Cycling specific physios? Knee pain (with flats!!!)
Anonymous
Posts: 79,667
So I used to be fine on my bike. Bought it 2nd hand and easily smashed out hundreds of miles over flat or hilly terrain, 1stly with MTB SPDs and then with SPD-SLs (must have got lucky with the setup) and ever had an issue. 190 miles and I was all hunky dory.
Then about September/October last year it all went wrong. I hit a pothole and my saddle tilted forward and I tried to bodge it back. I was fine doing short ish rides (40 or so) without noticing anything.
I did a 170 miler (london -> Bath -> Swindon) last september (the night before/morning after the England Scotland world cup match for the exact date), but when I arrived in bath I literally could not walk. I got off the bike and was in agony, both knees.
I had a sleep for a 2 hours (duration of match), got back on my bike (in a fair amount of pain) and made it back to Bath. One of the knees totally stopped hurting, but my left knee has never recovered. Now whenever I go out for a longish ride (40 miles or so), no matter what bike (I have used a few different ones, just by chance) my knee will ALWAYS hurt in the same place, at the back of the knee on the outer most tendon (the one you can feel when your leg is bent). It hurts like hell the same day with walking (especially going up/down stairs), walking is fine the next day, but stairs are a bit sore, and then 2 days later, absolutely fine.
It seems 40 miles aint far, so surely I shouldn't suffer? I commute 10 (as fast as I can!) miles a day without any issue, and I have done 190 before, non stop (before the saddle moved) without even the slightest niggle. I thought it was my cleats had moved on my shoes, as the side which the knee hurts is also the side i unclip at lights (always left leg).
I think I have some physio available to me through work health insurance, but was wondering 2 things:
1) Are there any really good cycling expert physios I can suggest my insurer send me to (he may say - oh, dead easy, bike fit, or no, this seems like ligament/tendon damage)
2) If this sounds like things other riders have done (i.e teeeeny change in positioning has led to misery), what type of bike fit would you recommend, and should I take some time off the bike, even though the pain has totally gone away?
help appreciated. SWMBO was giving me a hell of a hard time yesterday as I was limping around ikea, as it has been 5 months since I 1st noticed pain!
Then about September/October last year it all went wrong. I hit a pothole and my saddle tilted forward and I tried to bodge it back. I was fine doing short ish rides (40 or so) without noticing anything.
I did a 170 miler (london -> Bath -> Swindon) last september (the night before/morning after the England Scotland world cup match for the exact date), but when I arrived in bath I literally could not walk. I got off the bike and was in agony, both knees.
I had a sleep for a 2 hours (duration of match), got back on my bike (in a fair amount of pain) and made it back to Bath. One of the knees totally stopped hurting, but my left knee has never recovered. Now whenever I go out for a longish ride (40 miles or so), no matter what bike (I have used a few different ones, just by chance) my knee will ALWAYS hurt in the same place, at the back of the knee on the outer most tendon (the one you can feel when your leg is bent). It hurts like hell the same day with walking (especially going up/down stairs), walking is fine the next day, but stairs are a bit sore, and then 2 days later, absolutely fine.
It seems 40 miles aint far, so surely I shouldn't suffer? I commute 10 (as fast as I can!) miles a day without any issue, and I have done 190 before, non stop (before the saddle moved) without even the slightest niggle. I thought it was my cleats had moved on my shoes, as the side which the knee hurts is also the side i unclip at lights (always left leg).
I think I have some physio available to me through work health insurance, but was wondering 2 things:
1) Are there any really good cycling expert physios I can suggest my insurer send me to (he may say - oh, dead easy, bike fit, or no, this seems like ligament/tendon damage)
2) If this sounds like things other riders have done (i.e teeeeny change in positioning has led to misery), what type of bike fit would you recommend, and should I take some time off the bike, even though the pain has totally gone away?
help appreciated. SWMBO was giving me a hell of a hard time yesterday as I was limping around ikea, as it has been 5 months since I 1st noticed pain!
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Comments
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Contact Adrian Timmis at www.cadencesport.co.uk and have a chat with him about it. He's a trained therapist and a fantastic bike fitter.Insta: ATEnduranceCoaching
ABCC Cycling Coach0 -
I'll definitely give him a call. It's so damn frustrating.
Does anyone know someone good in/around London (SW6)?
Better still, has anyone managed to squeeze a bit fit (to sort knee pain) out of their insurance company? Might be cheaper than 10x physio sessions if it works!0 -
Yeah, I did, I went to see Adrian! Well worth the day out travelling. I'd broken my leg quite badly and through the use of moulded footbeds, shims and the correct position he eliminated my pretty bad knee pain (and increased my power/efficiency)Insta: ATEnduranceCoaching
ABCC Cycling Coach0 -
Its a long shot - but will insurance pay out for something like that/can you negotiate with them?
Surely 1 consultation trip + 1 bike fit will be cheaper than 10 pointless physio sessions?0 -
You could hear physio but then as soon as you ride your bike the problems will persist.
A fit is 150 quid and included footbeds, shims (if needed) are a small extra.
It's well worth it, knee problems or not.
I'd suggest giving him a call to discuss your problem and he'll tell you if the fit will help. (it will!)Insta: ATEnduranceCoaching
ABCC Cycling Coach0 -
Dropped him an email, albeit not as good as a call, but at least the wheels are in motion0
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Sounds more like a job for a physio than bike fit. I am not a physio but that could be a tight IT band pulling you kneecap out whack - explaing why you get problems going up and down stairs.0
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kr - thanks for that. Oddly, someone else suggested the same thing.
Would you know if physio can help repair it, then whether a bike fit would stop it occurring again? I suppose I need to see a physio to find out!
NapD - let's see if my insurance co can recommend me somone in staffs.0
