Knee pain

blorg

I aborted my Galway-Dublin-Galway attempt on Saturday at the 305km mark in Athlone on the way back due to knee pain (both knees.) Knees were covered but it got very wet during the first 5-6 hours of the cycle.

I have been taking it very light on the cycling since (just my commute to work) but the pain in my left knee has persisted. I had noticed during the final 100km that my right foot seemed to be angled out a bit rather than straight and indeed the cleat was at a slight angle (now fixed.)

It's most painful when straightening the leg, from about the 45% to straight. Crunching in towards my thigh is not a problem.

Moving the knee I get a sort of creaking sensation. There is also a sort of "pop" in the kneecap at around the 45% mark but I have that in the other knee as well and it doesn't hurt so I can only surmise this is normal.

Went swimming yesterday at lunch and it felt a bit better after that. But then was a bit worse again after I got home from my cycle with Verb last night up the mountains.

Any advice? I am going to the doctor tomorrow.

DirkVoodoo

Is the pain localised at the inner or outer part of your knee?

I'd say more than likely its just an overuse injury. Might be best laying off for a week or two and letting things heal, or maybe ride the focus and pop into a very easy gear.

Watch out for those knees, they are fragile pieces of kit and not easy to replace!

Cleberp

Perhaps check the height of your saddle in relation to your pedals. I've done that distance a few times and found that most aches I got was due to improper bike posture and set up. Your legs should never be completely, or worse, over extended. This can lead to problems with your knees and achilles.

Other than that if you have a history of bad knees the doctor sounds like a good bet.

72hundred

blorg wrote: »

I am going to the doctor tomorrow.

Best plan! Let us know what he/she says. Also is a GP you're going to?

kenmc

usual I am not a doctor lark prepended.

Sounds very similar to the pain i experienced back on my approach to the W200. I was able to 'pull' the pedals but not push them. Also both knees. And also after I'd done a fair bit of distance that day, although I had pushed my weekly distances up quickly - however I don't think that's a problem for you

My diagnoses was tight ITB, noticed that one of my cleats was *slightly* angled, also my saddle was too low. The 'pop' is possibly the ITB rubbing on something - patella maybe?

ITB seems to be a fickle beast, it runs from your glutes to your knee, kind of around your quads. I was put on a foam roller to massage it, which hurt the absolute bejaysus out of me - I was nearly crying with the pain - just below my hips - that's where the tightness in the ITB was, yet I had no pain in my upper legs at all when cycling - just my knees.

See what the doc says, but whatever the outcome it would be no harm for you to do some stretches anyway for your glutes, ITB etc.

Highway_To_Hell

the Doc will probably say to rest the knees for a bit and cut back to cycling no more then a 1000km per week

blorg

Thanks guys. 305km is "even for me" 50% more than I have routinely done before so I think overuse is distinctly possible.

Saddle is if anything slightly too low. Certainly is not too high. I have around 10,000km on it though with several comfortable 200km rides so I suspect overuse is the most likely culprit.

Felt fine until Galway other than some problems in my ahem digestive system. No muscle pain etc, that only started after I set off on the return leg, maybe at around the 250km mark.

I never stretch which I am sure does not help- will try this in the future, at least before anything over 200km

No history of knee pain, this is a first. I generally don't get sore on the bike at all, even when I am pushing myself at max heart rate it is not really "sore", it's a different sort of sensation. Sometimes get a bit of burning in the legs going up hills at full tilt but I recover from that quickly.

It is a GP I am going to but they seem to be more clued in to sports injuries than others I have been to.

Next up we are planning something a little easier- Dublin-Cork in one go, without a same-day return. 250km or so on back roads.

TinyExplosions

blorg wrote: »

Next up we are planning something a little easier- Dublin-Cork in one go, without a same-day return. 250km or so on back roads.

