knee problems
Thread started by
aksendz at 09.24.08 - 10:12 pm
i haven;t been riding my bike for a good 3 weeks but all of a sudden the inner side of my left knee started to hurt.
now that i got my bike back i want to start riding but i dont want to damage anything
anyone have any advice what i should do =/
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Welcome to the fucking club. Except in reverse. My right knee is dead and therefore I won't be riding for three weeks. (Probably actually two.)
"now that i got my bike back i want to start riding but i dont want to damage anything"
I'd damage anything to ride right now. :'(
Hah.
1. Frozen peas. If there's anything I've learned from Alex Tallcans, (which there's plenty) it's to use frozen peas.
2. Knee brace? Sometimes it's too painful to put on.
3. I don't know. Someone give
me knee advice please.
imachynna09.24.08 - 10:36 pm
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i'm having the same problem. actually at the last crank mob my right knee froze up on me and my left calf cramped up at the same time i almost fell on someone when it happened luckily i was able to catch my self and limp to the curb.
i noticed it happens when i don't ride for a few days sometimes weeks and then all of a sudden go on these party rides for hours on + the cold weather we've been having at night. my brothers wife who is a nurse said if i insist on riding at night that i should just wear a brace and keep the legs warm. ice for the most part would relieve the pain in the knee but a warm pack helps blood circulate ice and hot. cold pack it if its hurting and heat it up if it feels like its locking up.
Vince09.24.08 - 10:58 pm
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Here's everything I've learned about knee trouble after enduring it for almost a year.
-Ride a bike that fits. Most crucial
-Adjust the saddle properly. Height as well as fore/aft.
-Don't pedal with your toes pointed down. Keep your foot flat. Some people (myself included) even prefer to drop the heel a bit at the top of the stroke.
-Stop mashing. This is arguably the hardest part of your "form" to fix. You want to go fast. But mashing will kill your knees sooner or later. Drop to a lower gear. It DOES get easier eventually.
And if you ride a fixie, especially brakeless, I'm sure you know what you need to do.
hatehills09.24.08 - 11:09 pm
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Also, I find that if I stop and do a couple quick stretches after riding the first mile or two, that really helps for the rest of my ride. Get warmed up before stretching...cold stretching is pretty pointless.
And try keeping your knees warm. They sell knee warmers really cheap at Performance.
hatehills09.24.08 - 11:11 pm
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mmm, peas!
thanx for the advice.
where can i get fitted and stuff?
or at least get some info on it.
aksendz09.24.08 - 11:20 pm
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Some thoughts......
Did you go to aluminum frame?
Everything Hatehills said
Did you gain some weight?
What helped me is putting shins in my cleats. This will slant the balls of your feet one way or another. Do you notice that you wear your shoes out on the outsides? I do, and the insides of me hurt me also. If so some shin for clip in peddles may help. Raise the balls of your feet up so that your insides (big toe) is raised a little. You may want to raise the side of your feet with your big toe up, this may alleviate your pain.
sexy09.24.08 - 11:47 pm
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I think sexy meant shims, not shins. You should always put your feet, not your shins, into your cleats.
Although I suppose you could try putting a shim ---->
into your cleats. Might work.
hatehills09.25.08 - 1:14 am
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Start by identifying the source of your problem:
Stand with one or both of your legs locked, so that your knee cap floats. Now gently move your knee cap from side to side. If it hurts in a particular area, you are likely suffering from some form of inflamation. This is likely caused by any number of reasons that everyone else has mentioned so far.
If gentle knee cap manipulation does not provoke a pain response, you are probably suffering from either muscle pain (which will eventually go away) or from mild external conditions which, coupled with riding, have aggravated a particular surface surrounding the knee cap.
For example, the front of one knee cap used to hurt me daily; almost as soon as I would start riding.
My discomfort was caused by my heavy pants (double knee Carharts) and the position of my saddle. Either I could wear loose fiting pants/shorts or adjust my saddle a 1/4 inch back. The pain has since vanished.
It pays to study the eccentricities of your condition.
Best of luck.
Eric Hair09.25.08 - 3:10 am
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"where can i get fitted and stuff?
or at least get some info on it."
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm
http://www.coloradocyclist.com/bikefit
Your bike saddle should be high enough that your legs are just short of fully straightened at the bottom of the stroke. (Alternately, you can raise the seat high enough that your hips start to rock as you pedal, and lower it slightly until your hips stop rocking.)
