Knee pain.

[Marko62]

I don't get what you mean. You get a ribbon, shaped like a foot? Don't see how that'll help.

I think what we are looking at is a diagram of lateral float that there is in this clipless system, I think it 6 degrees of float...

 

[Tynan]

is the bike set up properly? first things first syrely, especially if they're easy to fix

I've just come off a sore knee, I finally realised that my right shoulder injury meant in the drops my right arm was reaching deeper onto the hood while my left was further back, presumably twisting my left leg slightly, I concentrate on keeping my hands level and lo and behold the knee gets better

f the knee is bad so be it but rule out the easy things first init surely

 

[alecstilleyedye]

I think what we are looking at is a diagram of lateral float that there is in this clipless system, I think it 6 degrees of float...

only 6? my looks have 9° of float.

 

[Absinthe Minded]

Just to update you all,

I'm pretty sure it was ITBS, but thought it wierd that it had appeared after all these years of cycling.

So, I took Tynan's advice and had a good look at the setup of the bike and concentrated on the way I felt when riding it. It occured to me that my left heel was being held a little further out from the frame than was natural and so I made an adjustment.

Well, I'm still not riding that regularly as I want to rest my knee, but it definately feels more natural and more comfortable when riding and there have been no knee problems yet!

So, fingers crossed, that's it - thanks Tynan (and all the rest of you), for helping me out.

And Cathryn, I came across these while I was looking into ITBS, just in case they might help you - or someone else.

Cheers,
AM.

 

[Kirstie]

Today I was told that I have tight ITBs on both sides and was recommended a set of stretches by my physio who is really excellent. I have exactly the same symptoms you describe, but they only come on really late in long rides (ie up to 100 miles). To rehabilitate properly definitely go and see a physio. A tight ITB is really easy to sort with stretches. The ITB is the only relevant bit of me I don't stretch after a ride, and surprise surprise, it's the only bit which hurts!

I have also just invested in a completely new set of pedals and cleats as the old ones were really worn, which I think was a contributing factor. I tend to ride more 'heels out' and so it's possible to compensate for this with the cleat position. I also made sure the saddle position on my road bike was appropriate (I use the low tech plumb-line-off-the-front-of-the-saddle method!), so I hope that'll be the last I see of it!

Good luck and I hope it gets better soon.

 

[Nick1979]

So Absinthe, any update on this? Is your knee better now?

I ask because I think I have the same symptoms on my right knee. Interestingly, it appeared on my first long ride after having fitted SPD pedals/cleats. So I think it was related to the angle of the cleats being too 'straight' for my natural 'toes out' position. (see my thread on this http://www.cyclechat.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=14042)

My knee still hurts a bit when going up the stairs so I'll stay off the bike for a few days and then will try the new cleat setting.

Regarding the Time pedals, anyone has experience with them? are they better than Look?

 

[Cathryn]

Thanks for the link, Absinthe!!

Good news on the old ITBS! I had about four lots of ultrasound on my knee before we went away and it made an enormous difference and I'm pain free. Might be worth looking into if anyone has an urgent reason to keep cycling!!

 

[Kirstie]

Hi all,
I've been doing research on this to the nth degree cos I've been getting some niggles, so I'm happy to share what I found out. The first thing is to be careful of what you read on the internet! It can be scary.

Anyway, between talking to my physio and various other people, there are three causes of tight ITBs in cyclists:
1. Poor equipment
2. Biomechanical problems ie excessive foot pronation
3. Poor training regime ie sudden leap in activity level

I have addressed all of these to try and eliminate all the causes. I'm not guilty of 3, so I checked out my pedals and cleats. The cleats were extremely worn and there was movement in the pedal axles, so I bought new ones. I then went to see a podiatrist (at leicester sports medicine clinic) - well that was amazing. I was astonished to discover that my feet don't work properly at all. Without going into the detail, they need radical orthotics. He put some together and the difference is amazing. There's now much less pronation.

In addition to this the physio has given me a really comprehensive range of stretches to lengthen out the calf muscles, which were also tight, and stretch the ITB (this is called the 'Thomas' stretch, which you can look up on the internet). It's all working really well and I managed a big ride last Saturday with hardly any pain at all.

So there!

 

[Absinthe Minded]

OK, another update for Nick, and anyone else that's interested.

The adjustments I wrote about in my last post seem to have fixed things. So, it turned out to be the cleat position holding my heel too far away from the frame.

I've returned to doing around 160 miles per week, and I did the London to Brighton this year, cycling home the next day for the first time. Still no problems at all.

Thanks for the contributions, Cathryn and Kirstie - the ultrasound treatment is interesting! Hopefully this thread might help others out.

Cheers,
AM.

 

[Fiona N]

I'm really surprised no one has mentioned weak gluteus medius muscles as a primary cause of the instability that results in ITB problems at the knee. This has been accepted in sports science/biomechanics for a while now and, combined with stretching for the GM and glutes generally, can give very quick recovery and prevention of future problems. The exercises are very precise - it's best for someone qualified to show you how to do them properly as there's no point doing them without correct alignment. If you're familiar with Pilates, the exercise 'the oyster' gives a pretty good idea but you'll need to build up GM strength using Theraband too.

BTW I've used the Pattstraps as shown in the link someone posted. While they're good for walking/running, I found that they caused too much irritation around the back and sides of the knee when cycling any distance. For patellar support, strapping with adhesive elastic tape worked much better for me as the strapping doesn't have to go round the crease of the back of the knee.

 

[Kirstie]

I'm really surprised no one has mentioned weak gluteus medius muscles as a primary cause of the instability that results in ITB problems at the knee. This has been accepted in sports science/biomechanics for a while now and, combined with stretching for the GM and glutes generally, can give very quick recovery and prevention of future problems. The exercises are very precise - it's best for someone qualified to show you how to do them properly as there's no point doing them without correct alignment. If you're familiar with Pilates, the exercise 'the oyster' gives a pretty good idea but you'll need to build up GM strength using Theraband too.

Yes my physio did look at the glutes and established that mine were OK (bit too well developed with me ). It's true that some cyclists have underdeveloped glutes and that this can cause problems. I'd forgotten that part and so didn't mention it. But you're right.