General Cycling Discussion - I think my biking "career" may have to come to an end. (LONG)

I just got back from a doctors appointment.

I've been complaining about a pain in my knee for the last year or so. Everytime I went biking, play basketball, or even just walk to school my knee would begin to really hurt. I went to my G.P. and he said that it was Patella something. I forgot the word. But basically it meant that the cartilage under my knee cap was being slowly degraded from all my riding. At first he suggested to strengthen my leg muscles to act as a support for the knee. He also sent me to a sports medicine doctor who used to be the orthopedic surgeon for the Canadian Olympic team. He looked at my leg and said the same thing that the cartilage is degrading. He looked at my legs though and he said at your size and age, you can't strengthen your leg muslces anymore. They are already hard as rocks all around. He sent me to get some X-rays, and when they came back he looked at them. It was confirmed that the cartilage was removed. Basically he said, you can get physiotherapy to help alleviate the pain but don't plan on entering the Tour De France. By the time your done training, you won't have any more knee left to race with. Also, over time it will only get worse.

So yah. Thats my wonderful story.

Oh, by the way, the sports medicine doctor had 3 other doctors there for opinions. They also put my bike on the trainer so they could see my riding style. Climbing, riding, and sprinting were all normal. I was also clipped in so it was not the cleats. So it wasn't from riding incorrectly.

How much time do you spend warming up at the start of each ride? When I go out riding I start at an easier pace and gradually build up to top pace as my muscles tell me they're warmed up. Going too hard when your legs are cold can do a lot of damage.

I'm aware of that lol. Thats why I dont do it. But its a cartilage problem anyways. Not muscular. The doctor showed me a proper warmup and I'm like, thats what I do already. It usually takes me 30 minutes until I'm fully into the ride.

I'm sorry to hear about your knees, I have a similar problem that made me give up dreams of playing basketball. You may have to give up some sports in order to cintinue to do the ones you really love.

I never was all interested in basketball. I just play it because everyone does. Cycling is my sport though and I really want to do as much as I can without killing myself. Maybe this is grounds for a lift to school!!

Well, WorldIRC, take it easy. It might not exactly be the end. Maybe someday you will be back. I don't know if the cartilage problem can be healed. Good luck anyway.

It must be miserable that when you plan to race in the Tour de France and now you know you can't. Take things easily, you might love to ride, but if you surely don't want to risk your health right? Do whatever it takes to bring yourself back to health. There is a lot more to life than cycling.

Take care and God bless.

Hi,
riding will still be good for you and your knees. There's going to be a lot of things besides competing.
How about riding through the vinyards of France, or through rural Italy? Doesn't sound too bad to me. It sucks when the knees go, happens to all of us eventually.
There is one bit, Docs are working on a number of
tricky things that should eventually help people with knee trouble.

I wasn't planning on riding the Tour De France, its just the sports doc said don't plan on it.

Brian,

Did the doc say no more riding at all?
ok, so no competition (take my word for it
in 30 years you will appreciate the ability to walk!)
what about easy rides? are they out too?
Ask him about meds to rebuild the cartilage in the knee
(glucosamine) its used for treatment of Arthritis.
Is the condition Chrondomalacia (sic)?
Warm up really won't help if its the joint. my thought
is the warm up is for the muscles not bone and cartilage.
Really sorry to hear this,
Marty

World- I had the same problem, several years ago. I went under the scope, and I was very surprised when I saw the pictures how I had torn up the cartilage right under my kneecap. For about the first year, I thought it would never get better, but it finally did.

Mine started to bother me after a season of real high road mileage. It seemed to come along slowly, until I went on a mtn bike ride one day, then it suddenly got much worse. I'm not sure if this had anything to do with it, but I also had what they called a "plica", and before the surgery that's all they expected to find. After they went in and looked around they also found the problem under the kneecap.

I've been picking up the riding lately, and I have noticed some similar pain in my other knee. Hopefully I can go on riding with it, the first surgery took so long to get over I really don't want to do it again.

There is hope though...

He didn't say no riding. He just said its chronic and will get worse over time. I'm assuming then the harder I ride, the more it'll be damaged.

I have one more test being done though. That will determine if I can race anymore or not.

Sorry to hear this Brian.

My son had a similar problem...stopped the competative part of his life (football) but life goes on.

Have you ever considered the wonderful world of engineering?

