cyclers knee

littleknown

ive been cycling a few times a week for the past 3-4months or so, nothing too serious though, i recently had a run around a month ago and ever since then my knees have been killing me. I read up on a thing called runners knee and it seems pretty close to what I have. other sources point to spd pedals and then saddle positioning as well.
the pain is really sore in the knee cap especially going up and down stairs and in the morning and night. i can still cycle but after a walk or something the pain gets going. anyone ever had anything like this?

If it's a constant pain, no matter what it is, it is probably worth getting it checked out.

frisbeeface

Knee pain could be any number of things. Whoever designed it put an idiotic amount of stuff in there! Go to a decent physio and you'll get it sorted.

sy

Sounds like your saddle is too low. This often causes pain under the knee cap (patella) other areas to check out is you cleat palcement on the shoe. Loads of info on the web and kenmc will probably fill you in on his knee problem if he reads this post. Good luck

Scrivo

I have this in my right knee. Went to the physio and told me there was something pulled in it. Did the exercises he gave me and it was quickly back to normal. Still feel it is a bit weak when going up stairs but does not effect my cycling so I don't really care. Just rest it and warm up well before exercise. I find the way it gets pulled is when you try to sprint suddenly on the bike without a warm up. Once it is stretched out, there is no problem.

littleknown

thanks for the responses. have booked a physio for the end of the week.just out of interest Scirvo - what exercise were you advised to do for the knee,

thanks

kenmc

sy wrote: »

Sounds like your saddle is too low. This often causes pain under the knee cap (patella) other areas to check out is you cleat palcement on the shoe. Loads of info on the web and kenmc will probably fill you in on his knee problem if he reads this post. Good luck

I'm reluctant to offer much advice, since I'm not qualified. However I have been diagnosed with an ITB (illiotibial Band) strain, my saddle was too low, but that may not be the case with the OP. I have exercises to do on mine, but after W200 I've not cycled, it still hurts going up and down stairs,and standing up from a sitting position

littleknown

that sounds similar enough to me kenmc. the last thing i want to do is stop cycling cos i really love doing it. but it definitely feels like ive pulled something. even when i walk it feels like something could go, was a physio able to pick up on it quickly?

on the saddle issue. I have it set so that I can just about touch the ground with the tips of my toes. as far as i know this is correct right?any higher and ill be over the front of the bike!

Hungrycol

Scrivo wrote: »

I have this in my right knee. Went to the physio and told me there was something pulled in it. Did the exercises he gave me and it was quickly back to normal. Still feel it is a bit weak when going up stairs but does not effect my cycling so I don't really care. Just rest it and warm up well before exercise. I find the way it gets pulled is when you try to sprint suddenly on the bike without a warm up. Once it is stretched out, there is no problem.

How do you stretch out your knees? Sounds like a joke but honestly what knee warm up exercises / stretches do you do?

Chips Lovell

littleknown wrote: »

on the saddle issue. I have it set so that I can just about touch the ground with the tips of my toes. as far as i know this is correct right?any higher and ill be over the front of the bike!

Correct height is so that your leg is fully extended, without locking out, on the downstroke of the pedal.

cyclopath2001

Have a really close look and check that your saddle is perfectly straight, it could be just a little twisted and this could make a difference. Use a plumb line to be really sure.

Cadex

Hi - I have some myself at the moment. Recently changed bikes and have new cleats. Forgot to mark the position of the old ones before I replaced them (!) and am having problems since. Believe the problem is the cleat but might be something else on the (new) bike set up which only became an issue on the distance of the W200. I was reading the links below and will check out their advice. Might help you too.
http://www.cptips.com/knee.htm
http://www.roadcycling.com/training/kneepain.shtml
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/pain.html

DirkVoodoo

A lot of anterior knee pain (especially when cycling/running) could be put down to iliotibial band friction syndrome. A tight ITB pulls the patella harder against the lateral femoral condyle, leading to increased compression, building up to inflammation, pain, injury, etc.

I would agree with the stretching for sure. I'm sure the physio will tell you this, but you want to increase the strength and flexibility (important!) of your hip flexors and quads.

Lay off the hard climbs for a while anyway.

doozerie

Having your knees checked by a professional is definitely the first thing to do.

You should also review your position on the bike though, which is never any harm to do occasionally anyway. The height of your saddle is obviously one factor but there are several others which include (some of these have been mentioned already):
- how far forward/back your saddle is positioned (will determine the position of your knees relative to your toes - too far forward or back can cause problems);
- the stack height/thickness of your pedals+cleats+shoes (the distance between the pedal and your saddle is more important than the distance between your saddle and the ground - the length of your cranks also plays a part here);
- the width of your bottom bracket axle (perhaps your physique is better suited to either a narrower or wider bottom bracket);
- the forward/back position of the cleats on your shoes. A good starting point is to have the ball of each foot directly over the pedal axle, but some people prefer to move then either forward or back of that. As few people have both feet the very same size, you'll probably find that the cleat position differs slightly between both shoes;
- the sideways position of the cleats on your shoes. Some cleats/shoes/pedals allow some adjustment here so you may have to play around to find the best position for you;
- the "twist"/rotational position of the cleats on your shoes. This position varies from person to person but chances are that if your toes are noticeably turned in or out when your feet are clipped in then the cleats are twisted too far.

In some cases a bad position in any of the above (and other factors which I haven't included) will cause instant discomfort and you'll be able to find a comfortable position easily enough. In other cases you may not notice any problems until extended use of the bike. Once you start looking closely at your position you'll quickly find out what works for you i.e. it is not as complex as it might appear. Having severe pain after only a few weeks of riding points at a very bad position on the bike and/or a bad pedaling style (e.g. maybe you move your knees in or out too much on every pedal rotation, maybe you ride too high a gear, etc.) and/or some underlying medical issue with your knees.

There are various other things worth doing too, such as warming up your knee joints before getting on the bike (use knee rotation exercises, etc.), take it easy for the first few miles while you fully warm up, ride lower gears to keep excess pressure off your knees, stretch afterwards, etc.

would advise to take care of your knees and get any soreness checked out.
I had an operation on my knee last year, don't know if it was the cycling or hillwalking, but the surgeon took out some loose bits of cartilage and scraped what was there.

A year later, the knee is a lot better, and back on the bike everyday, and fine on the flat but a 70 year old granny would pass me out going up a hill.

Civilian_Target

My right knees is also a little duff. I came off hard on it in 2005, even though I rested it well, it's never going to be quite as good as before.

Basically, it's what doozerie said. Get it professionally checked. Make sure you're saddle is at the right height so that the bit of your leg above the knee never goes past horizontal. Make sure you're pedalling straight.

That's about all there is to it!

psycholist

#1 go to a physio

#2 go to a reputable bike shop (not halfords for the love of god) and ask about your position on the bike...you wont go too far wrong