Knee Pain

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Knee Pain

Postby Mohammad L » Thu Apr 11, 2013 10:16 am

Seems my chain and gears aren't the only things in need of maintenance...

I'v been getting knee pain for the last 3/4 weeks. However in the last week, it has become profound and I'm getting v.concerned.
I haven't changed anything on my training bike - one thing that may be worth mentioning is that my shimano cleats have worn away past the advised line (but I can't really see how this would make much of a difference).

Whilst riding:

Both knee joints affected? yes, about the same severity in both
Severity? quite severe - i have to go up a cog at times on average as a result
Location? medial and superior to knee joints in the region of the vastus medialis (one of the 4 quadricep muscles), which also hurts

Whilst at home sitting normally ( i.e hip and knee angle at 90 degrees):

I gently sway each knee from side to side whilst placing my hand over the joint and there is an abnormal, unhealthy-sounding noise (like a stiff door hinge in need of some wd40). Both knees are very stiff and make faint creaking noises constant throughout the full movement .

I have noticed that the knee pain features more in cold conditions because last Saturday (when it was warmer, sunnier and not much windchill) it was not really a problem. Could it be the cold weather and wearing only one roubaix layer over the knee?

I took an anti-inflammatory for it yesterday and hasn't made a difference so I'm going to see the GP about it but before I do, I wanted to know whether any other members have :

experienced any knee pain, and if so what was the cause, whose help they sought, and how it was resolved?

Thanks
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Re: Knee Pain

Postby Phil H » Thu Apr 11, 2013 10:40 am

Disclaimer: I don't know what I'm talking about.

Sounds like your saddle could be a fraction low. Have you had a bike fit?
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Re: Knee Pain

Postby Mohammad L » Thu Apr 11, 2013 10:52 am

Phil,

No , not had a bike fit yet - was going to consider one.

The saddle position on my training bike is strange - because if it goes any higher, I won't be able to disembark at junctions or traffic lights and will most likely fall off. I would prefer it higher because my knees are bending more than I would prefer ( but I wasn't getting any knee pain in the exact position last year :? ). My saddle is higher on the racing bike for tt so the knee angle is less acute during riding - I'm contemplating lowering this a bit because recently I've been doing a lot of riding outdoors on the training bike

Could it be crank length? I run 170mm on my training road bike and 172.5mm on the racing bike with clip-ons, but I haven't been turbo-ing much on the latter anyway as of late
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Re: Knee Pain

Postby George » Thu Apr 11, 2013 12:12 pm

Mo I have a book you can have about knee pain relating to sport.
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Re: Knee Pain

Postby Andrew G » Thu Apr 11, 2013 12:23 pm

Firstly, see your GP and get checked out.

Secondly, yes cleats could be the problem. Without knowing position on bike etc etc can't comment on anything else really. Cleat wear could effect stack height which would alter your position, or it could also effect the amount of movement of your foot on the pedal. Very small differences can have big knock on effects due to the high repetition of the movement you have when pedaling. Sometimes these can not be clear when they start and when you start to feel pain it was actually caused ages ago and is just starting to make itself known. Once the damage is done, nothing serious but just musculature or small ligament damage it will take rest and a bit of time to clear up. It won't take long in general if you fix the problem but equally it won't go away overnight.

You should have all your bikes set up the same (road bikes, TT position is different). Winter hack or snazzy road bike should have the contact points in the same position.
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Re: Knee Pain

Postby Ant » Thu Apr 11, 2013 2:20 pm

[quote="Mohammad L"]
The saddle position on my training bike is strange - because if it goes any higher, I won't be able to disembark at junctions or traffic lights and will most likely fall off.


Hi

I'm curious about this part. Do you stay fully seated at lights and touch the floor with your tip-toes or can you put foot flat down and remain in the saddle? You probably know this already but if it's the latter, I would suggest the saddle is way too low. I tend to slide off the front of the sadle altogether and stand over the crossbar. I'll do a mini trackstand if I think I can get away with it and the lights are about to turn in my favour...
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Re: Knee Pain

Postby Phil H » Thu Apr 11, 2013 3:54 pm

[quote="Ant"][quote="Mohammad L"]
The saddle position on my training bike is strange - because if it goes any higher, I won't be able to disembark at junctions or traffic lights and will most likely fall off.


Hi

I'm curious about this part. Do you stay fully seated at lights and touch the floor with your tip-toes or can you put foot flat down and remain in the saddle? You probably know this already but if it's the latter, I would suggest the saddle is way too low. I tend to slide off the front of the sadle altogether and stand over the crossbar. I'll do a mini trackstand if I think I can get away with it and the lights are about to turn in my favour...

I was wondering about that.

My reason for saying "saddle too low" is based upon the simplistic assumption: pain in the back of the knee -> saddle too high; pain in the front of the knee -> saddle too low.

I had a bike fit, then did the Dragon ride and found I couldn't get on with that saddle and changed it so completely ruining the setup.
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Re: Knee Pain

Postby Toks » Thu Apr 11, 2013 6:48 pm

[quote="Mohammad L"]Seems my chain and gears aren't the only things in need of maintenance...

