Knee pain

"Yum" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Question on knee pain.
I have minor knee discomfort after short ride. It is at the inside (bike
side) of knee. Both knees. It is usually nothing serious, except for

once

Quoted message said:

when I had 200miles ride last summer. It became almost unbearable and I
needed to take Advil. I am thinking of switching to Speedplay X pedal

from

Quoted message said:

SPD for more float, hoping that may help with my knee problem. I am
interested in hearing your opinion. I know it is not a simple question.
TIA.

Ice them.

JF

Yum said:

Question on knee pain.
I have minor knee discomfort after short ride. It is at the inside
(bike side) of knee. Both knees. It is usually nothing serious, except
for once when I had 200miles ride last summer. It became almost
unbearable and I needed to take Advil. I am thinking of switching to
Speedplay X pedal from SPD for more float, hoping that may help with my
knee problem. I am interested in hearing your opinion. I know it is
not a simple question. TIA.

This does not sound good. If I were "in your shoes" I would be careful,
because it sounds like your cleats are maladjusted, and this sort of thing
can cause real injury to your knees. Whether or not you switch pedals,
you should probably reevaluate where your cleats are pointing on the
bottom of your shoe. You might try riding on flat pedals to see what angle
your feet gravitate to when when they are not clipped in. I know in my
case my feet must be angled out a bit (heels almost hitting the
chainstays) or my knees will hurt. In fact, maybe you should just ride
flat pedals for a few months until your knees get better, and then
carefully try to dial a pair in to the proper cleat alignment.

Yum said:

Question on knee pain.
I have minor knee discomfort after short ride. It is at the inside (bike
side) of knee. Both knees. It is usually nothing serious, except for once
when I had 200miles ride last summer. It became almost unbearable and I
needed to take Advil. I am thinking of switching to Speedplay X pedal from
SPD for more float, hoping that may help with my knee problem. I am
interested in hearing your opinion. I know it is not a simple question.
TIA.

You do not mention how long you have ben cycling, how long you have
been having the pain, if anything has changed recently, etc, etc.

Lots of things can cause medial knee pain. A couple of the most common
being medial plica syndrome and pes anserine bursitis, neither of
which is likely to be helped by a change of pedals. Flat feet of feet
that overpronate can also cause this sort of knee pain, again, not
likely to be helped by a change of pedal.

Most of the possible problems are a simple office diagnosis, so I
would suggest seeing a sports medicine doc to figure out what is going
on before spending time and money on pedals. There are a few
conditions that you can make worse if you continue to push ahead,
which I think is another excelent reason to get a diagnosis first.

Yum said:

Question on knee pain.
I have minor knee discomfort after short ride. It is at the inside (bike
side) of knee. Both knees. It is usually nothing serious, except for once
when I had 200miles ride last summer. It became almost unbearable and I
needed to take Advil. I am thinking of switching to Speedplay X pedal from
SPD for more float, hoping that may help with my knee problem. I am
interested in hearing your opinion. I know it is not a simple question.
TIA.

Hi, how does it feel while riding? Have you tried readjusting the
cleats. I found that the difference between knee pain and no pain, was
just a few small adjustments.
This spring I had some knee discomfort, with the pedals and cleats in
the same position, as the season before, pain free. I found that the
discomfort went away when I raised my saddle. I had changed the
seatpost and even though I had measured, I didn't get it right.
That gives you a couple of things to consider.

Life is Good!
Jeff

"Ron Abramson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Yum said:

Question on knee pain.
I have minor knee discomfort after short ride. It is at the inside
(bike side) of knee. Both knees. It is usually nothing serious, except
for once when I had 200miles ride last summer. It became almost
unbearable and I needed to take Advil. I am thinking of switching to
Speedplay X pedal from SPD for more float, hoping that may help with my
knee problem. I am interested in hearing your opinion. I know it is
not a simple question. TIA.

