Knee pain

ollaay

Started to get knee pain about a couple months ago when starting riding again after a year off with pain at the top of both knees but mostly right. Started out doing 20ish miles which has risen to about 60 after 15 rides or so. I've had a bike fit with everything in place correctly I hope.

I'm thinking it could be due to doing a lot more than I'm used to?
Am also running DA 4mm extended pedals but I doubt that'll make much difference as I had my cleats setup?

kajjal

The common causes of knee pain are,

Cleats setup
Saddle fore/ aft position
Saddle too high

Have you changed anything since the bike set up ?

ollaay

Kajjal wrote:

The common causes of knee pain are,

Cleats setup
Saddle fore/ aft position
Saddle too high

Have you changed anything since the bike set up ?

Haven't changed a thing from the initial setup !

sungod

pain at the front of the knee can be due to pushing too high a gear, also saddle too low (saddle too high is more likely to cause pain at the rear of knee)

having a bike fit does not necessarily mean it's correct, aside from the bike fit not being correct (it happens), people change over time, you've been off the bike for over a year, maybe this pain is showing that the current set-up is not right for you

i'd take some time to analyse what's really going on...
http://www.cptips.com/knee.htm

...try reading these to help see how you can tweak saddle height/position...
https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bi ... can-it-be/
https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bi ... oad-bikes/

ollaay

sungod wrote:

pain at the front of the knee can be due to pushing too high a gear, also saddle too low (saddle too high is more likely to cause pain at the rear of knee)

having a bike fit does not necessarily mean it's correct, aside from the bike fit not being correct (it happens), people change over time, you've been off the bike for over a year, maybe this pain is showing that the current set-up is not right for you

i'd take some time to analyse what's really going on...
http://www.cptips.com/knee.htm

...try reading these to help see how you can tweak saddle height/position...
https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bi ... can-it-be/
https://www.stevehoggbikefitting.com/bi ... oad-bikes/

Many thanks for that will have a read into it now. I had a bike fit by mike at bike dynamics as he has a good reputation so hope it's not that, but I guess anything possible!
How much rest do you think would be needed?

imafatman

> when starting riding again after a year off with pain at the top of both knees but mostly right. Started out doing 20ish miles which has risen to about 60 after 15 rides or so.

Maybe you need to ease into it after a year off?

ollaay

imafatman wrote:

> when starting riding again after a year off with pain at the top of both knees but mostly right. Started out doing 20ish miles which has risen to about 60 after 15 rides or so.

Maybe you need to ease into it after a year off?

Yeah I'm hoping this is the case! Just wondering how long it'll take to heal.

kajjal

ollaay wrote:

Kajjal wrote:

The common causes of knee pain are,

Cleats setup
Saddle fore/ aft position
Saddle too high

Have you changed anything since the bike set up ?

Haven't changed a thing from the initial setup !

In that case you may need to tweak the setup after a year off the bike making a note of any changes you make so you can gradually put them back if needed. A quick test is are you steady on the saddle or rocking as you over reach stretching to the pedals. Ideally with your crank pointed down the seat tube towards the floor and your foot on the pedal you should have a little flex in your leg when sat normally on the saddle. If not or your foot is pointing downwards rather than flat then drop the saddle by about 1cm at a time until you are. This is easily reversed back to the original position.

sungod

ollaay wrote:

Yeah I'm hoping this is the case! Just wondering how long it'll take to heal.

after knee issues many years ago, i tend to ease off completely for at least a week after even a minor knee twinge, then carefully ramp back up - if any hint of pain returns, i know i need to give it longer / go easier

if your problem is triggered by pushing too hard after the year off, try using a low gear and higher cadence, if the pain goes away it's a reasonable bet that you need time get back to riding, if you still get pain taking it easy then i'd revisit bike set-up (not forgetting cleats, insoles etc.)

you say you've gone from 20 to 60 miles, over what length of time? when starting out i think general advice is increase distance around 10-20% a week until you are really used to it

ollaay

sungod wrote:

ollaay wrote:

Yeah I'm hoping this is the case! Just wondering how long it'll take to heal.

after knee issues many years ago, i tend to ease off completely for at least a week after even a minor knee twinge, then carefully ramp back up - if any hint of pain returns, i know i need to give it longer / go easier

if your problem is triggered by pushing too hard after the year off, try using a low gear and higher cadence, if the pain goes away it's a reasonable bet that you need time get back to riding, if you still get pain taking it easy then i'd revisit bike set-up (not forgetting cleats, insoles etc.)

you say you've gone from 20 to 60 miles, over what length of time? when starting out i think general advice is increase distance around 10-20% a week until you are really used to it

Thanks for the info, yeah I normally aim for 90-100 cadence and have my cleats setup right. But my shoes don't have a lot of arch support and I have quite high arches would that be something to cause knee pain?
And 20 to 60 miles in around 2/3 months or so but over half of that wasn't rideable as the weather was too bad! Did my first ever 60miler last weekend which probably didn't help!

sungod

lack of arch support can lead to knee pain, usually on the inside though rather than at the front

if your knees track straight in a vertical plane parallel to the frame as you pedal you're probably ok, if they move in/out, might be worth getting assessed

trekvet

Still could be your cleats. Perhaps your knees need zero spring loaded self-centering, as found in Speedplay pedals. I swear by mine.

.Ian

I’ve been dealing with knee pain for over two years now. Lots of little tweaks has helped a large amount.

Physio helped a little but not a huge amount.

Speedplay pedals helped a little.

Specialized BG inserts made a large difference. Cheap enough to buy too.

Foam rolling, staying in the saddle and spinning also helps.

Good luck!