I had a new knee joint fitted a while ago, and the knee is still a bit tender. Gel kneepads would probably help with some DIY jobs. I was thinking of getting some from Screwfix as there's a branch not far away.
Does anyone have any experience or recommendations of any particular pads they sell?
The strap-on ones (ooer) make your knees sweaty and cut off circulation if they are too tight and when you kneel down for long periods. Get some work trousers that have pockets for kneepads. The snickers ones are good but cost =A3=A3, but then what are your knees worth to you? =A350 for decent trousers and pads vs pain, suffering of damaged knees. I hope yours get better soon.
Dave.
IMHO they needn't be gel either - unless anyone can come up with a realistic reason why they are "better" than ordinary squishy foam kneepads?
Cheers Jim K
Thanks. It's just the right one, getting better all the time apart from the stiffness and slight tenderness. I'm riding my push bike again after two years.
I don't intend using them for long periods, just things like taking the wheels off the car, although I'd probably use a seat for that. As I'm
6'6" my legs tend to get in the way in confined spaces, so kneeling is sometimes the only method.
I'd be interested to hear that. So: gel or foam?
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If you can salvage an old foam seat from an armchair or sofa you'll find it much more convenient than knee pads. I've got one for general DIY and one in the boot of the car for outside jobs.
Cic.
Me too. My 'uniform' consists of navy bib & brace which have knee pad 'pockets' in them. Less than £20 with the logo embroided. Dead comfy, especially if you are of the FB type, lots of pockets.
Get mine from Bell Workwear.
Would an occupational therapy department be able to offer advice or even =
samples to try?
I've tried a couple of differnt strap on types and they are a PITA if you are up and down a bit rather than kneeling at a task for a while, in which case I'll try to sit rather than kneel.
Intrested about the knee pad pockets. Where abouts in relation to the knee does te pad go when you stand up? What do people use in the pocket? As I haven't got on with the strap on things I know use a bit of anti fatigue floor mat(*) to kneel or sit on. I guess stuitably cut bits of that would work well in knee pockets.
(*) Medium/high density foam sheet about 1cm thick in bits about 60cm square with jigsaw interlocking edges so you can join 'em together to cover a hard floor to make it more comfortable for standing on. CostCo have it but I think I got mine from Alidle.
Squishy foam ones better than the hard and slippery plastic ones. Never tried gel: how does it stay in the right place? The strap design of my cheap ones could be better as they dig into the back of my knees in my preferred work attire of shorts. Yes, they do make your knees sweat, but weeding in our very stony garden would be agony without them: some days I found I was never taking them off!
S
Would an occupational therapy department be able to offer advice or even samples to try?
Probably, but I bet they'd be a lot more expensive than your local health and safety gear supplier: there is lots of competition.
S
You will find all sorts of excuses for wearing them once you have: it's amazing how much kneeling we actually do without thinking about it and how much easier it is with padded knees: why the hell didn't we evolve them? S
I think it's much easier to be hands free by having the pads attached, and also one always seems to end up falling off the edge of mats or overreaching in trying not to. And also you can kneel in confined places, over joists etc. I should think a way to keep 'knee pockets' on the knee, would be to put laces above and below the pocket. I would not imagine the material would last very long though. Perhaps the pad should be glued to the trousers...
S
I wear my built in kneepads all day every day. Agreed, you don't realise how often you kneel down doing DIY.
You only have to kneel on a dropped screw once to convince yourself :-)
It doesnt really go anywhere, you don't know you are wearing them. They load into an upside down pocket that has a flap at the bottom so you can tuck them in.
You just buy purpose designed inserts;
The trousers have upside down pockets to hold pads like these
Its actually difficult to kneel without a knee landing in the right place.
I wear mine 24/7 or more accurately 8/5. They are always there and you don't notice them until you kneel down.
snickers inserts. Double the price, but found they dont squish as much as those black ones. Also the bit your knee cap is pressed against is a much thicker wedge shape.
Someone asked about the area of trousers wearing out on the knees. Yes they do eventually but by that time the trousers are worn out anyway. In that state they are ok for painting in or other throw away tasks.
Another plus point I would mention about the snickers are the elephant ears pockets on the front of some versions. Very handy for small tools, phones and things, but then I never got on with carrying a big hefty tool belt.
Dave.
inserts;
I'll check those out ta.
I can't do tool belts either. I fall into the FB category having a 42" waist and a 52" chest. Bloody near impossible to get a tool belt that fits & doesn't slip down.
Pockets are the way forward :-)
And which are the trousers that you use: the 'Action' ones on the same link (look strangely cheap); or the 'Buildtex'? I'm beginning to think I may be in the market for some of these - and even some temporarily paint free shorts too :-)
S
Neither. They don't do my size.
I get mine from a co called Bell Workwear. These;
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