Have others here experienced this? Is it due to form, gear selection, riding hills, etc? The LAST thing I want is to damage them from riding.
What's your experience on this?
What's your experience on this?
Knee issues from bike riding?
- Thread starter sleddriver
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My mother and I both have knee issues. Mine are undiagnosed as I do not trust professional pill pushers, but my mother has worn cartilage and arthritis. There are days my right knee is so bad that I can barely walk.
For both of us, a bike ride "frees" up our knees and makes them feel and work much better.
For both of us, a bike ride "frees" up our knees and makes them feel and work much better.
I had some knee problems from riding a lot, mostly from how my clipless pedals were set up. After some adjustments, I'm mostly fine now. If I crank out a couple hard days in a row, I do get sore, but I can't say what that's from now. Squash, rowing, hockey, dirt biking? Almost all sports run your knees hard.
If you are going to run clipless, it makes sense to either do a lot of reading on setup, or get a pro fitting.
If you are going to run clipless, it makes sense to either do a lot of reading on setup, or get a pro fitting.
My podiatrist said that riding bikes can be hard on the knees due to repetitive motion. Perhaps mix in some other exercise.
If you think about the mechanics involved in pedaling, it's much, much easier on your knees than jogging, for example. Jogging really pounds your knees.
Assuming the bike is in good shape, the biggest thing is to make sure the seat is at the proper height for the length of your legs. Too low and you end up flexing the knee too much. You want your leg to be at near full extension when the pedal is on the bottom of the stroke. Most people I see riding have their seat too low and their knees come up way too high when they pedal.
If you're really concerned, you should set up some time to talk about this with a real physical therapist. I'm just some guy on the Internet.
Assuming the bike is in good shape, the biggest thing is to make sure the seat is at the proper height for the length of your legs. Too low and you end up flexing the knee too much. You want your leg to be at near full extension when the pedal is on the bottom of the stroke. Most people I see riding have their seat too low and their knees come up way too high when they pedal.
If you're really concerned, you should set up some time to talk about this with a real physical therapist. I'm just some guy on the Internet.
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Get fitted by a competent bike shop, or at least make sure your knee is over your toes at the 3/9 o'clock position. Consider shorter crankarms if you can. Some bikes, like cruisers with seats pushed back, aren't comfortable to ride long distances.
I don't really see how you'd develop knee problems unless you were already predisposed to have them (genetically or whatever), or unless you had not adjusted the bike properly. I do see a lot of people on bikes that have the seat way too low or high, meaning the range of motion is unusual and probably wastes energy or stretches the wrong muscles. I notice it on exercise bikes sometimes too.
MolaKule
Staff member
Suggest you do knee lifts/leg curls one day, shorter bicycle trips the next and work up to longer trips.
Taking Sodium Neproxen (Advil) etc before bike ride helps as well.
Taking Sodium Neproxen (Advil) etc before bike ride helps as well.
Originally Posted By: MolaKule
Taking Sodium Neproxen (Advil) etc before bike ride helps as well.
Typo - Naproxen is the stuff in Aleve, and Ibuprofen is the stuff in Advil. They're both NSAIDs though.
I would NEVER take an NSAID before exercise. NSAIDs can cause electrolyte imbalance... which can lead to heart attacks. Use NSAIDs after exercise only.
If you can't do the exercise without NSAIDs, you need to choose a different form of exercise. Swimming is easy on the joints.
Taking Sodium Neproxen (Advil) etc before bike ride helps as well.
Typo - Naproxen is the stuff in Aleve, and Ibuprofen is the stuff in Advil. They're both NSAIDs though.
I would NEVER take an NSAID before exercise. NSAIDs can cause electrolyte imbalance... which can lead to heart attacks. Use NSAIDs after exercise only.
If you can't do the exercise without NSAIDs, you need to choose a different form of exercise. Swimming is easy on the joints.
Check that your cadence isn't too low. 80+ RPM is safer for knees than 60 or less. Also, be cautious of temperatures that are below 70, they aren't kind to knees.
Ditto on the seat height, but you can also have problems from too high. Check you fit with a competent bike shop, including pedals. Many places have the fit-kit's setup, which includes clipless pedal settings.
Ditto on the seat height, but you can also have problems from too high. Check you fit with a competent bike shop, including pedals. Many places have the fit-kit's setup, which includes clipless pedal settings.
As a role of thumbs:
Pain on the back of knee = seat too high
Pain on the front of knee = seat too low (most common)and/or seat too far back
The feets MUST be able to rotate a couple of +- degrees (from reference of pointing straight ahead)
Pain on the back of knee = seat too high
Pain on the front of knee = seat too low (most common)and/or seat too far back
The feets MUST be able to rotate a couple of +- degrees (from reference of pointing straight ahead)
Thanks to all for responding! Much appreciated. I bike because I hate to run and I'm not very good at it. Not to mention the pounding the joints & back take from it.
