knees problem

[gypsy6]

Hi guys!
My name is Tammy. Last few weeks I've been struggling with knees pain but it wasn't so bad after all. I mean - I could ride with bands on my knees and continue my trainings. Few days ago when I woke up and got up I knew something is not right. I felt incredible pain in my right knee, it was hard for my to even walk. I decided to ride on my turbo trainer for 2 hours, but easy hoping that maybe it will heal that knee. It didn't help. So next 3 days I was completly off my bike. I went to the sport doctor and he did usg said that my knee is overloaded ( muscle that bonds thigh and shank or something like that). Anyway he said that I should set my saddle higher, put ice on this knee and stop with hard trainings and ride easy. So today I tried to get on my bike. I've ridden maybe 1km and that's all. It's really painful. Right knee wasn't so bad when I was pedaling easy, but left... ohhh let me just tell you. It hurt so bad and when pedaling easy my left knee shoots so much. I've been having issues with my bones shooting since this year, but they just schoots and it's not the reason I feel pain, because last year I also had problems with knees (but not so serious as I have now) and I hadn't any shooting bones.
This year I did intervals 3x a week since February to June. My intervals looked like: 8x3,5-4min in one day, other day was like 2x18min and in another 4x8min. The last interval session I had it was day before this incredible pain and I felt pretty strong on that session and I've done one more rep due to that.
The thing is that I have holidays now and want to use it and ride my bike instead of sitting on my butt. Without bike I feel like noone. So anyone had been in similiar situation? Anyone know what could help me? I would be so greatfull!

Sorry for mistakes - it's not my first language.

 

[alienator]

If you're having that much pain, the first thing you need to do is stay off the bike until your knee is better. Continuing to exacerbate the pain and irritate the knee isn't going to allow you to heal faster. In fact, it may cause your healing to take longer. You're not getting paid to ride, so there's no need or no sense in throwing caution aside. The second thing you'll need to do is contact the doctor and let him you can't tolerate riding at all.

 

[alfeng]

Originally Posted by gypsy6 .

Hi guys!
My name is Tammy. Last few weeks I've been struggling with knees pain but it wasn't so bad after all. I mean - I could ride with bands on my knees and continue my trainings. Few days ago when I woke up and got up I knew something is not right. I felt incredible pain in my right knee, it was hard for my to even walk. I decided to ride on my turbo trainer for 2 hours, but easy hoping that maybe it will heal that knee. It didn't help. So next 3 days I was completly off my bike. I went to the sport doctor and he did usg said that my knee is overloaded ( muscle that bonds thigh and shank or something like that). Anyway he said that I should set my saddle higher, put ice on this knee and stop with hard trainings and ride easy. So today I tried to get on my bike. I've ridden maybe 1km and that's all. It's really painful. Right knee wasn't so bad when I was pedaling easy, but left... ohhh let me just tell you. It hurt so bad and when pedaling easy my left knee shoots so much. I've been having issues with my bones shooting since this year, but they just schoots and it's not the reason I feel pain, because last year I also had problems with knees (but not so serious as I have now) and I hadn't any shooting bones.
This year I did intervals 3x a week since February to June. My intervals looked like: 8x3,5-4min in one day, other day was like 2x18min and in another 4x8min. The last interval session I had it was day before this incredible pain and I felt pretty strong on that session and I've done one more rep due to that.
The thing is that I have holidays now and want to use it and ride my bike instead of sitting on my butt. Without bike I feel like noone. So anyone had been in similiar situation? Anyone know what could help me? I would be so greatfull!

Sorry for mistakes - it's not my first language.

It sounds as though you have tendonitis ...

If that is the case, then I believe that alienator is correct that your knee needs rest ...

Swimming is probably the lowest impact activity that you can do as an alternative ...

• if you do not know how to swim, then you can use a kick-board to provide the necessary flotation.

