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Last few Munros I've done I've had absolutely terrible knee pain on the descent, most times my right knee but last one the other week both knees, I was in total agony, people heard me sobbing in pain from a distance and offered to help me, but I didn't really know what they could have done and I just opted to hobble out, it took me fucking ages.
I've had this a few times over the years. For me, its caused by tight ITBs pulling my patellar out of track. Or aruguably, weak leg muscles allowing my ITBs to pull my patellar out of track. Twice weekly leg strength sessions and learning to stretch properly was the solution to my particular root cause.
I have bitter memories of a 1500m descent in Austria where I had to stop to hold fistfuls of snow against my knee to get some relief from the pain. I have never felt so desperate...exhausted and in pain with hours of descending left to go. Its not fun.
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I had this running, and switching to barefoot did help - but mostly by forcing me to change my running technique to something more much more stable. So I'd guess it's unlikely to be a quick fix.
Not necessarily a solution, but loosely related: in the summer I switched from my boots to approach shoes in the cuillins and have only worn boots when it's weather driven since - the lighter load and free-er movement has made long days much much easier.
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I run in zero drop trainers and use barefoot shoes most of the year (bar deep winter; not warm enough) and barefoot shoes are my first choice for walking off road. The ability to feel the ground underneath your feet is lovely. That said I don't do serious hiking/mountaineering though.
You can get reduced Vibobarefoot sure on this site including hiking boots. -
Yes. Well, similar to above, zero drop but not barefoot. I use Altra Lone Peak 5's and I absolutely love them. The shape of them is the main reason I use them, but I've started to just wear them as every day shoes now because I find them so comfortable.
I have done some big ol' hikes in them - like 30km/1500-2000m of elevation/descent - and it's my legs that hurt at the end, not my feet.
Look at the shape of these things. If you have even remotely wide feet they're amazing. Come in a wide size, too. And also a waterproof boot version.
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I had a similar issue too. Knee pain brought on by walking, particularly descents, but also walking up stairs became very painful. Also diagnosed as tight IT pulling my patella out of line. Also helped a lot by physio and stretching. However as far as footwear goes I now only wear shoes with decent arch support which normally means throwing my own insole in. If I wear vans, sandals etc for a day then my knees are in agony by the end of it. I haven't looked into the 'science' of barefoot style shoes, but I would imagine speaking to a specialist who can analyse your gait etc would be more useful than just buying new shoes semi-blind.
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Stonehedge
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@EB
Has anyone tried zero drop barefoot style boots for hiking? Last few Munros I've done I've had absolutely terrible knee pain on the descent, most times my right knee but last one the other week both knees, I was in total agony, people heard me sobbing in pain from a distance and offered to help me, but I didn't really know what they could have done and I just opted to hobble out, it took me fucking ages. Bless Mrs EB for being there she was an absolute angel. And thank God for walking poles.
I've since discovered that it is IT band syndrome, and now embarking on stretches and the relevant exercises but wondering if these types of shoes/boots might help (Summer only probably). I've read a few things that they take some time to get used to but do help some people. I'm a little sceptical really, but if anyone has any experience I'd be grateful for your thoughts?