Sore knees any idea how to cure it ?



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Dave

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I am suffering form a sore feeling on the inside of the knee on both my legs, it is agrivated by
cycling and leaves a feeling of soerness and a rubbing feeling on the inside of my knees .My
specialist has told me that i have swelling and inflamed cartlidges but there is no cure as far as
he knows apart from the Glucosamine idea . They have key holed me and found nothing wrong and no
debris floating about . What i would like to know is does anyone else suffer from this and is there
any way of curing it so i can get back to some kind of life back in the saddle
......................Thanks...................Dave
 
On Sun, 20 Apr 2003 20:34:34 +0000 (UTC), Dave wrote:
> I am suffering form a sore feeling on the inside of the knee on both my legs, it is agrivated by
> cycling and leaves a feeling of soerness and a rubbing feeling on the inside of my knees.

Front or sides? I have both, actually. The pain in the front came from mountain biking with the
gears too high. It has improved over time, but it took about a year before it didn't cause some
pain. The trick has been to keep it in a low enough gear, and keep the seat high enough.

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In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> I am suffering form a sore feeling on the inside of the knee on both my legs, it is agrivated by
> cycling and leaves a feeling of soerness and a rubbing feeling on the inside of my knees .My
> specialist has told me that i have swelling and inflamed cartlidges but there is no cure as far as
> he knows apart from the Glucosamine idea . They have key holed me and found nothing wrong and no
> debris floating about . What i would like to know is does anyone else suffer from this and is
> there any way of curing it so i can get back to some kind of life back in the saddle
> ......................Thanks...................Dave
>
>
>

I think the first question the folks here will ask is, are you sure your seat post height
is correct?

I can't remember the specifics on how to tell if you need to raise or lower it, but i think the
general rule is, sitting on the seat with a leg on the pedal, the seat should be high enough so that
when the pedal is at about the 6:30 - 7:00 position, your leg should be fully extended with a slight
bend at the knee (you can get a knee injury if it is so high that the knee locks straight, or your
foot leaves the pedal).

After i learned this fact, my lungs would give out before my knees ever would.

What kind of specialist did you see? IMO a sports doctor, or a doctor that is very familiar with
sports related injuries and other issues.

~Travis
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travis5765.homelinux.net, Primary Administrator TF Custom Electronic, Owner/Founder/Developer
(current project: Automotive exhaust flame-thrower)
 
The seat post is at the correct height (straight leg , fully extended etc )
. The specialist is a joint guru and is well recognised in his field and describes my knees as this
. "You are a new house with old carpets in " . The trouble is in walking and is around in a mild
form 24/7 so its not the wrong height on the seat post syndrome but thanks for the thought . I
reckon its wear and tear but it looks like ive got to live with it . "Technician"
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> > I am suffering form a sore feeling on the inside of the knee on both my legs, it is agrivated by
> > cycling and leaves a feeling of soerness and a rubbing feeling on the inside of my knees .My
> > specialist has told me
that i
> > have swelling and inflamed cartlidges but there is no cure as far as he knows apart from the
> > Glucosamine idea . They have key holed me and found nothing wrong and no debris floating about .
> > What i would like to know
is
> > does anyone else suffer from this and is there any way of curing it so i
can
> > get back to some kind of life back in the saddle
> > ......................Thanks...................Dave
> >
> >
> >
>
> I think the first question the folks here will ask is, are you sure your seat post height is
> correct?
>
> I can't remember the specifics on how to tell if you need to raise or lower it, but i think the
> general rule is, sitting on the seat with a leg on the pedal, the seat should be high enough so
> that when the pedal is at about the 6:30 - 7:00 position, your leg should be fully extended with a
> slight bend at the knee (you can get a knee injury if it is so high that the knee locks straight,
> or your foot leaves the pedal).
>
> After i learned this fact, my lungs would give out before my knees ever would.
>
> What kind of specialist did you see? IMO a sports doctor, or a doctor that is very familiar with
> sports related injuries and other issues.
>
> ~Travis
> --
> To reply by email, remove clothes.
>
> travis5765.homelinux.net, Primary Administrator TF Custom Electronic, Owner/Founder/Developer
> (current project: Automotive exhaust flame-thrower)
 
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> The seat post is at the correct height (straight leg , fully extended etc )
> . The specialist is a joint guru and is well recognised in his field and describes my knees as
> this . "You are a new house with old carpets in " . The trouble is in walking and is around in a
> mild form 24/7 so its not the wrong height on the seat post syndrome but thanks for the thought
> . I reckon its wear and tear but it looks like ive got to live with it .