Standing leg length is 40", measured to the knob on the side of my leg at the hip. I am aware of seat height and have it high enough, but not too high. I ride clipless/cageless on both bikes and have learned to unweight the rising leg.
I do keep the RPM's up, especially on hills. Only once did I have a sore enough left knee the day after riding to be uncomfortable. That was odd..not sure why it was that sore. First time. My querry here is more preventative in nature.
Riding has greatly helped my left hip, which may have some arthritis (sort of a dull pain that can burn at times). Reminds me of tendonitis in my elbows I seem susceptable to. I haven't ridden as much /week during August due to the 130°F solar heat index and the hip notices this.
I haven't been "fitted", but perhaps it's a good idea as I might be missing something obvious to a more experienced rider. I have been having issues at times with hand tingling/numbness and have sought to move my hands around to compensate. Perhaps keeping my wrist straighter would prevent this?
Perhaps it's just age (54) creeping in? Been lucky so far health-wise and body wise. The weight has risen from a low of 238 to about 248 since I'm not regularly riding. Before I began about a year ago, I weighed 265#. I'm looking forward to the Fall Equinox and cooler weather where I can go back to riding more regularly.
Standing leg length is 40", measured to the knob on the side of my leg at the hip. I am aware of seat height and have it high enough, but not too high. I ride clipless/cageless on both bikes and have learned to unweight the rising leg.
I do keep the RPM's up, especially on hills. Only once did I have a sore enough left knee the day after riding to be uncomfortable. That was odd..not sure why it was that sore. First time. My querry here is more preventative in nature.
Riding has greatly helped my left hip, which may have some arthritis (sort of a dull pain that can burn at times). Reminds me of tendonitis in my elbows I seem susceptable to. I haven't ridden as much /week during August due to the 130°F solar heat index and the hip notices this.
I haven't been "fitted", but perhaps it's a good idea as I might be missing something obvious to a more experienced rider. I have been having issues at times with hand tingling/numbness and have sought to move my hands around to compensate. Perhaps keeping my wrist straighter would prevent this?
Perhaps it's just age (54) creeping in? Been lucky so far health-wise and body wise. The weight has risen from a low of 238 to about 248 since I'm not regularly riding. Before I began about a year ago, I weighed 265#. I'm looking forward to the Fall Equinox and cooler weather where I can go back to riding more regularly.
When I looked through bike shops considering getting a decent bike, talking to them I realized I had my seat way too low. They described and just showed me by lifting their leg at an angle how much at most the knee should bend.
One guy said he knows of some who have ruined their knees just because they didn't have the seat height set correctly.
One guy said he knows of some who have ruined their knees just because they didn't have the seat height set correctly.
Originally Posted By: bepperb
Get fitted by a competent bike shop, or at least make sure your knee is over your toes at the 3/9 o'clock position. Consider shorter crankarms if you can. Some bikes, like cruisers with seats pushed back, aren't comfortable to ride long distances.
THumbs up!
Get fitted by a competent bike shop, or at least make sure your knee is over your toes at the 3/9 o'clock position. Consider shorter crankarms if you can. Some bikes, like cruisers with seats pushed back, aren't comfortable to ride long distances.
THumbs up!
What type of bike is it? i.e. Mountain, Road, Cyclo? What type of pedals do you ride with. If you ride Mountain bikes might I suggest TIME pedals. They are a float type of engagement and don't lock you into a set foot position relative to the cranks thus putting less pressure on your knees laterally. Also watch your form. Try and keep your legs straight without going to what I call an eggbeater stroke, which puts a lot of stress on all associated joints. And finally, do you pedal circles or squares, as that makes a difference as well.
MolaKule
Staff member
Originally Posted By: MolaKule
Suggest you do knee lifts/leg curls one day, shorter bicycle trips the next and work up to longer trips.
Taking Sodium Neproxen (Advil) etc before bike ride helps as well.
Yep Alleve etc. is Neproxen Sodium and the regimen I use works for me.
I am not saying it will work for you and advise consulting an MD if the pain re-occurs.
Suggest you do knee lifts/leg curls one day, shorter bicycle trips the next and work up to longer trips.
Taking Sodium Neproxen (Advil) etc before bike ride helps as well.
Yep Alleve etc. is Neproxen Sodium and the regimen I use works for me.
I am not saying it will work for you and advise consulting an MD if the pain re-occurs.
Try taking a daily dose of a quality calcium & glucosamine supplement to give your body the tools it needs to rebuild your knees while you sleep. I also take curcumin (from turmeric) to help combat inflammation. Much easier on your body than Ib. You'll notice a big difference in a few weeks.
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