Knee compression sleeve (or other) for injury prevention?

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jhanleybrown
jhanleybrown Posts: 240 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Doing a lot of cycling with a lot of it on a spin bike during the week. Knees a little bit but not seriously sore. Started taking glucosamine a couple of weeks ago.

Do those compression sleeves help prevent knee injury? Also getting served ads on FB for a space age knee sleeve that somehow increases blood flow without compression.

Anyone have good info if compression sleeve or other for knees is good for injury prevention??

Other notes:
I'm solidly middle aged.
My spin bike is in the garage and it sometimes is chilly.

TIA.

Replies

  • Bruceapple
    Bruceapple Posts: 2,026 Member
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    Put the seat up higher. The bike should not Hurt your knees. Let off on the resistance and spin more.
  • Anabirgite
    Anabirgite Posts: 502 Member
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    I started spinning and biking several years ago after my knee decided it did not want to run anymore (diagnosed with little cartilage left). The orthopedist who treated me made several suggestions, one specific for spin, that if seated pedal a minimum 60 rpm. My husband and the doctor explained it has to do with torque, but applying that rule has made spinning a wonderful cardio workout with no additional knee injury. I still irritate my knee on occasion in other types of cardio classes, and immediately go back to R.I.C.E ( Rest Ice Compress Elevate)- with Rest being the least. I also saw on the Mayo clinic site a recommendation for taking Avocado Soybean Unsaponifiables (ASU)... I am only on second week, but is suppose to help specifically with knee arthritis. Good Luck.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
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    Nothing prevents injuries outside of avoiding trama. We can certainly lower injury risk with things such as load management.

    I can't vouch for knee sleeves pertaining to spinning specifi0 but pertaining to resistance training with weights, knee sleeves might assist in keeping your knees "comfy" in more colder climates.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    I cycle a lot and my knees are a mess, I'm middle aged but my knees are very elderly!

    But as long as I have the correct saddle to pedal position and manage my training stress and recovery properly I don't have soreness issues. Cleated cycling shoes help me too to keep feet/ankle/knees in line.
    I do have to limit standing cycling as it does hurt my unstable left knee.

    How is your bike set up?
    Are you cycling every day?
    Do you vary your intensity?
    What is your cadence?
    Do you warm up before intense sessions?

    I'm very dubious about knee sleeves having a significant effect on joint soreness (if it is your knee joint that is sore as opposed to ligament, tendon or other soreness).
  • happysquatter
    happysquatter Posts: 91 Member
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    Cycling specific feedback has been provided by other more experienced (in cycling) posters.

    What I can add is that, properly identifying the source of the pain/soreness will help in designing a regime outside of cycling to alleviate pain and mitigate future flare ups.

    As a related example: some issues that I have dealt with, knee pain caused by either ankle mobility issues or glute medius underactivation which was affecting alignment. I also have a history with soccer knees which is more ligament related which required, in the past, a different rehab regime. They were fixed with a combination of banded work, strength training and some passive rehab.

    All through this, I was advised as far as possible to strengthen the knee before resorting to compression sleeves. Not that sleeves should not be used but that it is temporary and doesn't deal with the underlying issue.

    I have successfully avoided having to use sleeves and my pain for the time being is gone.

    Hope this helps and you can get some parallels. Cheers
  • jhanleybrown
    jhanleybrown Posts: 240 Member
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    I'm pretty sure my bike is setup correctly. I generally cycle on the spin bike at 90 rpms. Although I often do virtual classes on the spin bike and sometimes they will call for lower cadence (60-80)...usually do those intervals at 70ish. My spin bike, like my gravel bike are spd which dont have a ton of float. My road bike has speed plays which have huge float (which is easier in the knees).

    My soreness is very mild and intermittent. I think it's more volume related than bike fit. I'm cycling a lot right now (6 days per week). Although I'm disciplined about active recovery days.

    It sounds like people are skeptical of compression sleeves for injury prevention. I'll keep up with the glucosamine and perhaps swap out pedals so I can use speed play on the spin bike.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    6 days a week sounds the likely culprit but you haven't mentioned duration.
  • jwoolman5
    jwoolman5 Posts: 191 Member
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    Definitely keep up the glucosamine. When I first started taking it, one knee had been injured quite a while before and wasn't healing very fast. It took less than a month for me to decide I was seeing enough improvement to keep taking it. I also found using a velcro type knee wrap/support helpful, but that was for something already injured.
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,298 Member
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    I agree with using the glucosamine, you could look into condroitin which is another componant of cartelege and is often added to glucosamine or viceversa. I also use MSM, I can't remember the full name only the initials, its an antioxidant which can help clear inflammation, NAC is another which can be helpful, more circulatory probably. It may help you to read into these things. I know inflammation is the buz word of the moment, its a covers more or less painful or doscomforting events. I've been all points from crutches with knee supprts and rather imobile to pain free and chasing a two year old as i am now, much of the change is from keeping inflammation neglegable to nonexistant.

    Doing too much can put additional stress on joints. Your 6 day exercise week is probably excessive, rest days are equally important to enable recovery and instill muscle memory. Much of this is learning what suits you, no one else.

    (I find diet makes a real difference to me, higher fibre, lower sugar sort of thing. I can't use the usual pain relief products, they cause me more pain, learned 20 years ago by trial, what happened with and without. At first i did as i was told by the doctor, painrelief before exercise and discovered I had less pain without. I don't think we have anything pain releaving in the bathroom cabinet now, if there is its way out of date! So now I manage things by diet and hardly ever see my doctor, two occasions in 7 years, its up to me to care for me, sort of attitude now)

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