Pain should not have to be lived with. see if the doc can recommend a good pain-reliever you can
take before a ride.

A while back i got a knee injury from a rock that just jumped out and hit me. taking 3 ibuprofen
(sp?) 30 minutes before the ride managed to dull the pain enough. can't remember what's good for
joint inflammation, tylenol perhaps. (though don't take the two noted here together of course.)

The doc would have a better idea of what will work.

If all else fails, if you use clipless, or toe straps, or even toe-clips or baskets, you could try
and change your pedalling style to include more upstroke power. this should take some of the strain
off just one knee on the power stroke. maybe just experimenting with different pedalling styles
could provide you with a method that either removes or lessens the pain.

~Travis
--
To reply by email, remove clothes.

travis5765.homelinux.net, Primary Administrator TF Custom Electronic, Owner/Founder/Developer
(current project: Automotive exhaust flame-thrower)
 
Dave wrote:
> I am suffering form a sore feeling on the inside of the knee on both my legs, it is agrivated by
> cycling and leaves a feeling of soerness and a rubbing feeling on the inside of my knees .My
> specialist has told me that i have swelling and inflamed cartlidges but there is no cure as far as
> he knows apart from the Glucosamine idea . They have key holed me and found nothing wrong and no
> debris floating about . What i would like to know is does anyone else suffer from this and is
> there any way of curing it so i can get back to some kind of life back in the saddle
> ......................Thanks...................Dave
>
>

General Rule #1: Spin - keep your cadence above 90 rpm.

General Rule #2: If the front of your knee hurts, raise the saddle. if the back hurts, lower it. Do
so in small increaments however ( > 5mm @ a time) or you can cause more problems then you fix.

cycling is usualy good for the knees. a friend of mine had all the catlige taken out of Both her
knees, she can't run competivly anylonger but can still ride. how long you been riding ( how many
mile/week)? what type of pedal/shoes are you useing? what type of terrain do you usealy ride?
 
"Dave" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I am suffering form a sore feeling on the inside of the knee on both my legs, it is agrivated by
> cycling and leaves a feeling of soerness and a rubbing feeling on the inside of my knees .My
> specialist has told me that
i
> have swelling and inflamed cartlidges but there is no cure as far as he knows apart from the
> Glucosamine idea . They have key holed me and found nothing wrong and no debris floating about
> . What i would like to know is does anyone else suffer from this and is there any way of
> curing it so i
can
> get back to some kind of life back in the saddle
> ......................Thanks...................Dave
>
>

Are you riding clipless? Try adjusting your cleats for a more heel out position. Small changes in
position make a big difference.

Mike
 
RE/
> What i would like to know is does anyone else suffer from this and is there any way of curing it
> so i can get back to some kind of life back in the saddle

Seems to me like there are probably dozens, if not hundreds of possible causes for knee pain.

Having said that, my own knees are marginal at best - yet biking on three of my four bikes doesn't
bother them. What's relevant is that doing 20 miles on the fourth bike will have me limping for two
days. In this case, it's not a clip or saddle height issue because I ride flats and all 4 saddles
are at the same height.

What variables does that leave? KOPS-ness; fully-rigid vs front sus vs full sys; and pushing too
much gear (the bike that messes up my knees is ancient, the shifting is poor, and the number of
gears limited).

If I were in your situation, the first four things I'd do would be to check for KOPS, experiement
with saddle height, get a cadence-sensing speedometer, temorarily change over to flats, and back off
on the intensity.

- Back off on the intensity because pain is nature's way...

- Flats, just to eliminate any clipless-specific problem.

- Cadence-specific speedo to force me to keep a lighter, quicker stroke.

- Saddle height because too low a saddle is hard on anybody's knees

- KOPS just to get back in the ballpark in case the the saddle's fore-aft postion is really
out of joing.
-----------------------
PeteCresswell
 
In article <[email protected]>, Dave wrote:
> The seat post is at the correct height (straight leg , fully extended etc )

That is, in fact, the wrong height. At highest, when your leg is at the bottom of your pedal stroke,
your leg should NOT be straight. Your knee should still be bent just a few degrees. If my seat is
too high, and my leg is straightening too much, I get bad pains in the backs of my knees. There may
be other contributing factors, but lower your seat by one or 2 centimetres as well.