This does not sound good. If I were "in your shoes" I would be careful,
because it sounds like your cleats are maladjusted, and this sort of thing
can cause real injury to your knees. Whether or not you switch pedals,
you should probably reevaluate where your cleats are pointing on the
bottom of your shoe. You might try riding on flat pedals to see what angle
your feet gravitate to when when they are not clipped in. I know in my
case my feet must be angled out a bit (heels almost hitting the
chainstays) or my knees will hurt. In fact, maybe you should just ride
flat pedals for a few months until your knees get better, and then
carefully try to dial a pair in to the proper cleat alignment.

Good suggestion. I'll try it before spending money. Thanks.

"Jim Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Yum said:

Question on knee pain.
I have minor knee discomfort after short ride. It is at the inside

(bike

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

side) of knee. Both knees. It is usually nothing serious, except for

once

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

when I had 200miles ride last summer. It became almost unbearable and

I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

needed to take Advil. I am thinking of switching to Speedplay X pedal

from

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

SPD for more float, hoping that may help with my knee problem. I am
interested in hearing your opinion. I know it is not a simple

question.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

TIA.

You do not mention how long you have ben cycling, how long you have
been having the pain, if anything has changed recently, etc, etc.

I started riding only about one year ago. I'm new to cycling.
I had been running mostly on a treadmill, but swiched to cycling because I
thought it is easier on my knee.
I started to use clipless pedal from last spring.

Quoted message said:

Lots of things can cause medial knee pain. A couple of the most common
being medial plica syndrome and pes anserine bursitis, neither of
which is likely to be helped by a change of pedals. Flat feet of feet
that overpronate can also cause this sort of knee pain, again, not
likely to be helped by a change of pedal.

Most of the possible problems are a simple office diagnosis, so I
would suggest seeing a sports medicine doc to figure out what is going
on before spending time and money on pedals. There are a few
conditions that you can make worse if you continue to push ahead,
which I think is another excelent reason to get a diagnosis first.

I think you are correct. However, I haven't have much luck with a good
doctor.
From my past experience, all they do is to prescribe pain killer, or x-ray
if I insist.
They never helped. So, I'm hesitant.
Thanks.

"Jeff Starr" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Yum said:

Question on knee pain.
I have minor knee discomfort after short ride. It is at the inside (bike
side) of knee. Both knees. It is usually nothing serious, except for

once

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

when I had 200miles ride last summer. It became almost unbearable and I
needed to take Advil. I am thinking of switching to Speedplay X pedal

from

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

SPD for more float, hoping that may help with my knee problem. I am
interested in hearing your opinion. I know it is not a simple question.
TIA.

Hi, how does it feel while riding? Have you tried readjusting the
cleats. I found that the difference between knee pain and no pain, was
just a few small adjustments.

For a short ride, I usually don't feel until after the ride.
I did a minor cleat angle once, but that might not have been enough.

Quoted message said:

This spring I had some knee discomfort, with the pedals and cleats in
the same position, as the season before, pain free. I found that the
discomfort went away when I raised my saddle. I had changed the
seatpost and even though I had measured, I didn't get it right.
That gives you a couple of things to consider.

I'll try cleat and saddle height adjustment. Thanks.

Yum said:

"Jim Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Yum said:

Question on knee pain.
I have minor knee discomfort after short ride. It is at the inside

(bike

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

side) of knee. Both knees. It is usually nothing serious, except for

once

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

when I had 200miles ride last summer. It became almost unbearable and

I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

needed to take Advil. I am thinking of switching to Speedplay X pedal

from

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

SPD for more float, hoping that may help with my knee problem. I am
interested in hearing your opinion. I know it is not a simple

question.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

TIA.

You do not mention how long you have ben cycling, how long you have
been having the pain, if anything has changed recently, etc, etc.

I started riding only about one year ago. I'm new to cycling.
I had been running mostly on a treadmill, but swiched to cycling because I
thought it is easier on my knee.
I started to use clipless pedal from last spring.

This sounds like you were have trouble with your knee while running
too?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Lots of things can cause medial knee pain. A couple of the most common
being medial plica syndrome and pes anserine bursitis, neither of
which is likely to be helped by a change of pedals. Flat feet of feet
that overpronate can also cause this sort of knee pain, again, not
likely to be helped by a change of pedal.

