Training & Nutrition - Knee pain and scared.

I often cycle from Victoria BC to Nanaimo BC via the Malahat (big hill on the highway). It's about 115 km all told. I ride a 2004 Giant OCR Touring.

Dec 15th I got a pain in my left knee while cycling this route. It was under the kneecap, on the outer part of the knee. It didn't seem to be related to anything, any accident or previous history. I went to the doctor, who said that it was probably a strained tendon and to go easy for a few days. He said that I could keep cycling as long as I kept it light. He also said that I could try the route again if I didn't feel any pain and the knee seemed strong.

Jan 3rd, I went on the route again. I had been cycling for an hour and was halfway up the Malahat hill when the knee started hurting all at once again. There was little warning - a kind of pop and then pain. I got a friend to drive me back home. When I went back to the hospital, the doctor (a different one) told me the same thing. Tendon. Stretch. Take it easy. Both doctors tested the knee, and while there was some tenderness in the area where it was hurting, the knee was otherwise sound. I can walk and do light cycling on my Kona mountain bike without causing the knee pain.

What gets me is that this is a route that I have cycled many times, on the same bike and in the same weather. I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary and have no idea why this decided to strike now.

Has anyone had anything like this happen to them? Is it serious? Does anyone have any idea how long it takes something like this to heal? Now I realize that most if not all of the people here aren't doctors, but it would be great if anyone could give me some tips that might solve this mystery. I'm in the Canadian Navy and there doesn't seem to be a sports specialist anywhere on base.

Could be something to do with your IT band. You might find some stretching exercises for that and see if it helps.

Also, as far as medical professionals goes, I would recommend trying to find: a sports Dr., a chiropractor who specializes in, or has studied sports medicine, and/or a physiotherapist who specializes in, or has studied sports medicine.

I was lucky enough to have all three ... and also a massage therapist who was involved in long distance cycling like me ... available to me when I was in Winnipeg. I jokingly called them "My medical staff"! :D

I haven't found people like that here either, so I can sympathize that it isn't easy to find medical people that understand sports.

In the United States, there are plenty of orthopedists who specialize in sporting injuries. Injury of the joints, especially knees, is very common. You should be able to find an appropriate doctor in any good size city. Check with your insurance and/or yellow pages to find one near you.

Hopefully your problem is simply overuse combined with not letting the original injury fully heal. But, you may want to consult with an orthopedist.

You could go thru the motions of readjusting your bike fit.

See if something has shifted over time, or maybe its always been a poor bike fit in a few places but hasnt manifested into pain till now.

Were your knees kept warm each time ? I know you said you rode in same weather etc, but age causes changes..

Anyways, just for peace of mind, and lack of sports medicine physicians in the navy, id go thru the whole bike fit process, including good attention to cleat adjustment, maybe using La wedge to make sure your aligned.

Then you'd know if it continued that its your body and not your bike thats gone kaput.

Hey,

It could be the patellar tendon. If it is it could take a while to heal, but raising your saddle a bit might help.

IF you mean under the kneecap as in between the knee cap and the knee joint it might be runner's knee. THat is also helped by raising the saddle, but can be ridden through as long as you are careful. Careful strengthening helps too as does ice.

For any knee problem spinning in a small gear rather than pushing in a big gear is a help.

Also pedals that don't hold your foot fixed are good, like the speedplay frogs.

Hope that helps.

Here's another question ... did you happen to get new cycling shorts and use them on those rides where you had pain?

Could be Condromalacia Patella. That causes pain under the kneecap.

Note: Ignore medical advice received from random strangers on the internet. See a doctor.