Knee Pain

Knee pain is back again. This is seriously getting me down now.

Had bikefit and have had physio. Knee seriously started to feel better after the course of physio (I was off the bike, well long rides anyway) had 2 months of physio then last week I went out for 2 rides no longer than 30 miles each and my knee then flared up from there.

Could it be a case of I did too much?

I'm starting to think that moving to speedplays with their endless float was a bad idea and that SPD's forcing my legs into a certain position will be better again.

I've gone back through my physio notes and am now icing up and stretching as much as possible.

It's worth eliminating issues by trying everything to find an improvement. Have you changed how you clip-out? That's a cause of troubles I've had. I can't clip-out in the typical way, with a sweep of the ankle outwards - it somehow sends too much stress up my leg leaving me with shooting pain which can be debilitating, so instead I have to bring my ankle towards me.

The disadvantage of this is that I have to wait until either foot is able to use the space of my frame's main triangle when I want to release myself. Obviously to clip-out 'normally' pushes your foot away from the bike so can be done at any time, whereas the inward method I use is limited by space. But it's changed the way I ride, as I do a lot of anticipating to account for these restrictions.

The advantage is the total lack of grief I get in my legs. I'd give this a go if I were you, provided I've explained it clearly. I find the 'normal' way an unnatural movement of my joints, and the price isn't worth paying.

I often see riders trying to clip out at the top of the stroke- which can be madly hard on your knee. Do try to clip out (outwards preferably) at the bottom of the stroke- then in principle you can lock your knee and twist your leg or possibly your whole body outwards to unclip- much lighter on the joints.

this is my left knee - the red spot indicates pain. i sometimes get the same in my right when over doing it after period of inactivity - with rest it has always gone away. the pain started recently after some unusually hard rides. i've also been messing around with saddles and seatposts and i might well have changed my position. i know that there are loads of variables but my question really is this...could it be ITB this low down on my knee? google says lateral knee pain is ITB - google images for knee anatomy suggests otherwise.

I wouldn't trust google.

It cant hurt* to buy a foam roller and try some stretches with it anyway. Nothing to lose. Even though my lateral knee pain went away with use of a roller, I have since kept using it regularly to keep my IT Band loose.

*
It fucking hurts initially

link to recommended roller?

Mine was a £4 eBay job. Like this

cool
thanks

Carson - if the red dot is situated over the lateral aspect of the tibia then the most likely pain producing structures here will be the biceps femoris tendon, associated bursitis or proximal tibiofibular joint irritation.

Don't look to google for diagnoses. Give me a shout if you have any queries.

Carson - if the red dot is situated over the lateral aspect of the tibia then the most likely pain producing structures here will be the biceps femoris tendon, associated bursitis or proximal tibiofibular joint irritation.

Don't look to google for diagnoses. Give me a shout if you have any queries.

it is. and i just came here to post that i had come to that conclusion -
i suppose rest and a check of my saddle position / height is the way forward.

and thanks -

The biceps and bursa will ease with load reduction / rest / ice / increased flexibility / saddle adjustments and biomechanical correction. Failing that, manual therapy, acupuncture and injections can also offer relief. The tibiofibular joint may also respond to similar treatments. Good luck.

thanks!

I've had nagging pain in my left knee for a while now. I reverted to an older saddle position and then tried cleat adjustments. No real improvement and the issue was always there as an unwelcome companion on any ride.

Re-reading this thread again the other I went back abnd altered saddle position again. 2mm down and 5mm back (ish) and as soon as I pushed off I knew it was right. Amazing!

Fingers crossed for the long term..

anterior knee pain?

i have just the solution for *you! stand up leaning every so slightly forward, so the majority of your weight in on the balls of your feet. tense your quads, which should force your knees backwards. once balanced, repeat in short sharp pulses.
once used to the feeling it's probably easier to do whilst sat up in bed on across a sofa.

(*it worked for me, no idea if it will help you)

Ive had knee pain on the outside of my right knee (right where my ligament is according to google images)

I spoke to a doctor and his advice was to just rest it, which is great because 3 weeks later and it's no better. I dont think it's cycling related but riding certainly isnt helping.

^ according to a doctor friend, that solves 80% of all symptoms. Sucks when you get the advice though.

anterior knee pain?

i have just the solution for *you! stand up leaning every so slightly forward, so the majority of your weight in on the balls of your feet. tense your quads, which should force your knees backwards. once balanced, repeat in short sharp pulses.
once used to the feeling it's probably easier to do whilst sat up in bed on across a sofa.

(*it worked for me, no idea if it will help you)

Diagram please. I just tried and it felt like I dry humped the room.

^ my work here is done.

seriously though...

no, no seriously.
sit up on your bed, legs straight, toes casually pointing forward. now try point your heels forward. that's the sort of thing you want to be doing. (i don't know if this is the right term...it's like gently hyperextending your knee backwards.)

i thought i was standing up, now i'm sitting in bed?

for itbs stand on one leg and gently lower oneself keeping the knee above the toes. hold on to something if necessary, small movements rep it up

I have finally seen a doctor about my knee and apparently I have a Meniscal Tear. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00358

He has advised against running but told me "cycling should be okay". I doubt he meant "cycling on a brakeless track bike running 48/16 gear ratio should be fine" somehow.

3 months he reckons it should take to heal. Gutted.

time to gear down and go ss

indeed.

I'm gonna start looking for a brake this weekend I reckon.

Hmmm. I think my diagonal Restraps might be doing me in.

I stuck them on my new single speed TriCross when i bought it a month or two ago. I've been commuting and doing some light countryside riding on that bike. But since I bought the TriCross I've noticed pain in my knees following long rides on my regular road bike. Did 63 miles yesterday and struggled to stand up out of bed this morning. Bummer!

The pain is located very specifically at the following points: Looking at my knee caps as clock faces front on, the left one as you look at it (my right) hurts at 1 - 2 o clock and the right as you look at it hurts at 10 - 11 o clock. So the upper inside of the knee caps.

That seems to be the point which feels the strain if I turn my foot inwards slightly and apply downward pressure - the exact action of moving off while inserting my feet into the diagonal Restraps.

What are your thoughts forum? Have I located the source of the problem? The only other thing I can think of is that the cold might be having an effect...

I have finally seen a doctor about my knee and apparently I have a Meniscal Tear. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00358

He has advised against running but told me "cycling should be okay". I doubt he meant "cycling on a brakeless track bike running 48/16 gear ratio should be fine" somehow.

3 months he reckons it should take to heal. Gutted.

I geared down to 48/17 on my fun bike and 42/16 on my beater and I've had no issues with my knee since.

I still cant run though and it hurts if I sit down in the same position for too long but cycling has been fine.