Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - My knees hurt...

This has begun recently and I guess I am just curious if there is something I can do to help it, or if anyone has any ideas why it is happening. Riding is fine, walking around or whatever is fine, but if I sit still for a period (like watching a movie or something) my knees start to ache. This has been going on for about a month I would say. They also make snap/crackle/pop noises when I move them but they have always done that. Also I'm 24 years old. What do you guys think?

-Jason

P.S. I was going to post this in the health forum or something, but there isn't one, so that's good since this is the only forum I read anyways.. :)

The solution is pretty simple, just keep riding. Who needs to sit down and be stationary? Or make pedaling motions when laying on the couch watching movies :D

Try a lower gear. Spin, don't mash. Throw a brake on if you don't already have one.

second the lower gear and hand brake. where in the knee does it hurt? google symptoms for runner's knee and chondromalacia, repetitive stress condition also common with cyclists.

some ben gay oughtta do it

You leave Ben's sexuality out of this ... we're talking about knees ...

I'm having that trouble too. I think it's similar to knee pain I had last year, that was due to increased exercise. I'm not pusing a really big gear, so I refuse to believe that's the problem. My doctor gave me a bunch of knee strengthening exercises to do. And I also take some ibuprofen, due to inflammation.

Ice and ibuprofen! Ice after every ride and it will most likely help speed recovery more than anything else. Also the idea of knee exercises is a good one, I'd be interested in a link or something that describes some things that I can do.

If your knee hurts only when you are sitting still could be a just a mild case of tendonitis. The reason your knee doesnt hurt when you are moving is because you are constantly moving and keeping the tendons warm and flexible and when you sit, they will contract ever so slightly.

Just a question, how old are you? With age ligs and tendons get a little less flexible.

Also, is the pain a dull throbing pain, or a sharp stinging pain. Because if the pain is a sharp pinprick type of pain there is a chance there is damage somewhere.

stretch!!! i have had mild tendonitis in my knees for years (im 34) and the best thing is to stretch before and after a ride, even a short one. especially hamstrings and calves. i time my commute to get to work in time to stretch down at a nearby park. otherwise, the pain will get worse. for a while i couldn't ride.
this may be the same as 'knee exercises', but you just cant stretch too much.

That search works real good. ;)

There's some really good advice in these:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=110743&highlight=knees
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=109387&highlight=knees
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=102272&highlight=knees
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=96699&highlight=knees
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=89267&highlight=knees

Second the stretch advice. Stretching has shown to increase muscle and tendon flexibility up to 20%. Stretching before and after will give you some relief.

what, my thread doesn't make the search cut?

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=108332

i think we need a locked sticky that lays out the previously covered topics by thread or subject:

Knee soreness - http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=110743&highlight=knees
cog size -
Pedal reccomendations -
helmet yay or nay -
hand brake vs drive train brake -
tires -
edit: cant forget the - too cool for school hipster debate
or people could just use the search tool.

Ice and ibuprofen! Ice after every ride and it will most likely help speed recovery more than anything else. Also the idea of knee exercises is a good one, I'd be interested in a link or something that describes some things that I can do.

I´ve heard that your knees will only recover if they are warm... ice might help the pain, but I heard from a very reliable source that keeping your knees warm is key. I try to keep mine warm and I´ve never had any knee pains.

My knees hurt on my fixie as well. First I blamed the pedals (Shimano mtbs), then switched over to Times. That reduced it, but it still comes back. Every now and then I notice it when walking up stairs. Once I stop riding fixed, it goes away. Funny, because SS mountain biking seems OK.

Eric

I´ve heard that your knees will only recover if they are warm... ice might help the pain, but I heard from a very reliable source that keeping your knees warm is key. I try to keep mine warm and I´ve never had any knee pains.


ice is great after injury, or to frustrate acute inflamation and tissue dmage after an trauma or even on-going use in certain types of injury. but in my experience with knee pain like the kind that is probably (and i say probably advisedly, since without full exam we don't know for sure the exact type of pain our poster is having)... (a necessary disclaimer)... pain like the kind that is probably being discussed is from the tendons, and one of the keys there is indeed keeping the tendons warm and compressed. warm to keep them supple, and compressed to keep the soft tissues from inflamation, and for assisting the tendon leverage angle. the latter part there is a bit excessive unless there is full-on chronic tendonitis - but don't let it get there! that takes months, sometimes years to manage.

tendons can preform much better under hard strain when they're warm and supple. think of taffy or silly puddy. if you pull on it real hard when it's cold, it snaps because it's brittle. but when it's warm, it pulls back against you, resists, and stretches. in the colder months, i wear a light pair of knee supports. not huge knee braces or anything. just a pain of white elastic arthritis/ortho pull-ons that keep the knee compressed, which inhibits acute inflamation and keeps the joints warm. you can find there in the old-folks section of a good pharmacy. they're cheap - $10 a pop.

so, before you get on that thing, stretch, and stretch well. that means deep and slow - no bouncing. also, use friction massage to warm those tendons around the knee. or, if it's getting really bad, put a buckwheat-filled satchel in the microwave until it's hot and lay it on the tendons before. the weight and the heat help. or take a warm bath. just make sure the tendons stay warm. ben gay or tigerbalm are decent, but they're not really deep heavy heat. they mostly heat at the surface.

and i just had a nice 1 1/2 hour clinical/theraputic massage on just my legs and hips. that helps, for sure! ;)

oh - and cross-train.

i think we need a locked sticky that lays out the previously covered topics by thread or subject:

Knee soreness - http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=110743&highlight=knees
cog size -
Pedal reccomendations -
helmet yay or nay -
hand brake vs drive train brake -
tires -
edit: cant forget the - too cool for school hipster debate
or people could just use the search tool.

Alright we are getting somewhere! Please everybody - this is huge! Look, it says hand brake vs. drive train brake!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOHOOOOOO. No longer brake vs. brakeless!!! This is a major "brake" through!

Also, about knee pain - Read Ken Cox's posts he is right on. Start usins your a$$ and side muscles when pedalling. The other thing that did the trick for me was getting a seatposot with no seatback at all and ignoring the silly KOPS. (knee over pedal spindle.)
BTW I run a drive train brake only and my knees are very happy even though I am in hilly San francisco.

That search works real good. ;)

There's some really good advice in these:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=110743&highlight=knees
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=109387&highlight=knees
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=102272&highlight=knees
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=96699&highlight=knees
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=89267&highlight=knees


Seconded. Really. These links should have you reading for at least a day--whole previous threads on the subject. Just do it.