Weird knee problem, advice for a broke college student?

A light bike doesn't replace good fitness.

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AJS914
Posts: 5397
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

Why not just split the difference for the whole ride and see if 7.5mm higher eliminates both pains?
Last edited by AJS914 on Wed Nov 23, 2016 7:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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superdx
Posts: 524
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2014 1:27 pm

by superdx

You seem to be training really hard. Aside from all the hours on the bike, have you kept up your core strength training as well? You went from Cat5>Cat2, that's a pretty huge jump in intensity. Even pros are required to do core strength first in their training regimen. Knee problems usually happen when you overdo your legs but ignore core muscles. Really powerful leg muscles doing all the work, but it's all connected to the core muscles which if weak, start to go "NO WAY MAN" and start contracting.

I had debilitating ITB/knee problems that foam rollers/theraband would be able to alleviate the pain, but to actually cure it, required intensive core strength training. Planks, lifts, squats... every day for a month. I don't get ITB anymore but still need more core strength to match the ride intensity. It definitely helps you to be faster on the bike as well.

petereps
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon Sep 28, 2015 3:50 pm

by petereps

AJS914 wrote:Why not just split the difference for the whole ride and see if 7.5mm higher eliminates both pains?

Lower the seat goes the more my knee hurts, so I'm trying to minimize that.

And core doesn't seem to be an issue. I don't do specific work but I think I have a pretty strong core from all the training. I could hold a plank for like 4-5 minutes, and my back never really hurts. Either way couldn't hurt, so thanks for the suggestion.

tmr5555
Posts: 356
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 12:13 am

by tmr5555

I'm experiencing a similar thing, but with the back of the knee.
Sorry if I'm hijacking your thread.
I did 10.000 KM's in 2016. I have two bikes set up with identical measurements. The only difference is the cleats. I use Time 12's on the race rig and cheap shimano on the training bike. The back end of the season was jam packed with races after a very stagnant season where I live. (like a race every weekend in a month and half) I know a race a week is pretty normal for most of you but bear with me =D.
Ramping up to the month and half of races, had no problems whatsoever on either my race or training bikes, except getting a cramp at the end of one of the races, something that never happens to me.
Come winter time, the race bike was assigned to trainer duty, the time pedals were replaced with toe clips, as adjusting the seat height is a bi**h on the bike, i got complacent and did not re-adjust the height to compensate for using flat pedals. Three weeks of Trainer riding, over extending the knee did it for me.
After that every time I went to ride outside, the lower back of my knee joint begun to hurt after less than 50 k of rolling terrain.
Have been resting it for three weeks with RICE, the dull sensation does not seem to have improved much.
Any ideas?
N.B I'm also broke .

VforVonnegut
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun Sep 29, 2013 4:43 pm
Location: Ann Arbor, MI

by VforVonnegut

Have you considered orthotic insoles? They might help with your knee alignment.

VforVonnegut
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun Sep 29, 2013 4:43 pm
Location: Ann Arbor, MI

by VforVonnegut

ALSO I saw your other post about slamming your stem further/back pain, and gosh, maybe you need to chillax a bit? Ever consider that being a grade A gunner might actually hold you back?

motdoc
Posts: 27
Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2014 11:59 am

by motdoc

From a totally different point of view, far from expert cyclist but I am a doc with dodgy knees myself:
Google patello femoral pain syndrome, then do the exercises.
Do squats. Start at quite small range of movement, low weight. Gradually increase range of movement and load as pain allows. Google how to do a proper squat also.
After a lot of bike fitting stuff not helping my knees got better after a months cross fit. Just got stronger so my glutes were not letting my knee track inward when tired.

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Mr.Gib
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Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2005 4:12 pm
Location: eh?

by Mr.Gib

motdoc wrote:From a totally different point of view, far from expert cyclist but I am a doc with dodgy knees myself:
Google patello femoral pain syndrome, then do the exercises.
Do squats. Start at quite small range of movement, low weight. Gradually increase range of movement and load as pain allows. Google how to do a proper squat also.
After a lot of bike fitting stuff not helping my knees got better after a months cross fit. Just got stronger so my glutes were not letting my knee track inward when tired.


Hang on a second Doc. Yes I would suspect PFPS for any mysterious knee pain but I would be super careful with squats. Very often the cause is domination of the quadracep contraction by the vastus lateralis which pulls the patella laterally cause excessive friction/pressure on the lateral side of the femoral saddle in which the patella glides. Typically the pain is anterior but it can be anywhere. The first thing I would do is build the flexibility of the connective tissue on the lateral side of the patella, increase glut and lateral quad flexibility. Then I would build the vastus medialis using a good muscle stim machine and squats limited to 45 degrees with a soccer ball squeezed between the knees. If you go to the squats before you get the patella tracking properly you could make things worse. Some recommend taping the patella to hold proper position, but I disagree with this approach as in increases downward pressure and can cause a terrible pain response.

If you search this forum for patello femoral syndrome you will find a many years old post with photos and discussions of the various therapies.
wheelsONfire wrote: When we ride disc brakes the whole deal of braking is just like a leaving a fart. It happens and then it's over. Nothing planned and nothing to get nervous for.

boots2000
Posts: 1393
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2007 9:28 pm

by boots2000

OP- Are you still on Speedplay?
I have been chasing some knee issues (back of knee, popliteus and lateral hamstring pain)- Changing over to Shimano SPD SL pedals with fixed cleats has helped a lot in a short amount of time.

moock
Posts: 269
Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2017 2:53 pm

by moock

petereps wrote:
Fri Oct 07, 2016 12:12 am
Gonna start off by saying that seeing a sports doctor would be very hard financially
health insurance???

siwong1210
Posts: 32
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2020 8:48 pm

by siwong1210

Make sure you're adding some combination of foam rolling, resistance bands, and/or swimming (most colleges have a pool you can access for free - likely closed with COVID now). I tend to overtrain and get injured pretty often, but a couple of weeks on a low impact/core strengthening routine will generally help while keeping your fitness up.

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