Knees and Lights

Coriander

My knees started being really rather painful after a ride home in a stonking headwind a few weeks ago. Didn't hurt at the time, only afterwards. They still hurt now, the pain isn't going and definitely gets worse when I ride, even a very short ride. I gave up resting them and rode to work this morning, which not have been the brightest thing I've ever done.

So, I've never had knee pain before - what should I do? No exercise until the pain has gone, go to a physio? Anyone fancy speculating on next to no info at all on what might be the problem - the pain is a quite sharp and in the middle of the knee, slightly off towards the outside edge?

So that's the knee problem sorted. Now, lights. At the top of Queen St up from Southwark Bridge is a shared pedestrian/cyclist area. At the crossing with Cannon Street is a pedestrian crossing which, as is normal, holds people crossing with just a red man and then goes to a green man and a green bike when we're advised to cross. Now, my understanding is that this is exactly what it is - advice and pedestrians are not breaking any law if they cross on a red man.

Is that also true for cyclists?

Then further up Queen St at the junction with Queen Victoria street there is a road T junction controlled by lights, which does not include Queen St. For the cyclists coming off the shared ped/cyclist bit of Queen St there is a traffic light that always shows red unless a cyclist presses the activate button when the light, at some long, long distant time, will turn green for cyclists. But the crucial difference here is that facing the cyclists on Queen St the lights are standard traffic lights - ie. round and with no incorporated pedestrian crossing. Legally, do cyclists here have to wait until they are shown a green light before they can cross or does a traffic light operated by request always leave you with the legal option of crossing when you wish?

davmaggs

My experience from knees is saddle height being out (even by a small bit) or being in the wrong gear so you are using too much brute force to peddle can do it.

My bike set-up remained unchanged for a long time, but I still needed to make a few little tweaks to the saddle to get rid of the problems. Perhaps body changes or fatigue cause a seemingly good set-up to no longer work.

If it's the ITB band (very out part of the knee) then a minor adjustment in SPD cleat can help. Even a fraction a MM can help.

captain_tiara

Okay, putting my Sports Therapist hat on....And I've had ligament/cartilage ops on my knee so some personal non-theoretical experience!

In terms of working out contributing factors.....Age,weight & level of fitness are influential.

Injuries can roughly be divided into 3 categories. 1) Big fat accident/impact. 2) Long term overuse of one bit/kinetic chain. 3) Too much too soon overload.

I suspect it's 3. Got some strength but the headwind ended up being a heavy training session. The fact that it's bilateral also points towards this. Can you be sure there is no other influence, kneeling, painting & decorating/ any other activity leading up to onset?

It is impossible to diagnose from here, but the knee is basically a big attachment point for muscles, ligaments & tendons. One or more of which you've sprained, strained or torn. If no other activity triggers this then it can be traced to cycling specifically.

Muscles will take 3-6 weeks to sort out. Ligaments & particularly tendons have no direct blood supply & are very slow healers. Anything you can do pain free is good & will help. Can you cycle down the road outside your house pain free in granny gears?

Putting on my ex cycle courier hat on..... If you're not bothering anyone at the lights then roll slowly & get out of way. Accidents happen at junctions & lights, if you're not there you're safer. And if you get out of the way motorists will sort of thank you. Just let pedestrians go first. Also, try going over Southwark Bridge. Much nicer.

veronese68

So many hats, and a tiara. :-)
I can't give anywhere near as comprehensive an answer but having inherited rubbish knees from my Dad I have been through physio and various referrals with knee problems over the years. Cycling is generally considered to be good for the kneesas it's linear. But you should be spinning and not trying to push too high a gear. Also your seat height must be right, sometimes a fraction higher than normal can help.

captain_tiara

I can do super strops.

veronese68

Are you Elton John?

captain_tiara

No but one of my old controllers once accused me of having a rocket up my arse. :shock:

jds_1981

Coriander wrote:

So that's the knee problem sorted. Now, lights. At the top of Queen St up from Southwark Bridge is a shared pedestrian/cyclist area. At the crossing with Cannon Street is a pedestrian crossing which, as is normal, holds people crossing with just a red man and then goes to a green man and a green bike when we're advised to cross. Now, my understanding is that this is exactly what it is - advice and pedestrians are not breaking any law if they cross on a red man.

Is that also true for cyclists?

Then further up Queen St at the junction with Queen Victoria street there is a road T junction controlled by lights, which does not include Queen St. For the cyclists coming off the shared ped/cyclist bit of Queen St there is a traffic light that always shows red unless a cyclist presses the activate button when the light, at some long, long distant time, will turn green for cyclists. But the crucial difference here is that facing the cyclists on Queen St the lights are standard traffic lights - ie. round and with no incorporated pedestrian crossing. Legally, do cyclists here have to wait until they are shown a green light before they can cross or does a traffic light operated by request always leave you with the legal option of crossing when you wish?

The joint pedestrian/cyclist crossing confuse me too. I've always presumed that I have to stop until the light is green, leading to the odd situation of lots of pedestrians & cyclists crossing while I'm sat there. The one I've tried once being this one.
https://maps.google.co.uk/?ll=51.526524 ... 3,,0,16.42

Interestingly, my googling lead me to some peoples opions/conclusions that prams, as carriages, aren't allowed on pavements...
http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f ... 9&start=45
http://forums.pepipoo.com/lofiversion/i ... 33469.html

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/10-11/89


http://www.duhaime.org/LegalDictionary/C/Carriage.aspx

Every person who leads or rides any horse or other animal, or draws or drives any cart or carriage, sledge, truck, or barrow upon any footway of any street, or fastens any horse or other animal so that it stands across or upon any footway:

TBH, think this is a bit of a stretch though

Ben6899

Knees - sounds like you've overdone it in that headwind. Rest for a week.