Most of the possible problems are a simple office diagnosis, so I
would suggest seeing a sports medicine doc to figure out what is going
on before spending time and money on pedals. There are a few
conditions that you can make worse if you continue to push ahead,
which I think is another excelent reason to get a diagnosis first.

I think you are correct. However, I haven't have much luck with a good
doctor.
From my past experience, all they do is to prescribe pain killer, or x-ray
if I insist.
They never helped. So, I'm hesitant.
Thanks.

I would still suggest getting a diagnosis. It sounds like you have
been having this pain for months, so I think seeing a doctor is
reasonable at this point. I would recommend finding a primary care
sports medicine doctor. That is, a family medicine physician who has
completed a fellowship in sports medicine and is ABMS certified in
sports medicine. The style of your typing makes me think you might be in
Seattle, if this is the case, you might try the University of Washington
Sports Mecidine Clinic. 206.543.1552

If you do decide to go this route, make sure that
everything is explained to your satisfaction, maybe write a list of
questions to take with you so you don't forget. I think most doctors
are happy to provide a detailed and lucid explanation if they are
asked, but if they are not asked, they often do not take the time to
provide a clear explanation of what is going on.

"Jim Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Yum said:

"Jim Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Yum" <[email hidden]> writes:

> Question on knee pain.
> I have minor knee discomfort after short ride. It is at the inside

(bike

Quoted message said:

> side) of knee. Both knees. It is usually nothing serious, except

for

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

once

Quoted message said:

> when I had 200miles ride last summer. It became almost unbearable

and

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I

Quoted message said:

> needed to take Advil. I am thinking of switching to Speedplay X

pedal

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

from

Quoted message said:

> SPD for more float, hoping that may help with my knee problem. I

am

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> interested in hearing your opinion. I know it is not a simple

question.

Quoted message said:

> TIA.

You do not mention how long you have ben cycling, how long you have
been having the pain, if anything has changed recently, etc, etc.

I started riding only about one year ago. I'm new to cycling.
I had been running mostly on a treadmill, but swiched to cycling because

I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

thought it is easier on my knee.
I started to use clipless pedal from last spring.

This sounds like you were have trouble with your knee while running
too?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Lots of things can cause medial knee pain. A couple of the most common
being medial plica syndrome and pes anserine bursitis, neither of
which is likely to be helped by a change of pedals. Flat feet of feet
that overpronate can also cause this sort of knee pain, again, not
likely to be helped by a change of pedal.

Most of the possible problems are a simple office diagnosis, so I
would suggest seeing a sports medicine doc to figure out what is going
on before spending time and money on pedals. There are a few
conditions that you can make worse if you continue to push ahead,
which I think is another excelent reason to get a diagnosis first.

I think you are correct. However, I haven't have much luck with a

good

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

doctor.
From my past experience, all they do is to prescribe pain killer, or

x-ray

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

if I insist.
They never helped. So, I'm hesitant.
Thanks.

I would still suggest getting a diagnosis. It sounds like you have
been having this pain for months, so I think seeing a doctor is
reasonable at this point. I would recommend finding a primary care
sports medicine doctor. That is, a family medicine physician who has
completed a fellowship in sports medicine and is ABMS certified in
sports medicine. The style of your typing makes me think you might be in
Seattle, if this is the case, you might try the University of Washington
Sports Mecidine Clinic. 206.543.1552

If you do decide to go this route, make sure that
everything is explained to your satisfaction, maybe write a list of
questions to take with you so you don't forget. I think most doctors
are happy to provide a detailed and lucid explanation if they are
asked, but if they are not asked, they often do not take the time to
provide a clear explanation of what is going on.

An excellent suggestion. I am impressed. I indeed live in Seattle area.
I did a quick search at UW Sports Medicine site and foud that they even have
a
bike fit assesments service. Thanks again.

"Ron Abramson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Yum said:

Question on knee pain.
I have minor knee discomfort after short ride. It is at the inside
(bike side) of knee. Both knees. It is usually nothing serious,

except

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

for once when I had 200miles ride last summer. It became almost
unbearable and I needed to take Advil. I am thinking of switching to
Speedplay X pedal from SPD for more float, hoping that may help with my
knee problem. I am interested in hearing your opinion. I know it is
not a simple question. TIA.