Looking forward to that, but only if Paul Tansey can sort out my back/neck tonight!

littleknown

ive been doing physio for about five weeks as a result of knee pain, what i have is especially sore when sitting down, standing, going down stairs and going up stairs ( covers quite a bit ") it can get really sore, this came from playing football as i seemed to damage some ligaments after only two games! in my case cycling actually helps as i need to build up some muscles to take the strain off others, this may apply to you as well. if it is as bad as mine have been i would seriously recommend physio, but as suggested ask someone who knows what they are talking about ( hence my username)

figs86

go to a physio, not a doc.

your average GP knows little about chronic or acute sports injuries (and will prob send you to a physio for treatment/diagnosis anyway) whereas your average physio will see plenty of sports/overuse injuries and will be able to treat it too

blorg

Thanks littleknown, the pain for me is bad going up and down stairs all right, or getting up from a chair. I can walk on level ground no bother. It is not unbearable pain now by any means but it is definitely negatively impacting my ability to cycle, when on the bike I am finding my right leg is doing all the work and if I try to really push with the left it hurts.

littleknown

i was told cycling was good as long as the saddle was as high as possible and to avoid swimming and running, i ended up running a bit yesterday and i can feel it today, luckily for me though cycling is fine which is the one thing im interested in, get a good physio, and it should sort itself out.

DirkVoodoo

Stairs (ascending descending) will always be bad on the knees, you're talking about 6 times body weight. Getting up out of a chair is up to 3 times body weight.

Cycling (easy gear, not grinding) ~ 1.2 x B.W.

cipo

hey folks,

brand new to this forum. loving the cycling section.

blorg, sounds very very likely to be an overuse injury. 305ks is a big ask for a pro let alone weekend warrior like us lot !!!

probably some internal swelling along with some tendonitis at the patellar tendon area.

gp will more than likely suggest rest. as would a physio seeing the history of the injury and how it started...

anti- inflams may help. i would still recommend seeing a professional face to face if the symptoms persist and / or dont seem to be going in the right direction.

by the way im a freshly qualified physio.

dave

blorg

Cheers cipo, thanks for the free consultation I think I'll take it easy and put off the doc until next week, if it persists. I have some anti-inflams here I will take. Would anyone suggest heat-packs? I only ask as I have some handy :pac:

cipo

heat may relieve pain but wont reduce any swelling / inflammation.

its an individual choice if the level of pain needs it !!!!

blorg

OK, cheers, it certainly doesn't require them so, it only bothers me when I am putting pressure on the knee.

oobydooby

100% amateur disclaimer but maybe you're mashing since you got the fixie?

I was told by a cycling companion that I rode too high a gear a couple of years ago just before a similar knee complaint. At the time I'd recently run a marathon and was still playing a lot of soccer. I'd no SPDs/cleats and the saddle was ok but in retrospect I was mashing up hills and stuff in charity spins. Was very naive, commuting and touring background. Turned out my kneecap had been pulled a little bit out of position. Physio gave me sticky tape to tape it back in position and it worked fine again. Muscles on one side had developed more quickly than the other and pulled the kneecap askew.

interested

blorg wrote: »

OK, cheers, it certainly doesn't require them so, it only bothers me when I am putting pressure on the knee.

Not expensive to try out but for me hot baths with a couple of hand fulls of epson salt (most chemists) help alot for aches and pains after long days out - along with ibuprofen if required - but Id also head to a physio to check for any lasting damage before tackling anything serious.

Had been following the details of your attempt last friday, shame the weather didnt play along. What doesnt kill you eh ...

kenmc

blorg wrote: »

Thanks littleknown, the pain for me is bad going up and down stairs all right, or getting up from a chair. I can walk on level ground no bother.

Sounds so feckin familiar

'68 Fastback

From what Ive seen of those pistons you refer to as legs, I reckon you'd be better off going to a mechanic Blorg:pac:

Andrewf20

My knee pain was fixed by moving the saddle back about 2 inches. I reckon that with the saddle far forward the knee was extending in front of the ball of my foot and therefore having to take a heavier pounding.

Certainly from reading up on technique in relation to squats in the gym, they say that the knee show never extend in front of the front of the foot. This theory would surely be related to cycling also.

henboy

HI Blorg --It sounds to me you need to rest it for a few weeks.I snapped my medial ligament and my ACL both in the one knee.that is my only advice is to rest it.

Hope all goes well for ye

littleknown

just reading up on my own knee issue and this is it, might be similar to what u got?

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/knee_injuries/a/knee10.htm