I went on a long ride today (35 miles, long for me!) and near the end of the trip my knee started to really hurt right below my knee cap. The ride consisted of many rollers which I took sitting down and the pain came on gradually. Is this petellar tendonitis? If so, what caused it and how should I deal with it? Any advice would be much appriciated!

PS - My seat seemed a little low (although measuring it revealed it was at its normal height), maybe I should try raising it a little?

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Spacegh()st

Is the pain right below your knee cap on the the patellar tendon itself? Do you have pain during any other activities or just cycling? Are you stretching your quads, hamstrings, calves, and IT band every ride? Deciding whether your kneecap is tracking wrong.(i.e tight muscles or a muscle imbalance) or whether its a tendon is sometimes hard to determine. If you can pinpoint the pain its probably a tendon problem but if the pain is more widespread around the knee its more likely your patella is tracking wrong.

Make sure your seated correctly and that your cadence is at least 85-90 rpm. If you cannot hold that cadence up a hill stand because it is easier on your knees. If your leg muscles are tight that might be your problem and stretch but do not overdo it. There are knee straps/braces that are made for tendonitis that could be beneficial. Try waiting a little while before you ride again to rest your knees and if the pain persists you need to go to a pysical therapist who specializes in sports medicine before it gets worse.

Right now I have been off the bike for 5 months because of knee problems and hopefully it will get better soon. You can read my post about all the problems I've gone through. http://cyclingforums.com/t278027-17-...lems-help.html If you have a knee problem catch it early and get advice from a professional. Do not ride through the pain!

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2003 Trek 1500
2004 Specialized Stumpy HT w/thudbuster

It's hard to say if its the tendon hurts or if it is a more general pain... it definitly hurts when i stand up from a seated position and when i walk down stairs... after reading up on it, some of the websites I was looking at recommended trying a knee strap like basketball players wear... it is feeling a lot better today and luckily this is my recovery week, so I think I'll lay off of it again tomorrow and see how it feels on Wednesday... thanks for your help.. I'll keep you posted!

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Spacegh()st

Just read the thread you were pointing to... sorry about your bad luck.. sounds like I have the same problem as you, but in the early stages.. I'm going to rest it and try to raise my milage more slowly, keep higher cadence on hills, etc...

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Spacegh()st

Also check for pes anserinus tendonitis/bursitis. The pain can radiate out throughout your knee. But the major pain concentrates on the medial (inside) tibial area just below the joint line. If you tend to pronate due to flat foot the pes anserinus tries to rotate the tibia back to aligment. Your ortho can look into this.

I have had a similar problem, I would see an orthopedic Dr right away. I have had what I thought was a knee problem turned out to be tendonitis at the back of the knee, but the Dr gave me the green light to ride. If not though and it is a knee problem do not ride ... until you have it checked out. My problem was caused by a new saddle/crank arm combo, even though I had my bike readjusted at a good bike shop, and refitted to my body, the orthopedic sugeon also said just too much riding causes tendonitis..... good luck

Obeeone the cycling jedi