bogart
Answer
Cycling, done properly, is much less stressful to the knees than many other aerobic activities, since there's no impact involved. Nevertheless, knee injuries do occur, usually as a result of poor technique or position.
Gear Selection
A principal cause of knee problems is over-stress as the result of using too high a gear. For more on this, see my article on Gear Shifting.
Saddle Height
Another common cause of knee problems is incorrect saddle adjustment, particularly if the saddle is too low. *Edit( knee should be only slightly bent at the bottom of th peddle stroke the is another section from this link on adjusting seat height*)
Cleat Adjustment
Some knee problems result from incorrect placement of shoe cleats. Everybody has a natural angle that each of their feet prefers to be at; some are duck-footed, some are pigeon-toed, whatever. When you walk or ride with plain pedals, your foot assumes this angle, and everything is hunky-dory. If you use cleated shoes and matching pedals, it is important that the cleat is adjusted so as to permit your foot to be at its natural angle. If your cleats are misadjusted, the resulting twist on your lower leg will affect the alignment of the knee joint, and cause serious problems.
This is less of an issue if you ride pedals with "float" (limited rotational freedom) in the cleat attachment. Most newer clipless pedals offer at least some float.
The N.E.C.A. Fit-Kit © includes a cleat adjustment procedure called the "R.A.D." (Rotational Adjustment Device) which is very worthwhile for "problem" cleat fittings.
Lateral Movement--Chondromalacia
The knee joint is basically a ball-and-socket joint, with the ball at the bottom of the femur and the socket at the top of the shinbone. A common cycling-related injury is called "chondromalacia", and has to do with irritation of the cartilage pad in the "socket" which provides lubrication for this joint. Reputedly, an edge of this cartilage can get turned up and dog-eared, causing irritation and inflamation.
Chondromalacia is often blamed on lateral movement of the joint, and a common prescription is to strengthen the quadriceps muscles which run along the front of the thigh and along side the front of the kneecap. It is these muscles which provide lateral positioning for the joint. The usual exercise prescribed for this is to sit in a chair with one leg at a time held out straight, unsupported. Sometimes it is suggested to place a pillow or other weight on the foot for this exercise.
Something the doctors don't seem to think of suggesting, but which really helped me a lot, is to make a concious effort to avoid lateral knee movement during the pedal stroke. Watch your knees as you ride (in a low-traffic setting!) They should move up and down as you pedal, with no sideward motion. Many cyclists have a sideways hitch in their pedaling motion, which I believe is a major contributor to chondromalacia. If you pay occasional attention to this, it doesn't take long to train yourself to keep the knees in line.
Long Cranks
The longer your cranks are, the farther your knees will have to flex on each stroke. Different riders will have different amounts of flexibility in this regard, but riding with longer cranks than you are used to can definitely cause problems.
Almost direct quote from sheldon brown
Cycling, done properly, is much less stressful to the knees than many other aerobic activities, since there's no impact involved. Nevertheless, knee injuries do occur, usually as a result of poor technique or position.
Gear Selection
A principal cause of knee problems is over-stress as the result of using too high a gear. For more on this, see my article on Gear Shifting.
Saddle Height
Another common cause of knee problems is incorrect saddle adjustment, particularly if the saddle is too low. *Edit( knee should be only slightly bent at the bottom of th peddle stroke the is another section from this link on adjusting seat height*)
Cleat Adjustment
Some knee problems result from incorrect placement of shoe cleats. Everybody has a natural angle that each of their feet prefers to be at; some are duck-footed, some are pigeon-toed, whatever. When you walk or ride with plain pedals, your foot assumes this angle, and everything is hunky-dory. If you use cleated shoes and matching pedals, it is important that the cleat is adjusted so as to permit your foot to be at its natural angle. If your cleats are misadjusted, the resulting twist on your lower leg will affect the alignment of the knee joint, and cause serious problems.
This is less of an issue if you ride pedals with "float" (limited rotational freedom) in the cleat attachment. Most newer clipless pedals offer at least some float.
The N.E.C.A. Fit-Kit © includes a cleat adjustment procedure called the "R.A.D." (Rotational Adjustment Device) which is very worthwhile for "problem" cleat fittings.
Lateral Movement--Chondromalacia
The knee joint is basically a ball-and-socket joint, with the ball at the bottom of the femur and the socket at the top of the shinbone. A common cycling-related injury is called "chondromalacia", and has to do with irritation of the cartilage pad in the "socket" which provides lubrication for this joint. Reputedly, an edge of this cartilage can get turned up and dog-eared, causing irritation and inflamation.
Chondromalacia is often blamed on lateral movement of the joint, and a common prescription is to strengthen the quadriceps muscles which run along the front of the thigh and along side the front of the kneecap. It is these muscles which provide lateral positioning for the joint. The usual exercise prescribed for this is to sit in a chair with one leg at a time held out straight, unsupported. Sometimes it is suggested to place a pillow or other weight on the foot for this exercise.
Something the doctors don't seem to think of suggesting, but which really helped me a lot, is to make a concious effort to avoid lateral knee movement during the pedal stroke. Watch your knees as you ride (in a low-traffic setting!) They should move up and down as you pedal, with no sideward motion. Many cyclists have a sideways hitch in their pedaling motion, which I believe is a major contributor to chondromalacia. If you pay occasional attention to this, it doesn't take long to train yourself to keep the knees in line.
Long Cranks
The longer your cranks are, the farther your knees will have to flex on each stroke. Different riders will have different amounts of flexibility in this regard, but riding with longer cranks than you are used to can definitely cause problems.
Almost direct quote from sheldon brown
What to do about knee pain after bike ride?
Second Cha
I'm 17 in years old and am in decent physical shape (i dance and take daily dog walks and eat healthy etc etc) yesterday i found my bike in the basement and i fixed it up and filled the tires and went for a ride. I was out for about 2 1/2 hours.I haven't ridden for years and years but I felt fine at the time. Later in the evening my knee was KILLING ME! i woke up the next morning and the pain is still here. Is it because of the bike ride? I'm not really a fan of pain meds so is there something i can do about it other than that? (walk of it? ice? heat?)
thx!
Answer
I can answer the last half of your question....yes the knee pain is most likely from the bike ride. I tend to have pain in my knees if I over do it, or if I don' t have my seat adjusted to the proper height.
If your knees have to bend too much, you put a strain on them. As for the pain, I use Motrin and rest to get past it. Also, when I feel the pain in my knees start when I am on the ride, I back off and go slower in an easier gear until the pains goes away.
I can answer the last half of your question....yes the knee pain is most likely from the bike ride. I tend to have pain in my knees if I over do it, or if I don' t have my seat adjusted to the proper height.
If your knees have to bend too much, you put a strain on them. As for the pain, I use Motrin and rest to get past it. Also, when I feel the pain in my knees start when I am on the ride, I back off and go slower in an easier gear until the pains goes away.
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