Oww my knees....

J1mmys

Hi,

Recently after longer rides say (20 miles plus) im getting pain in my knees, in the joint just below the knee cap. Once it went away, had a long ride and no pain at all went at that ride very hard (avg.19mph). So i was beginning to think id just pulled them and they were getting stronger now? However today they where hurting more than ever. I am fairly new to road cycling, say 3 months or so currently averaging 50 miles a week. I know your not doctors but im sure a lot of you have experience. Am i best to rest or do i simply just need to toughen my ligaments up?

Thanks

karlth

You're best to see a doctor.

Grill

Sounds like IT bands. Get a foam roller. The most gratify pain you'll ever have is using one.

J1mmys

IT bands? Sorry but fairly new to cycling

sadlybiggins

Iliotibial bands - they run from your pelvis, over hips and down the outside of the leg to the knees. Tightness in them is common in runners and cyclists but you can stretch them and foam rollers are good as suggested above (there are loads of YouTube videos of how to use them). I've found IT band pain is usually on the outside of the knee joint though, so might not be what you've got.

Do you use clipless pedals? Could be awkwardly positioned cleats if so.

Another alternative is if you're pushing too big a gear.

J1mmys

yes im using SPD's, why do you ask? Ive noticed a slight swelling in the right knee, only very small but you can still see the difference.

Hmm, wouldnt say i push the gears too high. Always knock it down once it gets a bit tough.

GBR1

I wouldn't bother with a doctor, go and see a good physio. For the sake of £40odd quid its best to get some good advice rather than possibly making the problem worse!

Phone a local club they may be able to point you in the direction of a local physio thats used to cycling issues!

GBR1

J1mmys

TBH i was thinking a doctor will be a waste of time, they just fob you off with bullsh!t. Pysio does sound best, actually ive got private medical cover so might be able to cover it on that.

farrina

J1mmys wrote:

yes im using SPD's, why do you ask?

One of the potential causes of dodgy knees can be due to misaligned cleats. The yellow type that allow some lateral movement can be helpful in mitigating problems although in fairness I would have expected any issue in this regard to have manifested themselves earlier than this.

I would (apart from desisting cycling for a while) closely check the setup of your bike ( bike fitting if anyone does one near you). In particular check your saddle height and lateral position of your saddle. I will probably start a major discussion but in ball park terms when your crank is horizontal (forward) your knee to ankle bone (tib and fib) should be vertical.

Aspirin rest and if it does not clear up should seek medical advice.

Regards

Alan

Ps an average speed of 19 mph is most impressive - wish I could do that!

J1mmys

There SPD as in MTB, i switched from MTB's. When aligned should they be completely straight? Thanks im new to road cycling but phyically in very good shape. 28, trained for years used to do running and always been into weight training etc. Ideally i'd like to start racing but thats another story lol.

DarrenGTi

I had exactly the same recently, pain just below the knee cap. Got excruciating at times. Had a bike fit and seems to have cured it. Turns out my saddle was too low combined with one leg being slightly longer then the other meant my left leg wasn't fully extending, that was the cause of the pain.

J1mmys

Well ive been changing my saddle position a lot as i suffered numbness, god id be shot if i was a race horse lol. Anyway I think ive come to the conclusion i need a full cut saddle Specialized Romin Expert Evo i think ill go for. So think i go purchase that this weekend then drop by my LBS and im sure they'll do me a free fit. Spent enough in there lol.

Alfie76

It's actually called the TFI-Tensor fasciae latae muscle/band which foam rollers will work & certain stretches after excercise will also help with pain in your knees.

J1mmys

So best getting a foam roller too, what exercises do i want to be doing on that? Rolling on the knee? Leg straight?

teisetrotter

Physio or a doctors referral to a specialist. If you are in London then this is a pretty damn good place:
http://www.cadenceperformance.com/

But something like it is what you need.

slowondefy2

One thing is for sure, a doctor and referral will be better than any armchair physiotherapist attempts from over the internet. But hey, they're your knees, not mine, and you could always get them replaced when they're finally screwed.

Although: "it's probably the fit, most beginners have the seat too low".

keef66

I was passed by three gents on Saturday morning; nice bikes, all the gear, but two of them had their saddles conspicuously low. Legs were still very bent at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Can't have been particularly comfortable or efficient.

farrina

keef66 wrote:

I was passed by three gents on Saturday morning; nice bikes, all the gear, but two of them had their saddles conspicuously low. Legs were still very bent at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Can't have been particularly comfortable or efficient.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that the effect of having a saddle that is to low, which results in the leg not fully extending in the power cycle, is that over time the muscles of the leg do not develop symmetrically and that this can cause the knee to misalign as one muscle is significantly more powerful than the other with the imbalance resulting in pain and worse.

Can't be comfortable to ride as it akin to a piston not fully completing its stroke cycle.

The way I have set up my saddle height in the past is to set crank in alignment with seat tube and with my bare foot on the pedal ( big toe ball joint in line with pedal axle) set the saddle height so that my leg is fully extended. By then adding my cycling shoes to the equation this effectively extends my leg and marginally reduces leg extension and is a good starting point for any other minor tweaks.

Of course if you have one leg longer than the other ( not as incommom has you might think) this is just the start of the fun.

Regards

Alan

Mikey23

Well about 15 different things for the OP to consider and it seems he's off to spend another shed load of money without knowing what the issue ...

The first response was go and see your doctor. I think that's all he needs to know ...

Grill

Mikey23 wrote:

Well about 15 different things for the OP to consider and it seems he's off to spend another shed load of money without knowing what the issue ...

The first response was go and see your doctor. I think that's all he needs to know ...

Second response was more useful... :P

dubcat

IT band is usually the side of the knee and not what was described by the op as far as I know.

dubcat

Oh and yes I second the bike fit - much more important than buying a new saddle!

Grill

For me IT Band pain manifests itself below the anterior part of the kneecap but occasionally moves in.

+1 on the bike fit though. Invaluable.

bahzob

My knees are shot and have been for near 30 years since I knackered a cruciate ligament playing football.

Hopefully doctors are better now than then. I went to one and he couldn't give a damn, like it was my fault for playing the game in the first place. Only advice was take a few weeks off and play again. I followed that, aggravated my first injury and did other knee in as well through over compensation.

So now I cant run more than 10 yards without my knees hurting. Luckily I can cycle hundreds of miles a day without them giving me any gyp.

They used to. Issue was as mentioned above, saddle height. Many folks put the saddle to low in the mistaken belief you are meant to sit as if on a chair putting most of your weight on it, (which apart from being bad for your knees also leads to a sore arse).

The saddle should be set as high as possible to still allow you to pedal comfortably. Bike fit should sort you out. Otherwise good process is just set seat higher than feels comfortable then do a very short ride. You should feel your leg overextending at the bottom of the stroke. Reduce the saddle a few mm at a time until you stop feeling your leg is overextending and try riding that way. Fine tune but only a few mm at a time.