KDXRIDER.NET

Was ridin the KDX tonight after yesterdays thunderstorms. There was some new wood down on the trails due to all the wind we had. While on a high speed left sweeping turn I caught the inside of my left knee on a branch that wasn't there yesterday. It pulled me off the bike backwards. I knew my knee took a pretty good hit. It felt like it was electrified, and didn't work too good. I hopped back to the bike and putted back home. When I finally looked at it I found a hole big enough to put a finger in. It's all cleaned up and stitched back together. The skin from the center of the hole was missing, so I'm sure it's going to leave a mark.
....scars....better than tatoos.

Anyway, this is the second time this year my knee has taken a hit. How many guys ride with knee pads? I'm getting a set. Any recommendations?

Joe

I just replaced my old knee pads after I noticed I cracked one after riding last weekend, I got the sixsixone pads from Rocky Mtn., $25

For knee protection, there's a ortho doc on a few websites, Dr. Mark I believe, who recommends a neoprene sleeve/wrap (improved stability) and knee "cup" protection over that. Several mfgs offer products as separate items (wrap and cup) and that combine the two. Inexpensive. From the way you described your incident, the cup sounds like it would've helped.

If you inquire about knee braces you'll see a variety of opinions concerning the types of injuries they prevent. I wear one on my left knee for increased stability because my ACL is almost all the way tore (surgery scheduled in late-September). It is a neoprene wrap with built in hinges on the side, $18 from Walmart. I also use a cup/shin guard unit as well. Sort of bulky on my left knee. I know EVS offers a knee brace of this sort with built in cups and shin protection all in one unit. I'll probably invest in a pair of these, pricey but they look comfortable and it's all-in-one package.

In the link below, page 534 shows an example the cup/wrap, page 533 an example of the knee brace (SX02 was the one I was considering)

http://www.powersportrider.com/cgi-bin/zcatjpg

If the link doesn't work right, choose "Apparel" catalog and then go to "Protection" section. Then browse around.

There ARE other mfgs that offer these products . . . look through the pages in that section of the online catalog.

A guy I rode with last week had the Top of his toe severed, after a small branch went through the side of his boot. He now has the top of his toe missing now. It was the left ring finger toe.......

It didn't take too many falls for me to realize that knee pads were a good idea, along with elbow pads, chest protector, etc etc.

You'll never regret having on safety equipment, but you will regret having it off!

Thanks everyone for the replies. I definitely appreciate it. I ride alone and don't know any other off-road riders, so the advice on this forum is only advice I get. I'm not sure how long it's going to take to get back in the saddle, but when I do it'll be with knee and elbow pads.

Green Hornet. I see you're from Orange County. I'm originally from down that way (Marlboro). I used to putt around some of the apple orchards on my old RM100...whenever it ran.

Joe

Joe where in NY are you now?

I live in Mexico, NY, about 30 minutes north of Syracuse, and about 5 miles from Pulaski, where everyone goes Salmon fishing.
Joe

JoeR wrote: Green Hornet. I see you're from Orange County. I'm originally from down that way (Marlboro). I used to putt around some of the apple orchards on my old RM100...whenever it ran.

Joe

Monroe/Greenwood Lake Area

Cool. It's been a while since I've been down that way. Is the riding nice? I don't remember there being that much woods near there. That's one of the reasons I moved north. Lotsa riding close by (Snowmobiling though). There's some nice 4 wheeler and bike trails around here too, but I stick to the private land. My bike is not plated.
Joe

I figured I'd give everyone an update on the knee. After about a week, and the swelling went down a little, I realized there was something wrong with the knee joint. I went to my Orthopedic guy and got it checked out. It was worse than previously thought. The tree branch went through my MCL(the ligament on the inside of the knee), splitting it lenghtwise, but that'll heal up fine. I also broke my femur right at the joint (just cracked it a little), and smeared the cartilage out of the knee joint. My Doc said the MRI looked like the injury was from jumping out of a 3rd floor window. He recommended I not walk for 6 more weeks. I didn't have the heart to tell him I was riding again, but told him I'd promise to take it easy and have every intention of going back to work, which includes walking.
So, with the help of a knee brace, I'm back in action, but definitely not at full speed. I'm riding, and being very careful to not fall off.

Joe