I'v been getting knee pain for the last 3/4 weeks. However in the last week, it has become profound and I'm getting v.concerned.
I haven't changed anything on my training bike - one thing that may be worth mentioning is that my shimano cleats have worn away past the advised line (but I can't really see how this would make much of a difference).

Whilst riding:

Both knee joints affected? yes, about the same severity in both
Severity? quite severe - i have to go up a cog at times on average as a result
Location? medial and superior to knee joints in the region of the vastus medialis (one of the 4 quadricep muscles), which also hurts

Whilst at home sitting normally ( i.e hip and knee angle at 90 degrees):

I gently sway each knee from side to side whilst placing my hand over the joint and there is an abnormal, unhealthy-sounding noise (like a stiff door hinge in need of some wd40). Both knees are very stiff and make faint creaking noises constant throughout the full movement .

I have noticed that the knee pain features more in cold conditions because last Saturday (when it was warmer, sunnier and not much windchill) it was not really a problem. Could it be the cold weather and wearing only one roubaix layer over the knee?

I took an anti-inflammatory for it yesterday and hasn't made a difference so I'm going to see the GP about it but before I do, I wanted to know whether any other members have :

experienced any knee pain, and if so what was the cause, whose help they sought, and how it was resolved?

Thanks
Mo, you do an insane amount of mileage and training (200miles in one day?? and in cold weather, WHY??) and its quite possible that you're cycling posture or the way your knees move has changed subtly. Couple this with how many 80-100 RPM over how many hours and you may have a problem. You're still a newbie (relatively speaking) and I think you body may not be happy with your current training load.

So assuming, you've checked there's no issue with you cleat position, saddle height, riding position, your bike is not damaged, you're not pushing big gears all the time there can only be one thing to do - cut down on your training and use low/easy gears for a while. In my experience GP's and Doctors haven't really helped. My various bouts of knee pain came about for 3 reasons: saddle slipped down, cleat moved position and excessive training loads. Going back to the person who fitted your bike maybe helpful because they maybe able to tell you if anything has changed with your set up and riding style. Good luck mate, I know the feeling all to well of being injured. I hope you get it sorted before the summer
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Re: Knee Pain

Postby Phil H » Thu Apr 11, 2013 7:13 pm

Toks: Should he cut down to your level or keep actually riding? :wink:
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Re: Knee Pain

Postby Toks » Thu Apr 11, 2013 8:57 pm

[quote="Phil the Pie"]Toks: Should he cut down to your level or keep actually riding? :wink:
He should do whatever he feels is the right thing. Its all about opinions :wink: The weather picking up now so I look forward to some outdoor riding at last :-)
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Re: Knee Pain

Postby olderigetbetteriwas » Thu Apr 11, 2013 9:25 pm

mo,
1. cleat wear can have major effects way beyond what you would think possible.
2. saddle height is important...does sound like you might have it too low.
3. you do mad rides...i know you love these long time trials so i guess maybe 200 mile rides are needed....but if you have any positional issues these kind of rides will eventually cause issues.
4. there is a condition called Chondromalacia patella...where the cartilage on the backside of the patella begins to roughen and cause serious pain...are you pushing big gears? this could be a cause.
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Re: Knee Pain

Postby Mohammad L » Thu Apr 11, 2013 9:55 pm

[quote="olderigetbetteriwas"]mo,
1. cleat wear can have major effects way beyond what you would think possible.
.


I'm going to replace my cleats ( the yellow strip layer of my shim spd-sl cleat has in fact completely come off both cleats). I've just been lazy about getting it sorted out, so i'll be on to that first thing tomorrow

@Toks - I even thought it might be due to over-training and not letting my body recover appropriately. My problem is - when I take a rest day, I feel guilty - so I tend to train even though my legs aren't in the mood. I also think I might be trying to make too big gains in a condensed period of time - maybe it's time for a KitKat

[quote="olderigetbetteriwas"]mo,
are you pushing big gears? this could be a cause.


Last year - no - I wimped out and was just spinning. This year - Yes . Now, I usually go for 50 mile sub-threshold 'sweet spot' rides and I'm always forcing myself to push relatively big gears (usually between 50x12 - 50x17) at a cadence of around 70-75rpm so that I can eventually develop enough 'endurance' torque to push them for a long duration while also lowering my threshold cadence to around 97rpm. (Typically my average cadence is 103rpm)
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Re: Knee Pain

Postby olderigetbetteriwas » Thu Apr 11, 2013 9:59 pm

70-75 rpm? jeez man, that is a BIG gear. forget knee trouble..you'll give yourself a hernia!
also, i haven't seen you ride for a long time but i seem to remember that i once commented about about your low saddle height when you first started riding? if you haven't upped it since then i would say low saddle height could be a real issue....
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Re: Knee Pain

Postby olderigetbetteriwas » Thu Apr 11, 2013 10:00 pm

also, if you wanna push 97 rpm, why train at 70-75? that don't make sense to me.
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Re: Knee Pain

Postby Mohammad L » Thu Apr 11, 2013 10:03 pm

[quote="olderigetbetteriwas"] if you haven't upped it since then i would say low saddle height could be a real issue....


I haven't Rich - I think I'll up it by 10mm because my knees are bending more than I'd like...
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