The saddle should be adjusted forward / backward enough so that your knee is approximately directly over the ball of your foot when that pedal is forward and the crank is horizontal.
The saddle should be angled close to horizontal, so your sit bones are square on the saddle. Angling the nose of the seat too far forward shifts your weight to your hands and you may be pushing yourself back on the saddle a lot.
Once you've got this more or less sorted out, have a friend watch you as you bike, and note anything unusual about your pedalling style. Are your knees flared out? Are your feet at an unusual angle, either pointing in or out, or overly up or down?
It's all a matter of small adjustments and finding what works for you.
(There's also the slim possibility that you may have some anatomical eccentricity (one leg slightly shorter/longer than the other, etc.), but there's a lot of adjustment you can make before you need to worry about that.)
Buy a good multi-tool / allen wrench set, and play with it until you get things sorted.
Good Luck!
JB09.25.08 - 7:30 am
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the easiest way to fix your saddle height is to sit your bike on a trainer or roller, or you can do it in the streets
but if you have clips, or clipless pedals, spin with one leg only.
being too short, you'll notice that the spinning action isn't very smooth once you start getting to the top
adjust it to where you can spin it in a perfect circle without putting strain on your knees.
ijunes09.25.08 - 10:29 am
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if youre cramping while riding from crank mob you need to drink alot less beer and alot more water. sparks and joose are gonna kill you with all the caffeine and alcohol. diuretics rule!
ruinedbyidiots09.25.08 - 10:31 am
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yeah, if you want pain free joints, it's important to get fitted. Also, I'd recommend investing (seriously, it's an investment) in some high quality cycling shoes. I paid a pretty penny for my SIDIs and haven't regretted it for a second.
canadienne09.25.08 - 10:34 am
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I iced it yesterday with frozen berrys, then warmed it up.
After, my knee hurt a lot but now, the next day it hurts much less.
Im going to try and keep icing it.
definitely, i'm checking the fitting websites right now.
Are shoes really major?
In the begging I used to ride with flipflops
and now with regular sneakers.
aksendz09.25.08 - 11:01 am
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if you're doing any amount of long distance riding, then yes, i'd say proper cycling shoes are very important. I used to bike in my converse until I started doing some major distances. Always after about 75 miles my Achilles would start to really hurt, and by 100 miles it was shooting burning pains from my ankles to my knees. Some people who did the AIDS LifeCycle ride without cycling shoes had major problems with that too.
I suppose my knee problems were taken care of as soon as I had my bike fitted... and the shoes were more of an ankle thing... but either way, I'd recommend both for best results.
canadienne09.25.08 - 11:17 am
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p.s. if you missed this in another thread, here's a link to really amazing shoes for the best prices you'll find anywhere.
SIDI shoes on sierratradingpost.com
canadienne09.25.08 - 11:21 am
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soft shoes and bad fit mean that your feet and your knees are flopping around everywhere...
it's best to find a good fit, then a good clean stroke to protect your knees...
I can help you if you ever get to the Bike Oven on a Tuesday night...
I do an "eyeball" fit...
but you might run to a "real" bike shop for a professional fit
adrian09.25.08 - 12:41 pm
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"Stand with one or both of your legs locked, so that your knee cap floats. Now gently move your knee cap from side to side. If it hurts in a particular area, you are likely suffering from some form of inflamation. This is likely caused by any number of reasons that everyone else has mentioned so far.
If gentle knee cap manipulation does not provoke a pain response, you are probably suffering from either muscle pain (which will eventually go away) or from mild external conditions which, coupled with riding, have aggravated a particular surface surrounding the knee cap. "
-Eric Hair
Why didn't the stupid doctor tell me this when I was at the hospital? Because I'd much rather hear this then something like "After the whole two hours and shit load of X-rays that made you move your knee painfully, I just have to say it's bruised. Here's a piece of paper with information on how to help bruises. Thanks for your money. Good night."
imachynna09.25.08 - 1:58 pm
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What should I look for when buying a shoe?
Are there any places in LA that physically sell SIDI's so i can try them on?
aksendz09.25.08 - 2:45 pm
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dont ride a fixie
Purp09.25.08 - 4:30 pm
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Chyna, I'm going to say 99% of your problem is seat height. I know you don't want to hear it from me any more, but, yeah, I'm sure that's where your problem is coming from. Next time I see you I can help you fit it more correctly if you'll let me.
There's a reason I wear knee braces when I ride Choppette.
