re-occurring knee niggle

[Doyleyburger]

I got this knee niggle about 40 miles into my ride a few weeks ago. Was quite uncomfortable to say the least.
Weather has been crap for the last few weeks so I haven't managed to go back out till today. This time it happened about 3 miles into the ride.
It's to the side of the knee and today it was a bit more painful.
Has anyone experienced this before ? ....perhaps it could be that I still haven't had a proper bike setup yet or maybe I'm using that leg too much when I'm riding compared to my other leg ????
I know that you guys aren't all gonna be doctors but I am going to assume that this could be a common issue with newbie cyclist like myself. So hopefully someone can help me out here

 

[Dusty Bin]

It's to the side of the knee

Can you be more specific - like which side?

 

[Doyleyburger]

Right leg. right hand side of the knee.

 

[vickster]

Look at saddle height and cleat position

Also, rest it. Was it a very hilly ride that aggravated it?

 

[buggi]

i have this from time to time. I'm gonna guess that its a cartilage problem. See a physio, she will give you some exercises.
in my case one side of my quad is slightly underdeveloped bcoz my right knee is very slightly turned inwards (i can't really tell but her trained eye spotted it immediately) so wasn't supporting my knee properly when i bent it. I think the common term is knock knee'd. She gave me some exercises to strengthen it, which did the job at the time (pain was sharp, to the right of my knee cap, and tight and felt like something was going to snap when I knelt down and tried to stand up)
the problem came back last week in a slightly different place (sharp pain through my knee when pushing down) so I've got an appointment tomorrow. Although I've been pain free for a few years. I suspect its the same thing.

 

[400bhp]

i have this from time to time. I'm gonna guess that its a cartilage problem. See a physio, she will give you some exercises.
in my case one side of my quad is slightly underdeveloped bcoz my right knee is very slightly turned inwards (i can't really tell but her trained eye spotted it immediately) so wasn't supporting my knee properly when i bent it. I think the common term is knock knee'd. She gave me some exercises to strengthen it, which did the job at the time (pain was sharp, to the right of my knee cap, and tight and felt like something was going to snap when I knelt down and tried to stand up)
the problem came back last week in a slightly different place (sharp pain through my knee when pushing down) so I've got an appointment tomorrow. Although I've been pain free for a few years. I suspect its the same thing.

I'd suggest getting a bike fit by someone that knows what they are doing.

 

[vickster]

Note that there are two types of cartilage in the knee - articular and meniscus - they are very different

 

[buggi]

also, i should add that my friends always said i cycled with my right knee in. I was constantly trying to correct it, which just gave me knee pain and was tiring. A few years ago i had the opportunity to cycle with a British cycling coach and he pulled me to one side and said "you cycle with your ankle out". Of course i corrected him and told him it was actually my knee "in", but at home i thought about it, and the exercise the physio had given me years earlier when she encouraged me to turn my foot out. I took heed, corrected my ankle, which brought my knee back in line and voila.
i think my most recent issue has been caused by the "travel" on my SPD allowing my foot to turn out again.

 

[Pedrosanchezo]

I think this time of year increases the risk of Knee injury and niggles. It takes longer to warm up properly when riding and the cold temperatures can also mask or numb the feelings in the legs/knees.

As a general rule try to start out with a higher cadence than your normal and allow yourself time to warm up sufficiently before putting any real power down. Some suggest you could even increase cadence throughout the whole of winter in an effort to stave off knee troubles.

Just thought i'd mention this seen as some people are mentioning that the pain has just started recently. There is quite a bit of research indicating that knee pain can flare up in the winter months due to dropped temperature and changing pressures - directly affecting the joints. This is more keenly felt in any existing past injuries. I had tendon damage and a dislocated knee cap on my left knee from a football collision. In winter i can sometimes feel a slight niggle which can be alleviated with some specific stretching. These days though if i have any hint of pain in the knee i make sure to ease off and if necessary take some time off to rest.

There is some good reading out there on the inner workings of the knee

http://www.wholeathlete.com/assets/documents/winter_knees_01-09.pdf

And some decent thoughts on how to keep them in the best possible shape throughout the seasons: "An overuse strain is more likely to occur if a tendon is tight due to cold conditions; the exposed positioning of a cyclist's knees makes this a potential hazard"

http://www.livestrong.com/article/528877-bicycling-cold-weather-and-knee-injuries/


A thread about the subject here:

http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-319832.html


As a side note i also find that using foam rollers as a poor mans post ride massage very useful. Working the IT band especially, hurts in a good way.

 

[Berties]

Bike set up maybe,do you warm up slowly,do you warm down and stretch you leg groups out,a good Physio will point you in the right direction,not just in relieving the pain but finding the cause

 

[Doyleyburger]

Look at saddle height and cleat position

Also, rest it. Was it a very hilly ride that aggravated it?

Hilly where I live, but to be fair I did a relatively flat route today and it was apparent within 15 mins or so. I will definitely look into my cleat position. Cheers

 

[Doyleyburger]

Thanks guys. I will look into the physio side of things. I remember injuring this knee whilst playing basketball in my teens. Perhaps this new found exercise that im doing these days has just flared it up again.

 

[vickster]

Are you making sure your knees are covered now it's colder as above and that you warm up and down properly with some good stretching of all of the leg muscles after

 

[Doyleyburger]

Are you making sure your knees are covered now it's colder as above and that you warm up and down properly with some good stretching of all of the leg muscles after

Guilty for not covering the knees yet. ....but always warm up and down

 

[vickster]

Cover the knees. Do you stretch after too? If doesn't improve with correct saddle height and cleat positioning, maybe see a sports physio. Normally around £40-50 for an initial session, depending on where you are based