Knee pain

bulluke23

have been riding recently and suffered a niggling knee twinge on the outer side of my knee. Anyone got any ideas what could be causing it? Saddle height etc???

Open to suggestions as it is getting annoying and starting to hinder my cycling mlesn

scottarm

try adjusting your cleats

DavidFischerDK

I had exactly the same thing going on all summer. Guess I started out too strong. Seems I am on the right track now:

- Adjusted bike setup (saddle up).
- Keep RPM above 90 at all time!
- Startup slowly with a very short route and gradually add a few miles every time.

t5nel

I get the same symptoms/pain sometimes from running and cycling.

In my case I am pretty sure that it is Iliotibial band syndrome.

Likely causes from the bike (if it was caused by the bike and not something else) would be cleat angled giving too much toe-in and saddle height.

I think the key is rest, and stretching - there are four or five standard stretches for iliotibial band - have a look on youtube.

If it persists you really should consider GP / sports medicine physio.

Tim

cosmosblue

I experienced much the same kind of thing but only in one knee. Found it was exacerbated by peddling to much on the big ring at the front. Finally went to Specialized in bham for a proper bike fit. A lot of changes were made to the set up of my bike.

1. Saddle raised by over 3 cm. Massive change but has now got my leg extension correct and knee angle at bottom stroke at 30 degrees. Was way over 35 in my previous set up causing overextension of the joint at the top of the pedal stroke

2. Cleat angle altered to match my foot angle

3. Inserts in shoes to stop foot arch collapsing at bottom of stroke. This caused my knee to move inward at bottom of stroke putting extra strain on the outer ligaments in my knee.

All of these changes have made a huge difference but I have also made sure that my cadence has increased, I have to really think about keeping spinning rather than struggling to push a gear. Feels like I am spinning too fast but is correct cadence (between 90 and 100)

I would definately recommend a proper bike fit. I only experienced the knee problems after increasing my riding over the summer but there were clearly other MAJOR issues with my setup!

MatthewBulmer

cosmosblue wrote:

I would definitely recommend a proper bike fit. I only experienced the knee problems after increasing my riding over the summer but there were clearly other MAJOR issues with my setup!

+1. Getting a proper bike fit is the best money (cycling-wise) I've ever spent my money on, apart from my bikes. Your problem could be down to a myriad of different things.

Monty Dog

Seek specialist advise but outer knee pain can be symptomatic of ITB syndrome or unwanted / rotational misalignment of the foot.

skyblueamateur

I've been suffering from this and after a long ride there's a bone in my left knee which seems to protrud more then on my right (Hopefully, not as bad as it sounds as it only cause minor discomfort). Think I could do with raising my saddle slightly.

bobgfish

I experienced much the same kind of thing but only in one knee.

I would definitely recommend a proper bike fit.

+1

Exactly the same issue. Only minor changes druing bike fit. Seat down 3 mm, handlebars down 20 mm, seat back 10mm and more importantly cleats moved forward about 5mm.

Fixed all my crap and made me feel so much better when riding.After 50Km I felt fatigued previously. Afterward I could ride 150Km before feeling the same.

bulluke23

Thanks for all the tips!

Have started doing a few daily stretches and rested for the week. Am heading out at the weekend and am going to try adjusting my seat up and down to see if it helps. Seems that the general view is to raise the saddle so will give that a go first.

Anyone know any good bike fit people in the Leicester area?

fludey

Had the same issue on my left leg...spent ages fiddling with left legs cleats and wedges! But in the end it was my right leg that needed adjustment with 3degree of wedge lining my right leg up stopped me pulling my left leg!

So check other leg as well and if you can afford it a bike fit may help.

fludey

Just noticed your in Leicester! If you find a good local bike fit let me know, my set up has been trial and error on a turbo, I'm no expert but have got it as close as I can :?

andysol

If its IBS---- (look on how you can identify the cause on internet or better physio

Raise you saddle, higher than you think. If you rock an roll drop it 2mm at a time.
I had the same issue and its crippling. It does not go away and will escalate if you ignore without identifying the solution. Also compare all your bikes if you have more than on.

Stop for a while use ice, ibuprofen and stretches.

Ultimately i noticed my left knee wobbling a bit at top of stroke. My knee was bending too much.

Raised the saddle by 20mm!!! Which felt wierd initially but sorted the issue.
Andy