Outside left knee pain, BG Footbed and shims

sandskev

Ok, not sure if this is the right place, or if this question has been asked many times before.....

I can't cycle more than 40 miles without an increasing pain on the outside of my left knee, this is after i've altered my bike for saddle height and fore / aft position, raised the bars, and made sure my cleat is set under the ball of my foot, i've also got some spacers that go between the pedal and the crank arm, as i thought the width of the space between the pedals was maybe not wide enough?

I have now go some specialized blue ( medium ) insoles, along with the shims, but I couldn't really make out which shim i need, so my question is, to anybody who has had a similar problem -

Which shim(s) do I need to use to elimiinate pain on the outside of my left knee?

Thanks, Kevin.

mercurykev

I've suffered similar pain and it was diagnosed as an inflamed ITB band and caused by my left leg having to over-reach at the end of the pedal stroke.

It can be the result of a slight leg length discrepancy or a twisted pelvis but my issue is flat over-pronating feet. I fixed it by moving the cleat on my left shoe forward by a couple of mm and dropping my saddle height by a couple of mm. I also use Specialised BG shoes and do think that the footbeds help. ITB band stretches can also help - do a search on the net for instructions.

The real problem is when one leg is happy with the set up and the other isn't.

ut_och_cykla

It could be your foot is rolling over the edge of the pedal very slightly. You've moved teh pedal outwards - but try moving your foot inwards in realtion to the pedal instead - just 2-5 mm will do the trick if thats the problem. Shims on the outside of the pedal/foot unit might help but I would try moving the cleat slightly first

vikingdel

i have a similar problem with my right leg/foot.
The left feels great the whole time, but the right feels like im pedaling more with the outside of the foot especialy when putting the power down, if i move my knee nearer to the toptube it feels flatter but then i get a slight niggle on the inside of my knee not sure if i need shims or insoles or both or something different have tried different cleats/pedals/bikes moving cleats and seat height adjustment without much improvement.
i notice it more when im out myself when i ride with friends or in sportives i tend to forget about it so its maybe not to bad! would love to get a proper bike fit but cost and location are a problem.im up in the shetland islands!
any thoughts would be great
cheers

forward_loop

sandskev wrote:

Ok, not sure if this is the right place, or if this question has been asked many times before.....

I can't cycle more than 40 miles without an increasing pain on the outside of my left knee, this is after i've altered my bike for saddle height and fore / aft position, raised the bars, and made sure my cleat is set under the ball of my foot, i've also got some spacers that go between the pedal and the crank arm, as i thought the width of the space between the pedals was maybe not wide enough?

I have now go some specialized blue ( medium ) insoles, along with the shims, but I couldn't really make out which shim i need, so my question is, to anybody who has had a similar problem -

Which shim(s) do I need to use to elimiinate pain on the outside of my left knee?

Thanks, Kevin.

my two peneth

I would bin the spacers in the first instance - on the probability that you like 99% of other cyclists dont need them. and look at the following
I would move the cleats back by 7-10mm behind the balls of your foot.
you may have to adjust saddle height by a mm or two.
check you have free float within the bounds of your foot movement from side to side when riding and the cleats are aligned correctly
possibly - move your saddle a few mms further towards the bars.?
check your stem length - is it a stock length and is it right for you ?
start at extremes and through a slow process try configurtions from one extreme to another with the above - maybe on a turbo.

IIRC Spez insoles also have 1.5 stack height built into them on the inside of your foot, so try these first without the shimms

For the OP
You are trying to get a flat contact between foot and pedal (most efficient/confortable) - which is why it initially feels fine when you move your knee in towards the TT. Check your cleats, have they worn more on the outside ?
kneel which your back straight on a chair (hard/dining room type) so you feet are raised behind you. get someone to look down at your feet. your feet are likely to extend further on the outside. Is one foot extending further on its outside edge then the other (left)? (there is a tool to measure this but this process will give you a rough idea). if this is the case try a shim under it (the thick side under your big toe) - to flatten the foot out. i use a (shim between the cleat and the shoe) you may have to experiment with number of shims.
Also may be dues to the shoe being too tight on your left foot (Sidis ?)



Sorry all a bit rushed - late for work

Grimone

If it's ilio tibial band syndrome, you need to speak to your doctor. He will more than likely refer you to see a physiotherapist.

andyrm

Sounds like an inflamed IT band – had this about 6-7 months ago and it felt like my knee was going to explode!! My sister’s a sports injury specialist and asides from helping me with exercises to stretch it out, recommended dropping my saddle 5mm and moving it forwards about the same as well – never had any problem since, and several others in the club who have had the same problem have reported this really helps. Give it a go – hopefully it will help alleviate it!