See: http://www.wikihow.com/Alleviate-Tendonitis

 

[gypsy6]

Thanks for advices! I'm off my bike for 5 days now and I will probably wait till the pain will gone (I'm giving to my knees 2 more days and if it won't gets even a little better I don't know what I'll do). I'm afraid that I will lose all I've been working on so hard. I know I'm not gettin' paid for that but I'm 16 and it's my last chance to join the club, gain a lot more experience and fail as many times as it needs to be better. I joined club in law but I was 1000 time weaker than I am now.
Tendonitis? I thought about that and I kind of feel like it. Every step is something I'm struggling with and it's just can't be usual overdo.

 

[alfeng]

Originally Posted by gypsy6 .

Thanks for advices! I'm off my bike for 5 days now and I will probably wait till the pain will gone (I'm giving to my knees 2 more days and if it won't gets even a little better I don't know what I'll do). I'm afraid that I will lose all I've been working on so hard. I know I'm not gettin' paid for that but I'm 16 and it's my last chance to join the club, gain a lot more experience and fail as many times as it needs to be better. I joined club in law but I was 1000 time weaker than I am now.
Tendonitis? I thought about that and I kind of feel like it. Every step is something I'm struggling with and it's just can't be usual overdo.

FWIW. Others may disagree, but I think it is of paramount importance for younger athletes to NOT over-stress their joints & soft tissue ...

While it may seem ridiculous to think about how your life will be when you are much older, an accumulation of small injuries which heal quickly when you are young may come back to haunt you when you are much older ...

So, unless you are living in a (former-)/Communist country where achieving success in sports is your only realistic, foreseeable option, you should probably limit your current activity to aerobic maintenance ...

• in addition to strength & flexibility and/or strategy, aerobic ability is often what separates the champions from the person who places in a lower position on the podium

And then, if you don't make the club this year then work toward joining the club next year, or whenever their next tryouts are.

BTW. 'I' think that a higher saddle position will exacerbate your knee problems ...

It may-or-may-not be counter-intuitive AND (based on the advice which you previously received) I suspect that it is certainly against the conventional wisdom ... AND, I may be wrong ... but, I think that setting your saddle as far back as possible (if you have a zero-offset seatpost then you need to buy a "normal" offset seatpost) + lowering your saddle by about 1+ cm will probably put less stress on your knee ... and therefore, less stress on the connective tissue ... because your entire Quad will subsequently be doing more work.

 

[gypsy6]

Still not gettin' better. I couldn't sleep this night due to the pain. It started a week ago with one leg and now both legs are involved...

Basically everyone who training serious will have this problem and it may sounds weird but it's a part of a sport and that's just the way it is. I don't want to think too much about that because life is short and things happend - so I can be afraid for my whole youth that I will have problems with health in older age and then let's say that I'll die before I get old. So I want to do what I like (pushing myself).
Thanks for the advice about saddle! I will try this when I will be able to ride again.

 

[alfeng]

Originally Posted by gypsy6 .

Still not gettin' better. I couldn't sleep this night due to the pain. It started a week ago with one leg and now both legs are involved...

Basically everyone who training serious will have this problem and it may sounds weird but it's a part of a sport and that's just the way it is. I don't want to think too much about that because life is short and things happend - so I can be afraid for my whole youth that I will have problems with health in older age and then let's say that I'll die before I get old. So I want to do what I like (pushing myself).
Thanks for the advice about saddle! I will try this when I will be able to ride again.

FWIW. If you are not already using an over-the-counter analgesic, [COLOR= rgb(255, 0, 0)]consider taking two Ibuprofen tablets shortly before you go to bed [/COLOR]and/or try wearing the compression bands which you have while you sleep.

BTW. It isn't for ME to tell someone else how to train, but there IS a difference between training seriously & over-training.

TEMPUS FUGIT. Time does pass quickly ... particularly when a person is younger ...

And, while the window of opportunity is often small, [COLOR= rgb(0, 100, 0)]life isn't short ([/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(169, 169, 169)]at least, not until-or-unless you have been diagnosed with an incurable disease OR until you are truly older!![/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(0, 100, 0)])[/COLOR] & (hopefully!) other opportunities will present themselves ... including, joining the particular cycling club.

 

[danfoz]

Originally Posted by gypsy6 ..