Well, im a 16 year old with 5 different computer certifications lol.

So computer engineering possibly. Or Law. Still.. Stupid knees.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by late
Hi,
riding will still be good for you
[QUOTE]
keep riding, spin more, cycling is the best exersice for a crook knee, its a non-load-bearing exercise. your young, your body will heal itself. i have arthritious in my left knee, wich is like cystals of broken glass under the knee cap, cycling stops it from getting worse,so keep rideing, drop down a cog & youl be right.
merry Christmass

Major drag about the knee. I've got bad knees myself, seems to run in the family. Of course, that may be part of being a Clysdale.

Try taking glucosamine & chondritin as a supplement. I had pain and grinding in both knees (chondromalacia) and it cleared up over about 6 months with this stuff. It helps your body repair tendons, ligaments, and cartilage.

Go research it, as there are some downsides to taking it.

Good luck!

Glucosamine and chondroitin. Good research. My wife's MD says "take it." Can rebuild cartilage.

Also, there are now using the combs of chickens in some sort of fashion to inject into knee joints for cushioning. Don't know much about it, but have heard good things. Also, you start to cackle and lay one egg per day.

did you always have problems or did this all of a sudden creep up on you? i am curious.

It started when I started to really get into cycling. But its not me. The doc said 'm cyclig correctly

Is their any advice to prevent this from happening that you could suggest? Other then not cycling of course :)

Originally posted by WorldIRC
I just got back from a doctors appointment.

Basically he said, you can get physiotherapy to help alleviate the pain but don't plan on entering the Tour De France. By the time your done training, you won't have any more knee left to race with. Also, over time it will only get worse.

Oh, by the way, the sports medicine doctor had 3 other doctors there for opinions. They also put my bike on the trainer so they could see my riding style. Climbing, riding, and sprinting were all normal. I was also clipped in so it was not the cleats. So it wasn't from riding incorrectly.

I feel for ya... Being told that you can't improve your knee condition can be debilitation in and of itself. Don't know how old you are, but find some patience. Not riding as hard, nor as often, yet keep up strengthening your knees, and start whispering "advil is my friend" and keep doing what you do, until you can't. :thumbup:

I've got a U shaped staple in my right knee as a result of an old back-country ski jump injury from back in 78. Knee hasn't been right since... and puts excessive force on my left, which isn't all the great these days. :( I also get a bit of arthritis in my fingers from all my sports. So, for a long time, I've been whispering "advil is my friend" and keep doing what I do...until I can't!

I'm 16 by the way.

fubar5 quickly adds more extensive warm up periods to his training.........:crash:

I take glucosamine sulphate every day but I have gone thru periods of having bad knees!!! I don't do high gears for long period obviously but spin more instead!! :p I lose more weight this way and I haven't had pain in my knees since!! but I have to say that I didn't realise that cycling was so bad for ur knees though I just thought it was low impact!! :D

Originally posted by fubar5
fubar5 quickly adds more extensive warm up periods to his training.........:crash:

good idea lol think i will too now as well!!! :)

I'll have to see what the doc says after my next test. He used to be a cycling trainer as well so he can probably give me some tips on how to decrease the rate of destruction on my knee.

Aight. I do have Pattelofemoral Syndrome but I am unable to strengthen those muscles anymore. My doctor said they are already hard as a rock.

My advice, free and worth every penny:

1) Read the preceding posts in this thread.
2) Don't give up cycling, unless you can get all the aerobic conditioning you need while swimming. Cycling is MUCH easier on your knees than jogging or running.
3) Invest about $10 in Dr. James Fox's great little paperback, "Save Your Knees."
4) Use low gears and keep the RPMs up.
5) Exercise the vastus medialis specifically. Learn to isolate this muscle, which comes into play only during the final 15 degrees toward full extension, and which is the only member of the quad group which prevents your kneecap from disclocating outward.
6) Stay current on orthopedic research -- artificial cartilege is coming!

Okay, I'll add my .02. Sorry to hear you're down. But, well, hell your 16 dude, think of all the rest of us who missed this chance! They say necessity is the mother of invention, so get busy, at 16 you still got a chance at changing the world, or your corner of it.
To steal from "the Graduate" "Plastics son, plastics." It's not your biking it's your body, so what are the options, and what are the solutions, and how can you make it better? How can you change the life of the next 16 yo with bad knees?