This does not sound good. If I were "in your shoes" I would be careful,
because it sounds like your cleats are maladjusted, and this sort of

thing

Quoted message said:

can cause real injury to your knees. Whether or not you switch pedals,
you should probably reevaluate where your cleats are pointing on the
bottom of your shoe. You might try riding on flat pedals to see what

angle

Quoted message said:

your feet gravitate to when when they are not clipped in. I know in my
case my feet must be angled out a bit (heels almost hitting the
chainstays) or my knees will hurt. In fact, maybe you should just ride
flat pedals for a few months until your knees get better, and then
carefully try to dial a pair in to the proper cleat alignment.

I agree with this. I normally have no knee problems, even doing hilly
double centuries. A couple of years ago I changed my cleat angle (SPD)
slightly just before a long (250 mile) ride. I had to drop out with knee
pain (just the one cleat, just the one knee) at the 200 mile mark. FWIW, I
have to have my shoes toed in to the maximum rotation allowed by the cleat
mounting hardware.

Try experimenting, toeing in, then out, from a neutral position. It
shouldn't take too many miles for your knees to express a preference. Other
things you can do include moving the
cleat forward or back (I've found I like it back all the way for distance
riding), and/or shimming one side of the cleat with washer(s) to change the
pronation.

Some people seem to need float, you may be one of those, but it's more
likely you just need to get dialed in better.

Yum said:

An excellent suggestion. I am impressed. I indeed live in Seattle
area. I did a quick search at UW Sports Medicine site and foud that
they even have a bike fit assesments service.

The majority of pain issues in cycling are related to bike fit. Knees
are no exception. If your knees hurt on the medial side (the side of
your knees facing each other), it is frequently the case that your
feet are too far apart. Riders with short legs are more prone to
being affected by this. Cranks with a lower "Q factor" (the distance
from the outer face of each crank to the centerline of the bike) may
help.

In the "old days," 140 to 145 mm was considered a normal Q factor and
it wasn't hard to find cranks with a narrower measurement. Modern MTB
cranks are often 165 mm or wider, most modern road cranks are 150 mm
or wider. Current Campagnolo cranks tend to have a lower Q factor,
usually around 140 to 145 mm.

Quoted message said:

Question on knee pain.
I have minor knee discomfort after short ride. It is at the inside (bike
side) of knee. Both knees. It is usually nothing serious, except for
once
when I had 200miles ride last summer. It became almost unbearable and I
needed to take Advil. I am thinking of switching to Speedplay X pedal
from
SPD for more float, hoping that may help with my knee problem. I am
interested in hearing your opinion. I know it is not a simple question.
TIA.

Everyone talks about the angle of the cleat but, in my experience, the
fore/aft positioning is the more-likely (and never suspected) culprit. Try
moving the cleats back on the shoe, placing more of your foot over the
pedal. It may have nothing to do with it, but you'd never believe how many
of my customers have had knee problems miraculously "cured" from just this
one simple thing. This includes people who had been seeing sports medicine
specialists and generally paying all manner of $$$ for something that was so
simple it's overlooked entirely.

The idea is that, by moving more of your foot over the pedal, you're
reducing the amount of leverage on tendons & ligaments. I love it when
somebody comes in complaining of knee pains and I notice they have the cleat
mounted toward the front of the shoe. All we have to do is loosen the bolts,
slide the clean back and quite often have a very happy customer.

It may have nothing to do with your situation, but it costs absolutely
nothing to try.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Question on knee pain.
I have minor knee discomfort after short ride. It is at the inside

(bike

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

side) of knee. Both knees. It is usually nothing serious, except for
once
when I had 200miles ride last summer. It became almost unbearable and

I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

needed to take Advil. I am thinking of switching to Speedplay X pedal
from
SPD for more float, hoping that may help with my knee problem. I am
interested in hearing your opinion. I know it is not a simple

question.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

TIA.

