boots for bad knees

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sandita16

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Location
Tulum, Mexico
# of dives
Does anyone have a recommendation for some dive boots that offer support and protection for knees. I dive in doubles everyday and most of the walks to the dive sites include a short trek through the jungle on uneven paths, a steep rickety ladder, and sometimes even a bit of a rockclimb to get out of the water, all with the weight of the doubles. My knee problems started when I started this job and I know not having proper footwear is not helping. Any suggestions (aside from get a new job) are greatly appreciated. Thanks
 
The doubles would seem to me to be more critical than the boots. Assume you are cave diving. Maybe carry the tanks one at a time and assemble at the site?

Wear regular hiking boots if the exit is the same as the entry point?
 
They're not cheap but I've read Seasoft boots offer good support. SeaSoft Booties
No personal experience with either model but people who shoredive Bonaire recommend them for the rocks/ironshore/ladders at the northern sites.

Leisurepro sells them if you can't get them locally. Seasoft from LeisurePro
 
Proper footwear is going to help, but I would also strap my knees for added support (weightlifting style). You can take it off before the dive.
 
Whites EVO3 Boots | Dive Right In Scuba - Plainfield, IL - Dive Right in Scuba
grab a pair of these, and a pair of these
Amazon.com : NeoSport Wetsuits XSPAN 5mm Socks, Black, XX-Large : Surfing Booties : Sports & Outdoors
You'll have to get new fins, scubapro XXL Jet fins or comparable depending on foot size, and the socks can be found in thinner neoprene, but that is your best bet.

Dry Suit Boots - Keep your feet warm and dry w/ drysuit boots - Dive Right in Scuba
any of these boots will work too

They are overboots for drysuit use, but since they lace all the way up will give you better support and stability than normal booties. Not the cheap way out, but the best. Depending on what exposure protection you're using, you can wear neoprene knee braces as well through the dive.
 
Does anyone have a recommendation for some dive boots that offer support and protection for knees. / /My knee problems started when I started this job and I know not having proper footwear is not helping. Any suggestions (aside from get a new job) are greatly appreciated.
Tough question, because I have painful knees, not necessarily 'bad' knees. I like the foot protection offered by the Henderson AquaLock boots. Unfortunately, I don't necessarily find them completely good as far as fitting to my foot.
 
Hi, this is Bruce Justinen from SEASOFT SCUBA. I wanted to throw my opinion in on this subject because I have spent a considerable amount of time researching this same subject. I have bad knees due to a lifetime of football, basketball and hockey and maybe a little bit of questionable genetics. I have to have periodical shots in my right knee. OK, did I mention that I am also getting old and I still love to dive. But I digress.

The vast majority of dive boots available today are simply athletic on the outside but not in the inside where it counts. If you do not have an elevated heel (like tennis shoes, sneakers & athletic footwear) then you are forced to lean forward or bend forward when you carry your gear. You have to do this to transfer your center of gravity (your balance) to the toes and the ball of your feet. Flat bottomed booties transfer the center of gravity to the heel and obviously you have no real balance being back on your heels.

Most dive booties are simply flat bottomed bedroom slippers, not athletic footwear. It takes a real athletic, shock absorbing sole with an elevated heel to make REAL athletic footwear. AND with diving booties it also takes a Pressure Support Plate of rigid polycarbonate plastic to support a diver's weight on top of the athletic sole plus a thick cushioning neoprene insole.
In addition, athletic footwear requires an arch support underneath your arch. This does several things - 1. It makes the footwear more comfortable. 2. It provides stability and support for the foot. 3. It keeps the foot from sliding back and forth inside the bootie, especially when you stop quickly or your foot is actively kicking inside the fin pocket.

I have included an illustration of SEASOFT's STEALTH Bootie to give you an idea of what an athletic dive bootie looks like. If anyone has any questions about dive booties please feel free to ask me, I will do my best to give you a timely response.

Bruce Justinen
President
SEASOFT SCUBA

SEASOFT BOOT HALF.jpg
 
I don't have knee problems, but I can speak for the SeaSoft boots. I have a pair of the 3mm and 5mm boots and love them. They do feel more like walking in a sneaker than a dive book. Great support and really tough sole. Iron shore of Bonaire was not a problem with these on.
 
Thinking the problem is not the BOOT it is the FIN. I would be curious to know the type of fin you use. <<<<<RN the buys and sells dive gear. I suggest you use a good pair of split fins, like atomics maybe. And, I suggest a well fit neoprene knee brace. You can wear the brace on the OUTSIDE or the INSIDE of your wetsuit/semidry suit, or on the INSIDE of your drysuit. And, if your dive warmer climates, right over your knee during the dive. IF you wear it over the wetsuit, be sure to purchase it to FIT OVER the suit. You don't want to constrict circulation to the extremity. And, it never hurts to let a qualified MD look at any and all medical issues in relation to diving :)

Lisa at blueorbdiving.com

"Be the sea"
 
I have osteoarthritis in my knees and find that the only thing that works for me emphasis on the me bit is just getting a good knee support (I use an open patella support from nuovahealth.co.uk which works wonders but that doesn't say it will work for everyone ). I find that things like footwear don't really help only if it stops shock. However for some people I guess correcting imbalances of the feet may help the knees.... then again the dive booties Iv had have been so flat that they do really hurt my feet after a while and maybe I should look into buying something for them because they carnt be doing my feet or knees any good... maybe I should glue some kind of orthotic insert onto them or something.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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