Knee pads for kneeling on hard church tile

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I’m not sure if this is the best category for this question. I’m in formation for the permanent diaconate and I have to kneel at times on the hard tile floor in the church. I do suffer from knee pain and I am looking for some sort of knee pad that I can wear over my pants but under my alb. I would prefer a pad that I can strap on versus the type you slide on (I would think the strap on would be easier over my dress pants). Can anyone recommend anything?

I recall a touching add a few years back that Amazon has where a priest and imam exchanged some, but I think these were more knee braces. A brace would be fine but it also has to have padding otherwise I will have a lot of pain still.

Thanks.
 
Wow…having to kneel on tile floor for some people is just not medically advised and possible.
I have a hard enough time when my pain is bad just kneeling on the padded ones.

Personally I would unabashedly and with no shame come with a simple foam kneeling pad like you find at Home Depot or Lowes and use it like any other medical device.
I wouldn’t hassle with kneepads, just a simple black small foam pad made for kneeling…and put out of your mind what you may think anyones thinks…your there for God. He wants you to come and be comfortable in His house…no need for a hair shirt these days.

Just my two cents…
 
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KD8TZC said:
Can anyone recommend anything?
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You could just ask your superior to give you a dispensation from kneeling. You have a genuine medical hardship, and repetitious kneeling might do further damage.
 
They are not strap-on but I certainly would look into soccer goalkeeper’s knee pads or maybe they are just “athletic” knee-pads as at sporting goods stores. I purchased some foam knee pads as playing goalkeeper, they make it so comfortable to kneel on, it’s almost feels like cheating.

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You can see, these to adhere to the leg pretty well, they are not that conspicuous and one is resting on soft foam, really more comfortable than a lot of kneelers.

I would encourage one to see if the nearest sporting goods store has items like this.

The above are not that expensive if one can find them.
 
Jbrady said:
You could just ask your superior to give you a dispensation from kneeling. You have a genuine medical hardship, and repetitious kneeling might do further damage.
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Sounds like the right approach. In a parish where we used to live, one elderly priest celebrated regular weekday Masses in his wheelchair. They put up a low folding table which he used as the altar, at the foot of the altar steps. He said Mass without ever standing up or genuflecting. No hassle.
 
Dispensation is not an option… I may be asked to hold the book for the Bishop at the ordination mass, and I would have to kneel. Someone mentioned the small pads that you place on the floor… that’s not an option too as it would distract people during the mass and I don’t want that to happen. Hence why I am looking for something I can wear under my alb.

The slip on kind @Victoria33 look well padded, but if I wear those over my suit pants, it may cause all kinds of bunching on the pants… hence why I was looking for strap on ones. @phil19034, I will have t o look at those as they look like they may work.
 
Those others may prove to be huge though in contrast. I’ve seen those kind too. They use them in tiling roofs and things like that. This is why I said the ones I know and that I’ve worn, contour to the leg fairly well. Those others may be obvious. I don’t know if we can know until they are tried but they look fairly big. I mean, these are things that they are selling at Home Depot. Does one expect them to be small? Something to be worn under slacks? I’m not so sure about that.
 
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Glad to see you, brother!

I feel your pain; especially at good Friday. Our diaconal candidates switch on and off between holding the cross for veneration or kneeling on the tile floor. Lasts anywhere from 75 minutes to 2 hours, but even with decent knees you feel it about halfway through.

I have used low profile slip on volley ball knee pads under my slacks without too much issue, but they only provide a little cussion so maybe give you 10 minutes. You obviously also need a straight cut pant leg. I also tried something like @phil19034 showed with gel pads (from one of the big box hardware stores). Worked okay, but sometimes my alb would catch on the tops so you have to add an extra step to the alb-kneel dance to discreetly pull the alb down as you stand or risk an odd crease near knee level.
 
Our deacon does a deep bow during the prayers when deacons are supposed to kneel. He is closer to 80 than 70.

I would suggest sporting goods shops and see what they have. There are several kinds of brands available. Something that fits under your straight leg pants like Usige suggests.

We have thicker knee pillows made in a more dense kind of material that we use during adoration and for the altar servers when they kneel during Mass. Grey so they disappear on the stone floor.

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They are 2-3 cm thick and about 35 long and 20 cm wide and bought in some shop in Medjugorie. Is it possible to make your own and slid it under your chair or somewhere hidden where you will kneel? Glue two/three layers together and cut to size?
 
Interesting question. I’m also in Diaconate Formation and so far, the ordained deacons at our installation masses (Candidate, Lector, Acolyte) never kneel. When the Bishop has installed us in these orders, the deacons stand and hold the book, etc.
Even in my home Parish, our Deacon has never knelt down during Mass. He remains standing when the Priest does and sits when the Priest does.
 
I have used these when doing work on my floors. They are better than nothing for the money. OP, go to a home center and see what they have. Lowe’s has many different kinds, and I think it is best to see them in person. When I was there, there were a bunch of opened packages, so it seems like people were “trying them out.”
 
I feel your pain. I would sadly have to back out of that type of regimen unless the Lord did a miraculous healing.

I stopped kneeling during Mass around Christmas. I had two episodes of not being able to walk out of the church unaided after just the regular kneeling that occurs during an OF Mass. And when I finally did get home, I was in pain for a full 24 hours and had difficulty sleeping and walking.

So I gave up trying, and now I just sit on the edge of my seat and do “Protestant” reverence (head down, buried in my hands).

If I drop something at work, I have to ask a younger co-worker to retrieve it for me. 😦

I’m allergic (tongue swelling, throat closes up) to most pain relievers other than Tylenol, so i don’t have a lot of recourse. Need to get that knee replaced!! It literally rules my life. Almost everything I do has to be planned with my knee in mind, even sleeping (I have “strap on knee pillows” that I wear at night.)

I hope it works out. I honestly don’t see why you aren’t allowed to remain standing with head bowed. I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on worshiping the Lord Jesus if I knew that a friend was up there suffering pain.
 
Hardware store. Spend a little extra and get the gel filled knee pads. They are pretty amazing.
 
HeDa said:
I would suggest sporting goods shops and see what they have.
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The sporting variety are about protection from impact and support.

The construction variety, which you can get at Lowes, Home Depot, and such are for supporting the weight of a large male (which any given deacon may or may not be [large, not male!😱]).

They are made to support the knee for significantly longer than any liturgical need.

The ones I have for home repair have a fairly hard plastic outer shell which holds the gel (?) padding on the inside in place, and strap on. They’re great.

hawk, from a family of bad knees
 
The one I have from Lowes weighs less than a doughnut…and would not be distracting.

It is a super super lightweight black small but thick piece of foam that will not slip on the tile floor. It would fit under your arm like a newspaper it is so compact.

It is basically a medial device and I do not look at anyone with any medical aid device and consider it a distraction.

I consider it a blessing they are doing all they can to be in the house of the Lord.
 
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