How are your knees!!



rayner said:
I'm 16 and mine crack when I get up from kneeling and sometines sitting down. Absolutely no pain though.

Had osgood schlatters disease (think thats how you spell it) before I started riding which caused me a bit of pain and I think that might be the cause of cracking. Haven't worn trousers in three years so that probably doesnt help either. I think its pretty safe to say that you've got nothing to worry about.
you didn't really have an answer for me.. mine don't creak.. but they ache... so i chose the closest (don't creak and hurt like hell)

i also workout out off the bike with weights/step/aerobics too.. so i'm sure that adds to it
 
caligurl said:
you didn't really have an answer for me.. mine don't creak.. but they ache... so i chose the closest (don't creak and hurt like hell)

i also workout out off the bike with weights/step/aerobics too.. so i'm sure that adds to it
Thanks everyone for contributing to the poll! I've started taking some CLO capsules and will post back with the results in a couple of weeks.

Keep adding your opinions everyone, makes very interesting reading.
 
I'm 41, and my knees have been iffy ever since I collided with Alan Monthie playing soccer in 4th grade :( . They don't creak, and they don't usually hurt much. They're just temperamental.

For the most part, biking doesn't bother them, though if I do something like taking a hill in too high a gear, I'll hear about it the next day. What really bothers them is running / jogging. Fortunately, I never cared for jogging anyway...
 
erm think i may have the worst knee's here so far, 43 now with 15 yrs of cycling, completed LEJOG in 2000. Dec 2003 I had my left knee cap removed due to damaged cartlidge surface to the back of the knee cap. I always tried to maintain a high cadence rather than push a big gear, seems this didn't help as it meant I turned my legs more thus added to the wear and "tear". I was back in the swimming pool after 6 wks in plaster from ankle to thigh. Back in the gym after after another 4 weeks and on the bike by April. Been doing 30-70 miler all "summer". now I have to have key hole surgery next month on my "GOOD" knee. If I'm lucky this will only result in a 3 week lay off.
The pains a lot less since the surgey and I can get out of the saddle again for the hills, so its been worht it. Had I known this would have been the result of cycling, would I have not done it, no way, take away my bike I'd go mad, (what do you mean you think I am :rolleyes: ).
Also had 4 opperation in the last 2 years for some thing called Mortons Nuroma, a growth in the nevers going to your toes, historically this has been linked to wearing of tight fitting high heeled shoes (ok so I've had to stop this now, 43 yr old male should now better any way :D ). Serioulsy though have wondered if this may be the cycling shoes, my consultant doubts it, and have asked in a few forums, with know one else suffering this complaint. Guess it was the high heels after all.
What the hell at least I get to ride my bike tomorrow :D :D :D
 
I'm 36 and my knees have cracked/popped (with no pain) as long as I can remember. I'm fortunate in that I've never had any injury to them until about 2 weeks ago, when I mildly tweaked my left MCL. Thankfully, with rest and my first ACE knee wrap, it seems to be returning to normal... I guess I'll find out this weekend when I get a chance to put some miles on it! ;)
 
Cod Liver oil is useful, it can alleviate some joint problems, it cured my mums handmaidens knee (i think thats what you call it)
 
i'm only 30 and have a problem w/my right knee. doc thinks it's a torn miniscus. had an x-ray last friday and might go in for an mri soon. ****.

i have the ultegra pedals now. i wonder if i switched to speedplay if that would help.
 
John Picton said:
Is it just my knees that creak? No pain, just creaking!

How about everyone else? Should I be concerned?

Does having good cycling shoes that fit to your pedals help you rather than toe clips? Any other opinions on how to save your knees?



well im only 17 and my knees and ankles crack constantly im not sure what causes them to crack but i think itsd from all the abuse they have taken from me catching and playing soccer.
 
Im only 14 and mine used to crake all the time, but now its only creaking every now an then. Mabey im not getting enough Cod liver oil???
 
John Picton said:
Is it just my knees that creak? No pain, just creaking!

How about everyone else? Should I be concerned?

Does having good cycling shoes that fit to your pedals help you rather than toe clips? Any other opinions on how to save your knees?