Basically everyone who training serious will have this problem and it may sounds weird but it's a part of a sport and that's just the way it is. I don't want to think too much about that because life is short and things happend - so I can be afraid for my whole youth that I will have problems with health in older age and then let's say that I'll die before I get old. So I want to do what I like (pushing myself).

Discomfort is part of training but there are different types of pain some of which can mean bad, potentially irreparable things are happening to your body. Swimming in lactate is one thing but plenty of folks train hard for years without experiencing knee pain so it shouldn't be assumed that is part of normal training. While I don't entirely agree on lowering a saddle to alleviate knee pain, the one and only time I've experienced any bad knee pain was when experimenting with positioning and my saddle was further forward than usual. Moving it back immediately resolved the issue. Unless a saddle is too low to begin with, a movement of the saddle backwards should be accompanied with a slight lowering (maybe even just a few millimeters). Some time off the bike may be prudent, with a possible re-evaluation off your fit. Train hard, but train smart as well.

 

[gypsy6]

Originally Posted by danfoz .

Discomfort is part of training but there are different types of pain some of which can mean bad, potentially irreparable things are happening to your body. Swimming in lactate is one thing but plenty of folks train hard for years without experiencing knee pain so it shouldn't be assumed that is part of normal training. While I don't entirely agree on lowering a saddle to alleviate knee pain, the one and only time I've experienced any bad knee pain was when experimenting with positioning and my saddle was further forward than usual. Moving it back immediately resolved the issue. Unless a saddle is too low to begin with, a movement of the saddle backwards should be accompanied with a slight lowering (maybe even just a few millimeters). Some time off the bike may be prudent, with a possible re-evaluation off your fit. Train hard, but train smart as well.

People started to see that I've grown a little - only 1-2 cm but it's definately sign that in first place I schould set my saddle higher. I will try all the tips you guys are giving me here and choose the best one for me. Thanks!

Originally Posted by alfeng .


FWIW. If you are not already using an over-the-counter analgesic, [COLOR= rgb(255, 0, 0)]consider taking two Ibuprofen tablets shortly before you go to bed [/COLOR]and/or try wearing the compression bands which you have while you sleep.

BTW. It isn't for ME to tell someone else how to train, but there IS a difference between training seriously & over-training.

TEMPUS FUGIT. Time does pass quickly ... particularly when a person is younger ...

And, while the window of opportunity is often small, [COLOR= rgb(0, 100, 0)]life isn't short ([/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(169, 169, 169)]at least, not until-or-unless you have been diagnosed with an incurable disease OR until you are truly older!![/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(0, 100, 0)])[/COLOR] & (hopefully!) other opportunities will present themselves ... including, joining the particular cycling club.

I started taking Ibuprofen and it's definately better. I mean - I still feel pain but I can walk! I really hope that this tablets will help me!
Sorry if I sounded meanly - I know that life isn't short unless bad things happen but if this things comes to so many people I should remember that it may come to me as well...

 

[alfeng]

Originally Posted by gypsy6 .

People started to see that I've grown a little - only 1-2 cm but it's definately sign that in first place I schould set my saddle higher. I will try all the tips you guys are giving me here and choose the best one for me. Thanks!

I started taking Ibuprofen and it's definately better. I mean - I still feel pain but I can walk! I really hope that this tablets will help me!
Sorry if I sounded meanly - I know that life isn't short unless bad things happen but if this things comes to so many people I should remember that it may come to me as well...

If you have grown almost 2cm since the last time you adjusted your bike's saddle height then you probably should not lower the saddle if-or-when you move it rearward in the seatpost's cradle.

BTW. IMO, it is beneficial to know the actual "tape measure" distance between the middle of the BB spindle & the top of the saddle (e.g., along the axis of the seat tube -- THAT is an arbitrary measurement which will allow you to know where to either replicate the position on another bike or to re-set the saddle if alternative positions are not beneficial to mitigating your knee pain).

 

[Leadr1]

I think you should start some exercises for getting strong knees. Just a little bit regularly. Also try to drink Hot milk.