee sleeves? Every powerlifting fed I know of doesn’t let you go above 7mm and I don’t think they even make knee sleeves bigger than 7mm. Belts are 10 and 13 so I think that’s where you’re confused. Also 7mm sleeves are too thick to do any kind of physical activity other than squatting or strongman lifts and 7mm SBD sleeves will give you bounce out of the hole and assist your squat. That being said, I used to power lift competitively and that is where my knee pain is stemming from. It’s not really a pain but more of an annoyance. When I was competing I would wear knee sleeves every day to help my knees feel warm, no they won’t prevent injury but they will just make your knees feel good which is what I’m looking for in snowboarding. I want something that won’t be too thick and restrict my movement so I was thinking 3 or 5 mm rehbands, and I don’t want them to prevent injury...obviously they won’t do that, I want some that will keep them compressed and “fresh” feeling. My knee on my back leg gets an annoying pain after the end of most days and a lot of times if I land a jump funny it will enhance that feeling, I’m trying to get rid of that.


Wearing knee sleeves daily is different than snowboarding since walking around isn't the same level of activity as snowboarding. You can certainly go get some thinner sleeves, but I don't think it's the right solution. Are you still exercising? Have you looked into joint supplements?


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## northidahomike (Dec 29, 2016)

I row ~ 5 days per week so my legs are getting plenty of exercise and it’s not putting a ton of pain into my knee. I’ll check out the supplements too. It’s no serious pain when I’m boarding, just annoying and towards the end of the day I find myself putting all my weight up front to relieve my back knee


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## SlvrDragon50 (Mar 25, 2017)

northidahomike said:


> I row ~ 5 days per week so my legs are getting plenty of exercise and it’s not putting a ton of pain into my knee. I’ll check out the supplements too. It’s no serious pain when I’m boarding, just annoying and towards the end of the day I find myself putting all my weight up front to relieve my back knee


Have you tried adjusting your stance and binding angles? 

Regarding supplements, have you had your knee looked at? Is it showing early signs of arthritis? Look into chondroitin, glucosamine, MSM (usually all in the same tablet).


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## Mig Fullbag (Apr 15, 2014)

I have been using neoprene Smith Knee Gaskets when riding for several years and my knees have been thanking me for it ever since.


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## MJP (Jan 7, 2013)

I've played soccer for 35 years and have torn cartilage in my knees, but have never torn an ACL, MCL, or PCL. In fact, my knee caps rotate outward more than most, per several Dr exams and xrays, and apparently it's genetic. That with a torn quad and achilles, I'm always looking for ways to relieve pain from snowboarding. I drink tons of water leading up to boarding, glucosamine months out, and then icy hot the hell out of both knees before throwing on my gear, and then use the thin Tommie Copper compression knee sleeves. My knees don't hurt at all anymore after boarding for 8 hours straight. I've used Nike volleyball knee pads before, which worked okay, but hardly ever fall anymore and they were just bulky. Tiger Balm, Icy Hot, Alieve, then the copper knee sleeves....I can board 3 days straight close to 8 hours a day and my legs are fatigued before me knees even hurt.


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