How can cleat position strain my outer thigh muscles?

[Fletch456]

Hi,

Cycling is using my outer thigh muscles more than my inner - those muscles ache before any others and when I went for a massage at the weekend he confirmed that - the outer thigh muscles are buildling up faster. I know I have fallen arches if that impacts it.

Anyone able to advise how I set the cleats to help alleviate this. And orthotics are detested by many when your feet are formed, beyond teenage years, including my physio but maybe there is merit it me getting them for cycling?

Suggestions welcome. Sorry for starting in a way a thread that must elsewhere if only for standard cleat fixing.

 

[montage]

Are you sure this isn't a saddle height issue?

 

[Angelfishsolo]

I would guess that if the cleats are pointing slightly inwards then the stress would be on the outside of the thigh and outwards would put stress on the inside of the thigh. You can feel this if you sit in a chair, place your foot on the ground and point your toes inwards or outwards. Based on this very basic test turn your foot until the muscle stress in equal and set cleats to point in that direction.

 

[HLaB]

I found this guide quite useful for cleat alignment and this one for fore and aft and sideways adjustment. I'm a bit mystified how cleat set up would affect the thigh though, any problems usually manifest around the knee.

I've got a pair of orthotics but I don't wear them when cycling (they seemed to cause me problems when I did) my physio thought that was OK though as pedalling is done on the balls of my feet (unlike walking) and not affected much by the orthotics. I would seek further advice though.

 

[brockers]

I would guess that if the cleats are pointing slightly inwards then the stress would be on the outside of the thigh and outwards would put stress on the inside of the thigh. You can feel this if you sit in a chair, place your foot on the ground and point your toes inwards or outwards. Based on this very basic test turn your foot until the muscle stress in equal and set cleats to point in that direction.

Agreed. And you're also keeping your hip rotators (gluteus medius - a muscle which rotates your toes inwards) unnecessairly strained. Could also lead to achy hips later. Might be worth discussing things with an osteopath if you can afford it (Try pushing for a referral from your GP if money's tight). Ime, they're very good at getting to the root of biomechanical problems. From what I understand, a lot of foot/ankle/lower leg imbalances can show up as problems in the thigh/pelvis/lower back.

 

[Fletch456]

Thanks guys and I will read those articles HLab as I don't think I've ever paid understood how to thoroughly set cleats properly - or it's certainly an chance and good reason to revisit how it's done.

Yesterday I pushed my knees outwards and that helped - it's not what I do naturally and when I see other cyclists doing it sometimes it looks like they would walk with bandy legs and I don't think it's a good long term solution but it can help in the short term.

 

[Fletch456]

HLab - the first link doesn't work - without the www. is this what you meant? parktool.com/blog/repair-help/pedal-retension-system-and-cleats

I googled the text on the end to try to get to it that way but may be the article has been removed or something.

 

[fossyant]

Cleat position.

Ideally your 'ball' of the foot should be directly over the axle. You can get from finding your 'ball' of your foot with shoe on, and marking the shoe. Fit the cleat so that the central marker is in line.

Rotation and position in and out from crank shouldn't affect your leg, only the all important knee. The angle is very important, so don't go far without allen keys to adjust.

For setting saddle height (as an initial adjustment) get bike next to a wall, make sure you are sat on it properly, then with no shoes on, extend leg fully to touch the pedal at it's lowest position - if you can just touch the axle with your heal in bear feet then this is where you start from. Repeat a couple of times each side. I find I have to lower about 3mm after doing this (regular track rider on hired bikes - this serves as a good starter though).

Wrong height will pull muscles, but if you've had a bike at the wrong height for some time, do not adjust to a new setting in one go - just make max 5mm changes an carry on riding, then a little more over a number of weeks. Don't ever make any drastic changes.

You will get to a point, where even in the first couple of pedal turns, you'll know if a set up isn't right, or a cleat may have moved.

 

[HLaB]

HLab - the first link doesn't work - without the www. is this what you meant? parktool.com/blog/repair-help/pedal-retension-system-and-cleats

I googled the text on the end to try to get to it that way but may be the article has been removed or something.

It works for me but thats exactly it.

 

[pshore]

Hi,

Cycling is using my outer thigh muscles more than my inner - those muscles ache before any others and when I went for a massage at the weekend he confirmed that - the outer thigh muscles are buildling up faster. I know I have fallen arches if that impacts it.

Anyone able to advise how I set the cleats to help alleviate this. And orthotics are detested by many when your feet are formed, beyond teenage years, including my physio but maybe there is merit it me getting them for cycling?

Suggestions welcome. Sorry for starting in a way a thread that must elsewhere if only for standard cleat fixing.

It might be worth looking up Illiotibial Band Syndrome and checking out the stretches for this condition so you don't end up with it.

You don't have ITBS and I am sure your Physio would have mentioned ITBS if you did because it is one of the most common sporting injuries. Just in case you don't know, the band starts at your hip, goes down the outside of your leg and connects just below your knee. It sounds like you are working your muscles hard in that area.

 

[Fletch456]

Having read your posts and the articles provided by HLab (HLab - I go the link that wouldn't work for me yesterday ok so thanks for confirming) I feel more informed and aware of how much there can be done in set up with cleats and may be ride height too.

I've been getting some pain that one of the articles describes as medial pain for a while though off and on. So I've moved the cleats so the shoes are further away from the bike (they were most of the way but not all) and going to tweak direction toes point later today. I'll also factor in that my heel is further in in relation to the toes on one foot versus the other - which I discovered when I sat on a table, bare footed and looked at them properly for the first time.

Though I've been road riding for about 6 years the the upside is I've only been riding on a weekly basis for 18 months and not had these problems all the time but feel in a much more educated to be able to do something about them now.