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have you had knee problems?

I

Icey101

Jun 22, 2011
492
10
Australia Victoria
#1
i do my share of gym work and cycling ...maybe 3 x 45 minute cycle sessions a week, over the last couple of months i've been developing knee pains just below the knee caps on both legs, in that tendon what joins the front of the knee cap and the lower leg. I massage the area...ice it, stop cycle for a week then it comes back....i also know to adjust the height of the seat too to keep the legs as extended as possible. When i walk to the train station down hill its starting to hurt more then a concerned niggle now...

yeh i should go to the doc..lol
 
#2
First, yeah, go to a doctor.

These problems can often be caused by pronation issues with your feet, so you may get a referral to see a Podiatrist or Orthopedic specialist.

It is also possible that it could simply be tendonitis (which could be caused by stance or by overworking it), and it could be needing a bit more resting that just a week.
 
#3
I damaged my knees by playing to much basketball while i was growing up a lot.
My left knee is my weakest and will sometime give me trouble.

I train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu two hours a day, which is very hard on the knees, lots of knee twisting and kneeling involved and i have found that yoga (i do ashtanga) really helped me strengthen all the ligaments around there and my knee feels a lot sturdier than it ever has.

Icing it is the best thing you can do, as many as three times a day if you can, and resting it... Coming back to action to soon is a classic mistake, i see it all the time at the gym and have done it myself, i know a week of inactivity feels like a million years, but sometimes your body needs more than that!

You should see a doc, to make sure it isn't something stupid that could be fixed easily, if it is not, you need to listen to your body more and learn how much you can do before going over the line and hurting yourself....

Rest
Ice
Compression
Elevation

Cycling is meant to be easy on the knees, maybe your position is bad, seat to high or low, maybe you cycle with your feet inwards/outwards, creating a twist on the knee, ask someone to film you while you cycle maybe?
 
#6
I have developed pain in my knees quite similar to what you're describing. Walking down stairs or getting up from a kneeling position are the most painful bits. Hard to avoid kneeling when you have small kids. :hmm::p

I do a lot of cycling and it seems to be the only exercise I do that doesn't aggravate them. I have flat feet and I definitely over-pronate. That coupled with age and years of knee abuse from DH skiing is probably the underlying cause. I have custom orthotics but I haven't been wearing them all the time. Got to remember to do that.
 
#7
IF this is at the top of the shin where the patellar tendon attaches, I would guess that the weight when doing squats and/or leg lifts on a weight machine is too much, too soon. If the spot where the tendon attaches is becoming raised, slow down and let it heal. It will be particularly tender if you bump it or kneel on anything- doesn't matter if it's padded, or not.

In younger people, this is caused by stress while the bones are growing and is called 'Osgood-Schlatter Disease'- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osgood-Schlatter_disease

As seen in the photo, the cap where the tendon attaches separates and that's what causes the pain. In my case, the right one was in two pieces and the left was in three pieces. Hurt like he!! at the time.

I had it freshman year of high school and recently aggravated it by using a leg lift machine. I went from 100lb to 150lb two quickly and was doing three sets of 20, three times per week. I stopped using most of the machines, so the stress on my knees is far less than it had been.

I have been climbing stairs to work my legs and improve my endurance (the stairs are outside and I take them two at a time on the way up, one at a time on the way down. I go two laps, walk it off and repeat- I usually do 6 laps), along with treadmill with the incline set to a minimum of 10 (it goes to 15). The stairs are a killer workout and it takes less than 10 minutes.
 
#10
Take more time to rest the knees, and work them out with weight machines. You shouldn't be doing cardio more than twice a week and working your leg muscles in machines once a week. Any more than that and you can expect knee pain if your not use to it.

On a side not I use to have loads of problems with my knees, when I was about 175 pounds(scrawny for me), I'm now at about 270 and I have no knee problems. I walk slower and wear good shoes.
 
#12
I agree that cycling is not your problem unless your bike is not properly fitted to you. I injured myself with a bike that was too small when I jumped into cycling 30 years ago.

I have various joint problems but have had times where I could barely walk and still did the 20 mile ride with my cycling group without problem or additional injury. One great thing about bicycling is that if your knees are hurting all you have to do is ride in a lower gear.

You can do cardio 7 days a week safely. I have done so.
 
#13
Icey101 said:
interesting stuff...

i am zeroing in on patellar tendonitis but i am not sure how you get this from cycling

Click to expand...


Your description of your pain certainly sounds like patellar tendonitis. Coincidentally enough, I'm going through this my self so I looked into it (disclaimer: I'm not a doctor. lol). As a note, my injury came from playing soccer, more specifically, I've been practicing my headers so I have been jumping more than I usually do.

You can think of your knee as:
quad muscle -> quad tendon -> patella (knee cap) -> patella tendon -> tibia (shin bone)

When you engage your quad muscle to straighten your legs, that entire chain will be also be engaged/pulled/stretched. When you place abnormal amount of stress on the tendon (it could either be repeated motion or incorrect mechanics from cycling in your case), the tendon freaks out and swells up. If the said stress is severe enough, the tendon itself might be damaged.

Recovery time depends on the severity, ranging from couple weeks to several months. After a full recovery, I suggest working on flexibility, doing some balance exercises, and working on your leg strength. If it's to a point where simply walking is painful, that's definitely up there on severity grade.
 
#14
Keano said:
Your description of your pain certainly sounds like patellar tendonitis. Coincidentally enough, I'm going through this my self so I looked into it (disclaimer: I'm not a doctor. lol). As a note, my injury came from playing soccer, more specifically, I've been practicing my headers so I have been jumping more than I usually do.

You can think of your knee as:
quad muscle -> quad tendon -> patella (knee cap) -> patella tendon -> tibia (shin bone)

When you engage your quad muscle to straighten your legs, that entire chain will be also be engaged/pulled/stretched. When you place abnormal amount of stress on the tendon (it could either be repeated motion or incorrect mechanics from cycling in your case), the tendon freaks out and swells up. If the said stress is severe enough, the tendon itself might be damaged.

Recovery time depends on the severity, ranging from couple weeks to several months. After a full recovery, I suggest working on flexibility, doing some balance exercises, and working on your leg strength. If it's to a point where simply walking is painful, that's definitely up there on severity grade.
Click to expand...

got it....i have been trying to massage the tendon but i am thinking its pushing it down across the edge of the knee cap and making it worse, i'll try to rest it
 
#18
MuinXing said:
Take more time to rest the knees, and work them out with weight machines. You shouldn't be doing cardio more than twice a week and working your leg muscles in machines once a week. Any more than that and you can expect knee pain if your not use to it.
Click to expand...

Squats and lunges done CORRECTLY are better for the knees than leg extensions, and they will work the quads, hamstrings, calves, and glutes. Leg extensions are an isolation exercise that put an unnatural stress on the knees and only work the quads which can lead to an imbalance.

Why do you suggest only strength training the legs once a week??
 
#19
duff beer said:
Why do you suggest only strength training the legs once a week??
Click to expand...

Because he looks like one of these guys....

93rbench1.jpg


-Mike
 

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