I have a patella jumper brace. I have patella femural syndrome from overdeveloped calf muscles, my kneecap doesn't track my femur correctly and it pinches something. I've run two half marathons and a bunch of track and small 5K races in the brace and it helps a lot, but I can cure my PFS by strengthening my thighs.
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have you had knee problems?
- Thread starter Icey101
- Start date
I also have mild Osgood-Schlatters in my left knee, but it only hurts when it hits anything or if I'm kneeling.
First--agree with many, it does sound like tendinitis of some sort; ease up, alternate ice and heat, NSAIDS if your stomach can take them.
Next is bike fit:
I've fitted a million people on bikes, Fit Kit certified, specced a bunch of custom frames, all that jazz. Easy, basic rule: If your knees hurt in the front, your seat is too low; if they hurt in the back, it's too high. This is incredibly general, obviously. You also need to be positioned correctly fore-aft. Usually, this is determined with a plumb line from a point just below your kneecap.
There are a lot of newfangled electronic fitting devices out there--higher end shops make a pretty nice profit with these. They work--but if you can find a good shop with an old guy who knows how to do it from experience...
What kind of pedals do you ride? How about your shoes? For people with persistent knee issues, I always recommended Speedplay pedals. A few years ago, I had knee surgery, and followed my own advice. Speedplays rock.
FWIW, per 1958Bassman's post, I had Osgood-Schlatter as a kid--in my case, it brought a distinct, burning type of pain.
Next is bike fit:
I've fitted a million people on bikes, Fit Kit certified, specced a bunch of custom frames, all that jazz. Easy, basic rule: If your knees hurt in the front, your seat is too low; if they hurt in the back, it's too high. This is incredibly general, obviously. You also need to be positioned correctly fore-aft. Usually, this is determined with a plumb line from a point just below your kneecap.
There are a lot of newfangled electronic fitting devices out there--higher end shops make a pretty nice profit with these. They work--but if you can find a good shop with an old guy who knows how to do it from experience...
What kind of pedals do you ride? How about your shoes? For people with persistent knee issues, I always recommended Speedplay pedals. A few years ago, I had knee surgery, and followed my own advice. Speedplays rock.
FWIW, per 1958Bassman's post, I had Osgood-Schlatter as a kid--in my case, it brought a distinct, burning type of pain.
Just tweaked my knee again during my first soccer game of the season (I'm pushing 40 now). I messed it up a bit almost exactly a year ago. Went to the doc this week, and she said that my legs were basically out of balance strength-wise. She said if I worked on doing squats every day and getting the muscles balanced out (meanwhile icing, ibuprofen, and playing with a knee support, I can get it back to normal.
I tore the meniscus (horseshoe tear) in my left knee during a volleyball game maybe 10 years ago, and about five years later I badly hyperextended my right knee during a gig which resulted in another torn meniscus and a torn MCL.
Both my knees bug me to this day. The left one will, every few months or so, give me a quick glimpse of intense pain just once, lasting no more than a second or so, with NO warning whatsoever. It sucks. The MRI shows nothing though.
Both my knees bug me to this day. The left one will, every few months or so, give me a quick glimpse of intense pain just once, lasting no more than a second or so, with NO warning whatsoever. It sucks. The MRI shows nothing though.
getting over it is out of the question. It's all about maintenance / pain management. Sorry for the bad news, but it's just how it is. 12 years of football plus 7 years of heavy lifting plus being 6'5" and over 300lbs since I was 16 really did a number on my knees. It's constant battle especially if I'm being active.
After you bike, I would ice for 30 minutes on 30 minutes off for at least a couple of cycles. Take an anti-inflamatory before you go out. Rest is really the key here.
i_got_a_mohawk said:
It depends on both how bad it is and if you can correct the things that caused it. For example, I don't do squats all any more, and do leg press instead. That alone helped tons
That could be your problem right there.
Ideal saddle height on a bicycle is not "to keep the legs as extended as possible" ...there should still be a slight bend to the knee when the pedal is at its downwardmost position (which, perhaps unintuitively, isn't the six o'clock position but rather when the crank arm is parallel to the seat tube).
+1 to getting a good bike fitting
...and to seeing a doctor.
Aye, I'm just saying that it may be one way for one person, not for another. It may be chronic for yourself, but a few weeks recovery may clear it completelly for Icey.
Oddly enough squats tend to help me (it's generally hip problems I suffer, in part a size thing (pretty much your size), in part a loose ligament thing and in part a playing contact sports thing!).
One point about biking that hasn't been addressed is that you need to ride in a gear low enough to allow you to spin your legs at 80 -100 RPM. Pedaling at a slower speed increases pressure on your knees and causes lactic acid to build up in your leg muscles. If you push hard enough to get that lactic acid burn it takes 48 hours for the muscle to recover. If you spin faster you can ride every day with the added bonus that pedaling faster is less energy efficient and burns more calories per mile.
The reason most pros pedal at 100 - 110 is because once they start to build up lactic acid available power goes down and they have lost. The lower efficiency in spinning is not a concern because they can easily take in enough calories to offset the lower efficiency.
The reason most pros pedal at 100 - 110 is because once they start to build up lactic acid available power goes down and they have lost. The lower efficiency in spinning is not a concern because they can easily take in enough calories to offset the lower efficiency.
The if done correctly is a pretty big if, but yes your right.
Anyhow if your looking to gain strength and just pure strength training a muscle once a week is the max you can do unless your taking steroids.
No.
I had to give up using clipless altogether because they bothered my knees, Tried SPD, Crank Bros and Time pedals. Not enough lateral play I guess. On the flats I can shift my foot position occasionally and my knees are happy. I've always just used flats for DH but now I use them for everything. Once I adjusted my technique I don't notice much difference in pedaling efficiency and with a good set of pedals and shoes (5-10 or equivalent) your feet won't come off the pedals unless you want them to do that. This is for MTB only as I don't ride on the road. Road might be different.