I spoke to a friend of mine the other day about this : he studied sports science at university and said that riding a bike : will strengthen certain muscles above and below the knee. It is important to do other exercises that will strengthen the remaining muscles ... otherwise the knee can become inbalanced.
 
John Picton said:
The poll in it's early stages is suggesting that creaking is normal and therefore perhaps I am too!

There ought to be another option. I know he's just joking about the titanium option, but I don't want to answer that my knees are titanium. I'd rather say that so far, they have given me no problem--no pain, no creaking, no noises. But if I thought they were titanium, I'd probably end up having problems eventually because someone with that mindset is not going to take care of his knees. He's going to feel they are indestructible. And I know mine aren't. After all, I'm flesh and blood just like everyone else. Lance is too. He got tendonitis in his knee during the 2004 Tour, and now he is being very careful in his training. That is the attitude that leads to recovery.

That's the reason I didn't answer the poll. I have normal healthy knees, but I don't take them for granted.
 
Tore ACL/MCL/Miniscus in high school in one knee and MCL in the other (football). They aren't actually too bad - hurt maybe once every 6 months - but they creak and pop like hell and I'm only 21.
 
So far little creaking or pain. Am 51 and have been commuting for over 20 years. Currently 28 kms per day, averaging 4 days a week.
 
Never had a problem with my knees (except one of my first rides 20 years ago when I set the saddle too high...). Its my feet that hurt on long rides, ever since I turned SPD. I suppose it's because I rarely "step on it" and keep a moderate pace, especially on long rides, that my knees are in such good condition. Climbs can be tough but always short in Israel.
 
I'm 43. My knees were great for the first twelve years of cycling. I have had a crunching sound when I squat down for the last four years but no pain. Just this last Summer I was doing some work on the house that had me kneeling for hours on the wood floor. The next morning my right knee was poping as I walked the stairs. Later in the day it swelled and stayed that way for two weeks untill I saw a specialists. The kneecap was off center and the doctor thought I needed a lateral release (surgery). When he got in there he found it was a torn meniscus...very common. He also noted that I have arthritis of the patella,the breakdown of the cartilage under the patella. This was a total shock to me. I thought that all the years I have been riding were good for my knees. I guess any repetitious ( overuse) activity like cycling will wear down the body. I was told to not ride any big hills here in Connecticut....impossible. I'lll try to spin more and take my chances. I just ordered the book by Andy Pruitt The Cyclists Medical Guide, or something like that. I read the description and it has info pertaining to my problem. I could never give up cycling...it's the best sport in the world!!
 
High Gear said:
I'm 43. My knees were great for the first twelve years of cycling. I have had a crunching sound when I squat down for the last four years but no pain. Just this last Summer I was doing some work on the house that had me kneeling for hours on the wood floor. The next morning my right knee was poping as I walked the stairs. Later in the day it swelled and stayed that way for two weeks untill I saw a specialists. The kneecap was off center and the doctor thought I needed a lateral release (surgery). When he got in there he found it was a torn meniscus...very common. He also noted that I have arthritis of the patella,the breakdown of the cartilage under the patella. This was a total shock to me. I thought that all the years I have been riding were good for my knees. I guess any repetitious ( overuse) activity like cycling will wear down the body. I was told to not ride any big hills here in Connecticut....impossible. I'lll try to spin more and take my chances. I just ordered the book by Andy Pruitt The Cyclists Medical Guide, or something like that. I read the description and it has info pertaining to my problem. I could never give up cycling...it's the best sport in the world!!

I had to get my cranks on my bike changed. Mine were too long and it was KILLING my knees.
 
You need one more category:
I'm so old I can't hear my knees creak anymore, and having to stop to pee every 45 minutes alleviates the strain on the knees.
:D


John Picton said:
Is it just my knees that creak? No pain, just creaking!

How about everyone else? Should I be concerned?

Does having good cycling shoes that fit to your pedals help you rather than toe clips? Any other opinions on how to save your knees?
 
My 36yr old knees are good when cycling and running, but there is still a noticeable grind when extending the leg in a seated position. Can't sit with knees bent for long before pain either under the patella or just above the knee
The only time it's effected by cycling is when doing higher cadence work IE >130. Then it feels tight behind the knee.