Everyone talks about the angle of the cleat but, in my experience, the
fore/aft positioning is the more-likely (and never suspected) culprit. Try
moving the cleats back on the shoe, placing more of your foot over the
pedal. It may have nothing to do with it, but you'd never believe how many
of my customers have had knee problems miraculously "cured" from just this
one simple thing. This includes people who had been seeing sports medicine
specialists and generally paying all manner of $$$ for something that was

so

Quoted message said:

simple it's overlooked entirely.

The idea is that, by moving more of your foot over the pedal, you're
reducing the amount of leverage on tendons & ligaments. I love it when
somebody comes in complaining of knee pains and I notice they have the

cleat

Quoted message said:

mounted toward the front of the shoe. All we have to do is loosen the

bolts,

Quoted message said:

slide the clean back and quite often have a very happy customer.

It may have nothing to do with your situation, but it costs absolutely
nothing to try.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

I'll definitely try it. Thanks.

"Tim McNamara" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Yum said:

An excellent suggestion. I am impressed. I indeed live in Seattle
area. I did a quick search at UW Sports Medicine site and foud that
they even have a bike fit assesments service.

The majority of pain issues in cycling are related to bike fit. Knees
are no exception. If your knees hurt on the medial side (the side of
your knees facing each other), it is frequently the case that your
feet are too far apart. Riders with short legs are more prone to
being affected by this. Cranks with a lower "Q factor" (the distance
from the outer face of each crank to the centerline of the bike) may
help.

Yea. How did you guess I have short legs. ;-)
Unfortunately, it is true.

Quoted message said:

In the "old days," 140 to 145 mm was considered a normal Q factor and
it wasn't hard to find cranks with a narrower measurement. Modern MTB
cranks are often 165 mm or wider, most modern road cranks are 150 mm
or wider. Current Campagnolo cranks tend to have a lower Q factor,
usually around 140 to 145 mm.

I guess the only way to reduce this Q factor is to replace cranks.
Correct ? It looks like I can move cleats closer, but ony 1-2 mm.
Thanks.

Quoted message said:

From: "Mike Jacoubowsky"

Quoted message said:

All we have to do is loosen the bolts,
slide the clean back and quite often have >a very happy customer.

That "foot forward" adj. seemed to make a wonderful difference with me. The
other thing that really helped was going to 165mm cranks (short inseam). Hard
to find in Campy but very well worth it.

Quoted message said:

[mild pain after rides] It is usually nothing serious, except for

Quoted message said:

once
when I had 200miles ride last summer. It became almost unbearable and I
needed to take Advil.

BTDT, a 175 mile day followed by a 150. Well, my second day was more like 135
or so, depending how you factor getting pushed the last 20 miles approx.

Um, you want to pay attention to the mild stuff... Maybe you can fix your
"mechanics" to where the short rides are pain free, and go from there. Advil is
only salve on a wound (but great salve). --TP

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

Everyone talks about the angle of the cleat but, in my experience,
the fore/aft positioning is the more-likely (and never suspected)
culprit. Try moving the cleats back on the shoe, placing more of
your foot over the pedal. It may have nothing to do with it, but
you'd never believe how many of my customers have had knee problems
miraculously "cured" from just this one simple thing. This includes
people who had been seeing sports medicine specialists and generally
paying all manner of $$$ for something that was so simple it's
overlooked entirely.

IME this works very well with Achilles pain as well. I developed
tendinitis in my Achilles on a 600km brevet in 2003, and moving my
cleats backwards about 5mm really helped. Come to think of it, I
haven't moved them back yet. Oh well! I had pretty much duplicated
my foot position on old quill pedals, but with toe clips it was always
hard to get my size 48s deep enough into the pedal without the toe
clips digging into my big toe. Christophe XLs weren't long enough.
Some 10 years after going clipless, moving my cleats back really ended
up being more comfortable on long rides and seem to have had no
adverse consequences.

Yum said:

"Tim McNamara" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Yum said:

An excellent suggestion. I am impressed. I indeed live in
Seattle area. I did a quick search at UW Sports Medicine site
and foud that they even have a bike fit assesments service.