> . The specialist is a joint guru and is well recognised in his field and describes my knees as
> this . "You are a new house with old carpets in " . The trouble is in walking and is around in a
> mild form 24/7 so its not the wrong height on the seat post syndrome but thanks for the thought
> . I reckon its wear and tear but it looks like ive got to live with it .

There's always something to be done, even if it's only to cut your rides short until your knees are
strong enough to put up with the strain.

JS

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screaming." - Evil Willow, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
 
If you angle your knees outward during the power stroke, more pressure is placed on the cartilage on
the inside of the knee and kneecap. The outside of the knees will suffer if they are angled inward.
Watch how your knees travel, especially when pedaling your hardest and you may have a clue to the
source of your pain. A straight up and down knee action is best, although it may take some practice
to overcome bad pedaling habits.

Ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatories may temporarily relieve pain, but they may lead to more
longterm damage. Glucosamine and MSM are two nutritional supplements that have helped many
people with joint problems and don't have bad side effects for most people, when taken in
proper dosges. However, Glucosamine is commonly derived from the shells of shrimp, so if you
have an allergy to shellfish, avoid taking it.

Steve McDonald
 
Visit a _qualified_ Physical Therapist and invest $40 in a "bike fit" session.
 
(Pete Cresswell) wrote:
> - Flats, just to eliminate any clipless-specific problem.

Speedplay FROGS!!!!!
 
"Dave" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I am suffering form a sore feeling on the inside of the knee on both my legs, it is agrivated by
> cycling and leaves a feeling of soerness and a rubbing feeling on the inside of my knees .My
> specialist has told me that
i
> have swelling and inflamed cartlidges but there is no cure as far as he knows apart from the
> Glucosamine idea . They have key holed me and found nothing wrong and no debris floating about
> . What i would like to know is does anyone else suffer from this and is there any way of
> curing it so i
can
> get back to some kind of life back in the saddle
> ......................Thanks...................Dave
>
>

Dave, Just to add to what others have already said, there are so many things you can adjust on your
bike that it is work playing with all of them, one at a time. Items that come to mind: seat height,
seat fore and aft, cleat position (or the equivalent rat-trap position). It would seem that handle
bar position, either reach or height, would not affect knee comfort, but it may be worth an
adjustment. Play with these, it is easy, free, and may solve some of your problems.
--
Craig Brossman, Durango Colorado
 
"Jan Sacharuk" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>, Dave wrote:
> > The seat post is at the correct height (straight leg , fully extended etc )
>
> That is, in fact, the wrong height. At highest, when your leg is at the bottom of your pedal
> stroke, your leg should NOT be straight. Your knee should still be bent just a few degrees. If my
> seat is too high,

More specifically, your leg angle should be about 70 to 80 degrees at full extension (20 to 30
degrees from straight).
 
Give that man a cigar! I had really bad ITB pain when tramping with a heavy pack. Turns out it was
from cycling with my knees angled inward. Some footbeds and lots of stretching fixed it - although I
still have to watch my knee position when riding. It does take some time to re-train the muscle
memory and get your mechanics right.

Si

"Steve McDonald" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> If you angle your knees outward during the power stroke, more pressure is placed on the
> cartilage on the inside of the knee and kneecap. The outside of the knees will suffer if they
> are angled inward. Watch how your knees travel, especially when pedaling your hardest and you
> may have a clue to the source of your pain. A straight up and down knee action is best,
> although it may take some practice to overcome bad pedaling habits.
>
> Ibuprofen and other anti-inflammatories may temporarily relieve pain, but they may lead to
> more longterm damage. Glucosamine and MSM are two nutritional supplements that have helped
> many people with joint problems and don't have bad side effects for most people, when taken
> in proper dosges. However, Glucosamine is commonly derived from the shells of shrimp, so if
> you have an allergy to shellfish, avoid taking it.
>
> Steve McDonald
 
Michael Dart wrote:
> "Dave" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>> I am suffering form a sore feeling on the inside of the knee on both my legs, it is agrivated by
>> cycling and leaves a feeling of soerness and a rubbing feeling on the inside of my knees .My
>> specialist has told me that i have swelling and inflamed cartlidges but there is no cure as far
>> as he knows apart from the Glucosamine idea . They have key holed me and found nothing wrong and
>> no debris floating about . What i would like to know is does anyone else suffer from this and is
>> there any way of curing it so i can get back to some kind of life back in the saddle
>> ......................Thanks...................Dave

Get a good bike fitter to check your knee position when you pressure the pedal. When you pose in
front of a mirror is your knee forward of the pedal at the 3 o'clock position or perhaps too far
behind the pedal. Mike
 
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