Footwear ideas for gardeners with knee problems

Bottom line : I am looking for footwear suggestions from gardeners with knee problems or similar , i am looking for positive suggestions that would be worth considering.

i am a keen and busy gardener especially over the past 15 years and in the past 6 months both knees have ‘pinged’ doing everyday movements and its clear from my consultant that i will need to manage this for the future and i am also sure that there are many gardeners in a similar situation.

i feel i need to adapt my gardening routine - i am totally out of action on crutches at the moment- and have trawled the internet looking for supportive footwear for gardening. Result = Clogs and wellies ! Neither seem to fit the bill. I could go on but i am looking for suggestions to consider for me and others in a similar situation.

So , are there ideas out there that you have tried and that have helped ? If so please share.

Thanks for reading this.

 

For gardening I use a pair of old walking boots with sorbothane insoles, far more comfortable than wellingtons and more waterproof than old running shoes.
Do they help the dodgy knees not really. I do use a knee brace when the knee is playing up badly, but try not to.

 

I recently bought a new pair of hi tech walking boots, not real special ones but they are so much lighter than the old ones I had.
They are really comfortable and I have foot problems and two new knees and the back is not too good either.

 

@Obelix-Vendée has had two knee replacements so I am sure she will be able to offer you some suggestions as to how she coped before her ops.

 

These are worth considering @Robert Bowen, safer than clogs and easier to get on and off than wellies. (I've broken the same ankle twice, but not wearing these .)

Muck Boots RHS Muckster II Ankle Boots Black

 

I didn't find supportive footwear made any difference to my arthritic knee problems.

I tend to garden in wellies of different sizes depending on how many socks I need to keep my feet warm. Other than that I garden almost barefoot in flipflops or crocs.

Before I got my new knees I wore knee supports sold in sports stores and took a lot of turmeric supplements. It's important to use the ones with black pepper in them so you absorb the active ingredient. Glucosamine sulphate with condrotin, meadowsweet and nettles are all good supplements for arthritic joints but you need to take them every day and not expect results overnight.

Before the new knees I gardened sitting down or bending down. My new titanium knees are great but not comfy on the inside for kneeling without a big cushion so I have adapted to gardening bent from the hips or sitting and even lying down depending on what I'm doing.

 

I find kneeling almost impossible, and usually end up laying down on one elbow, which means you only have one free hand, then I cant get up, but at least they don't hurt anymore.

 

There's a lot of rolling and inelegant heavinng about involved to get down and up again and no time for worrying about getting mucky. So far I've only had to lie down to try and cut some mulenbechia that is invading and threatening to smother a large hebe. So far I'm not winning.

 

Sounds very similar to my attempts to clean under the ride-on I make sure I park it near something solid to hang onto as I claw my way back up. And that's without dodgy knees
Re. footwear @Robert Bowen, surely it's a case of finding what is most comfortable for you? Especially when it comes to heel/no heel, width, warmth, non-slip etc. If it was an ankle problem, footwear might make a big difference, but not so much for knees?