FuzzBeast09.25.08 - 4:36 pm
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Fuzz, I love it when you nag me about my seat height. Seriously. That's why I'm always laughing and smiling when you do it. I'll let you adjust my seat at the next ride, promise. Unfortunately, I'm going to say that 1% is due to seat height and 99% is due to eating shit when bikejousting. :(
imachynna09.25.08 - 8:45 pm
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@askendz,
Any reputable bikeshope will have a large selection of cycling shoes for you to try, but remember that about half the cost is the shoes, and the other is the pedals...
Also, a knee problem is almost always caused by either your hips, or feet, the knee just happens to suffer from any abnormalities in either.
Some things you can do to help is:
- strengthen your core (situps, leg lifts etc) so that your body is more stable in the saddle.
- relax your arms/hands/neck
- breath comfortably
- quad strengthening to help stabilize your knee
- ankle strengthening to help stabilize your feet
- pedal evenly and fluidly (no mashing like everyone is saying)
- don't force yourself to ride
- get a
foam roller and stretch out your muscles/tendons.
All of these things will take about 2 months (minimum) before you notice any improvements because your body still has to repair the damage that's been done before it can strengthen what you need, so be patient, and relax. The best thing you can do is be proactive so that you don't end up with a chronic problem.
e-rock09.25.08 - 10:19 pm
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Dang even the pedals matter?
I have chepo recycled pedals=/
aksendz09.25.08 - 10:42 pm
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You don't have to go that far since you're not hardcore biking & 'specially since you don't ride fixed. For sure stretch and raise your seat at least. Make sure you fit your bike comfortably. And don't ride until your knee feels better. We have two different cases, but E-Rock gave good info fitness-wise, which fits for any case.
imachynna09.25.08 - 11:07 pm
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We need to make a into manual for all new rides talking about fixing tires, sizing, common problems, and all that fun stuff!
aksendz09.25.08 - 11:38 pm
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also a special section on how to be hip as well
aksendz09.25.08 - 11:39 pm
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RECEIVING GENTLE KISSES WORKS FOR ME, I SEEM TO FORGET THE PAIN, PROBLEM SOLVED.
eddieboyinla09.25.08 - 11:58 pm
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Check out the book by Dr. Andy Pruitt............. It covers all kinds of cycling injuries and explains how they arose and what to do o correct the injury.....
Freeekeone09.26.08 - 8:16 am
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"We need to make a into manual for all new rides talking about fixing tires, sizing, common problems, and all that fun stuff!"
You mean like sheldonbrown.com?
http://sheldonbrown.com/beginners/index.html
http://sheldonbrown.com/repair/index.html
JB09.26.08 - 8:56 am
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I gotz a really bad knee (hyper extension some 3 or 4 years ago)
and I just end up using double knee braces(1 a small tight one, those simple no extra support or nothing, just spandex
2. the heavy mother Hubbord with the side metal strips and everything)
although I heard if you force your knee in place like this, the muscles wont have room to grow back and heel properly, but I always end up fucking it back up any way, no where else to turn besides..*drum roll*.....surgery
Little Evil Eddy09.27.08 - 5:28 pm
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Oh, and if you already haven't found this out, as long as your not going up a STEEP hill, it's pretty easy to limp on a bike
Little Evil Eddy09.27.08 - 5:32 pm
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* stretch your quads
* stretch your calves
* stretch your hamstrings
* stretch your IT bands
* stretch your hip adductors
* stretch before riding
* stretch after riding
* have a daily stretching session
* ice knees after riding, even the one that doesn't hurt
* hydrate
* eat
* watch your electrolytes on long distances
You may have noticed that there is a lot of stretching suggested here. That is because it really will help you. I say this as a person who has had his left knee destroyed and had to build it back again.
ephemerae11.22.08 - 11:30 am
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Nutrition: MSM and Vit C.
Emotional: Relationship issues with siblings show up in the knees.
DMSO
alec11.22.08 - 12:14 pm
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Seriously,
For any bikers that don't know this--you have an amazing bodyworker in your community.
Crespin does Structural Therapy, which is very deep tissue work--and he has an amazing understanding of how the body works and all the ways that we can use it badly. He helps correct those problems. He's worked on many ridazz. He can not only help take care of the pain, but he can also show you what you are doing wrong with your body, tell you how to improve it, and suggest special stretches for you.
Yes, I am biased--he's my partner--but if you ask around others will tell you the same about how good he is. And he's right here in your biking community.
Wonderdave11.22.08 - 1:45 pm
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Ridazz Roulette!
Haha, yeah, Sheldon Brown is our manual.