Help needed with sorting Knee pain

Schellpel

I have recently re-adjusted my spd cleats to try and cure some knee pain I was experiencing on long rides. I bought an ergon cleat adjustment tool so that I could accurately set my cleats in a neutral position.

Having done this I went for ride this weekend. Now I have cured the pain in my right knee but my left knee now hurts

I get pain on the outside of my left knee when I am working hard on a long climb, question is does anyone know why and which way to re-adjust the cleat/foot position ? I never used to suffer from knee pain but I had to replace the cleats a couple of months ago but I can't seem to get them right now :evil:

Schellpel

250 views and no reply lol

Well I have circumvented the cleat issue by switching my pedals to some Time Roc Atacs. I also read this http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/take-care-of-your-knees-part-2-17445/ and lowered my saddle slightly. However non of this has stopped the pain in left knee. It only happens when I am ridding my bike and stops as soon as I get off.

It seem to hurt slightly less if I slide forward on he saddle should I try moving the saddle forward ? I thought that I had it in the right position with my knee over the pedal axle with the pedals level.

IanSmitton

If you have pain in the lateral knee ligaments (outer knee), then the cause is usually that you have you foot pointing inwards too much (towards the bike). For some people, having their foot pointing straight ahead on the pedals may still be too much inwards and putting stress on their knees (this is very common after years of walking / cycling etc with non-aligned feet). So, one possible solution may be to have your toes pointing out more on the left foot - perhaps try a small change at a time to see how it feels.

Another thing to concentrate on is the knee position during the pedal stroke. Although everything is lined up when you are sat still or pedaling comfortably on the flat, when you climb hills your technique probably comes a bit more ragged. You are more likely to get knee pain if your knees flare out (away from the bike) rather than in (towards the bike) on the pedal stroke. It is especially important to maintain good pedalling technique on hills, because this is where you are generating more power, and putting the joints under more stress.

Regarding moving the saddle forward, it sounds like you have it in the correct position with pedals level - but if your pedalling arc is not smooth then you may have to compensate by moving it slightly one way or another. Always be careful with moving the saddle though; make sure you know how to put it back as before, because moving it to try to solve one problems can lead to others (e.g. lower back pain, increased pressure on hands...)

Schellpel

Thanks for your reply, I went to my physio about the pain and they had a "fitting service" which I took them up on.

They do this with the emphasis on injury prevention. It turns out that my saddle was to low, and has been raised by about 4cm. I then had to move my saddle forwards about 1cm. My foot position was good and the time pedals allow a lot of rotational float. However the noticed that my right knee was prone flare inwards and that is because I have a weakness in certain muscles in my leg (i forget the exact ones, but its the ones that support the knee joint)

To that end I have been given some strengthening exercises for my legs including lunges and squats. The emphasis on these is symmetry and I have to do them in front of a mirror.

They say I have caught the problem early so it should settle down, the bike feels weird now though !

IanSmitton

That's good to hear; I'm sure you'll get used to the higher saddle soon enough!

miss notax

Hi Schellpel - can I ask where was the Physio you saw who also looked at the bike fit?

I'm also suffering with a bad knee and am interested in seeing a physio who also specialises in this