Knee Pain - can i do anything to ease it ?
mjw123
Posts: 61
Hi,
I'm in my early 40's and pretty fit having played football and cycled most of my life.
I normally do a 20mile weekend ride nowadays on a Trek 1.2 but found i'm getting a lot of pain on the front of my right knee just under the kneecap in the centre. I'm wondering if it's the cartlidge that's starting to go, it's very noticeable when pushing hard on hill climbing. The pain is a dull aching pain but bearable enough. I'm left footed so a lot of force will have gone through my right knee over the years, i still play 5-a-side indoors which probably doesn't help it.
Any advice on what it could be and how to manage it ?
I use spd mtb pedals but aim to which to spd road pedals on my new Sportif Bianco.
TIA,
Mike.
I'm in my early 40's and pretty fit having played football and cycled most of my life.
I normally do a 20mile weekend ride nowadays on a Trek 1.2 but found i'm getting a lot of pain on the front of my right knee just under the kneecap in the centre. I'm wondering if it's the cartlidge that's starting to go, it's very noticeable when pushing hard on hill climbing. The pain is a dull aching pain but bearable enough. I'm left footed so a lot of force will have gone through my right knee over the years, i still play 5-a-side indoors which probably doesn't help it.
Any advice on what it could be and how to manage it ?
I use spd mtb pedals but aim to which to spd road pedals on my new Sportif Bianco.
TIA,
Mike.
0
Comments
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Have you tried flats recently?
Give them a try and test out foot positions.0 -
Get a fitting session at a decent bike shop - I've found that subtle changes in shoe slope and cleat positioning can either bring on knee pain or completely remove it. Amazing but true!
It really is L'Oréal moment when they get it right - and you're worth it!0 -
Ironically the trek had a full fitting when I purchased yet my mtb I rode today had no set up, it gave me less pain than the road bike as well
I'll see what the Ribble is like0 -
Bike fitting is a little bit pointless on MTBs since you move around so much when riding.0
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Classic symptoms of Patella tendonitis\tendonosis im afraid and it can be a bugger to shift, as a sufferer i know it well. Sounds pretty low grade symptoms at the moment so i wouldnt be too concerned and u can continue training, but you need to do something about it before it gets worse. A good physio is worth a visit to confirm the problem.
A Bike fit is the first stop which you say youve done (was that a 'proper' bike fit?), dont push big gears which can exacerbate the problem, get into a lower limb stretching routine post ride and start exercising: decline eccentric squats, you will learn to love them.
Search on youtube where you find plenty of examples of the exercise, they will help breakdown the collagen in the tendon to allow it to repair. Its pretty much the only thing guaranteed to help from my experience.
HTH0 -
I have arthritis of both knees and im only 23, if it starts hurting for me I just put on some knee braces and try to carry on really. I have found since I've re fitted myself for my bike im getting no knee pain at all because im straightening my knee on every rotation. Just for scale I do 12 miles a day work and back and about 20 mile at the weekend.i find that if you just talk, your mouth comes out with stuff - Karl Pilkington0
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Do a gentle warm up ride of about 3 or 4 miles before you start pedalling hard. Wear compression tights and put an ice pack in a cool bag ready for when you get back to car.
The pedal is a very personal thing I cant use flats for more than an hour or so because they have no float and my feet need to waggle on a long ride. They work for a lot of people though, if you want to use SPD type pedals try different brands I have found Time are very good for me and a mate swears by Crank Brothers they both allow lots of float.Fig rolls: proof that god loves cyclists and that she wants us to do another lap0 -
stubs wrote:Do a gentle warm up ride of about 3 or 4 miles before you start pedalling hard. Wear compression tights and put an ice pack in a cool bag ready for when you get back to car.
The pedal is a very personal thing I cant use flats for more than an hour or so because they have no float and my feet need to waggle on a long ride. They work for a lot of people though, if you want to use SPD type pedals try different brands I have found Time are very good for me and a mate swears by Crank Brothers they both allow lots of float.
Whats Float??0 -
the movement available between the cleat and the pedal.mattyg2004 wrote:stubs wrote:Do a gentle warm up ride of about 3 or 4 miles before you start pedalling hard. Wear compression tights and put an ice pack in a cool bag ready for when you get back to car.
The pedal is a very personal thing I cant use flats for more than an hour or so because they have no float and my feet need to waggle on a long ride. They work for a lot of people though, if you want to use SPD type pedals try different brands I have found Time are very good for me and a mate swears by Crank Brothers they both allow lots of float.
Whats Float??"Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
Parktools :?:SheldonBrown0 -
Used to happen to me. More around the outside of the kneecap than on it. Messing around with my seat height helped. Mine was a bit too low.
Also helped doing a few gym sessions focussing on my legs a few times a week. Took about 6 weeks to see results and I took one week off riding when the pain was too much.0 -
Since there's so many things that could cause or exacerbate knee pain, I'd go and get it checked by a professional.
I'd be much more comfortable talking to someone qualified rather than some randoms on an internet forum.0 -
Yup, you're right.
If it's that bad then get the doctor on it. Rest it if it's painful.
To be fair, if your local GP is like mine then you'll have plenty of time to rest while the referral to the physio takes its sweet time to go through.0