The majority of pain issues in cycling are related to bike fit.
Knees are no exception. If your knees hurt on the medial side (the
side of your knees facing each other), it is frequently the case
that your feet are too far apart. Riders with short legs are more
prone to being affected by this. Cranks with a lower "Q factor"
(the distance from the outer face of each crank to the centerline
of the bike) may help.

Yea. How did you guess I have short legs. ;-) Unfortunately, it is
true.

A wild guess based on the Asian-sounding name. :-)

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

In the "old days," 140 to 145 mm was considered a normal Q factor
and it wasn't hard to find cranks with a narrower measurement.
Modern MTB cranks are often 165 mm or wider, most modern road
cranks are 150 mm or wider. Current Campagnolo cranks tend to have
a lower Q factor, usually around 140 to 145 mm.

I guess the only way to reduce this Q factor is to replace cranks.
Correct ? It looks like I can move cleats closer, but ony 1-2 mm.
Thanks.

You might be able to just replace the bottom bracket, if there's
chainring clearance. A BB with an adjustable chain line like a Phil
Wood might give you more options in this regard. But this might get
you 10 mm narrower at most (although that might be enough).
Otherwise new cranks will probably be the way to go.

Another issue might be crank length. In 2003, I decided to try 180 mm
cranks because I have long legs (91 cm inseam). I rode them about
1000 miles/1600 km and developed pain in my left knee on the medial
side. It was a stabbing sort of pain on extension of my leg. X-rays
showed nothing disceribly amiss, so it's probably a soft tissue
problem. Going back to 175 mm cranks alleviated the pain when
cycling, but if I sit cross-legged for even a couple of minutes my
knee hurts like heck when I try to walk; zazen is out of the question.
No diagnosis thus far. Anyway, in a rambling and roundabout manner, I
am suggesting that you not only consider narrower cranks but shorter
ones as well. If you have short legs and are riding 175 mm cranks,
that might be a contributor.

Tim McNamara said:

Another issue might be crank length. In 2003, I decided to try 180 mm
cranks because I have long legs (91 cm inseam). I rode them about
1000 miles/1600 km and developed pain in my left knee on the medial
side. It was a stabbing sort of pain on extension of my leg. X-rays
showed nothing disceribly amiss, so it's probably a soft tissue
problem. Going back to 175 mm cranks alleviated the pain when
cycling, but if I sit cross-legged for even a couple of minutes my
knee hurts like heck when I try to walk; zazen is out of the question.
No diagnosis thus far.

That sounds a lot like plica syndrome. Stretching the hamstrings 3 or
4 times a day for six weeks often works for that, but the pain is
likely to return if you stop stretching. Was that ever suggested to
you?

--
Aspiring member of the reality-based community.

Jim Smith said:

Tim McNamara said:

Another issue might be crank length. In 2003, I decided to try 180
mm cranks because I have long legs (91 cm inseam). I rode them
about 1000 miles/1600 km and developed pain in my left knee on the
medial side. It was a stabbing sort of pain on extension of my
leg. X-rays showed nothing disceribly amiss, so it's probably a
soft tissue problem. Going back to 175 mm cranks alleviated the
pain when cycling, but if I sit cross-legged for even a couple of
minutes my knee hurts like heck when I try to walk; zazen is out of
the question. No diagnosis thus far.

That sounds a lot like plica syndrome. Stretching the hamstrings 3
or 4 times a day for six weeks often works for that, but the pain is
likely to return if you stop stretching. Was that ever suggested to
you?

A friend of mine/fellow bike racer had knee pain and was diagnosed
with medial plica syndrome; arthroscopic surgery fixed the problem and
he hasn't been troubled in 3 years since. I've read through Andy
Pruitt's e-book on knees and such, with some of the suggestions he
offered being helpful. I've not yet seen a knee specialist, since the
problem is pretty limited atthis point. Now that it's the cooler part
of the endless summer, I have a couple of medical things to attend to.

I've not specifically tried hamstring stretches recently, although I'm
pretty limber in that regard. Thanks for the tip.