Fifty Plus (50+) - Joint issues riding a bike

Hi, All- and a Merry Christmas!
I'm new to the world of cycling again at 63... I've had a knee replaced a few years ago, and have osteoarthritis in both feet quite bad. I live in Crocs year round, after wasting several hundred dollars on podiatrists and "The Good Foot" store. Does biking cause further deterioration of joints??
Wes

Not in my experience. While I have largely lost the capability of sustained running (even with proper shoes, as I discovered yesterday chasing a bus), a decade-plus of constant riding has kept my lower joints pretty supple; ALL of my joint issues are shoulder- and wrist-related. (I have OA in the shoulders, progressed enough that joints routinely 'slip' out of alignment, and both wrists have had breaks)

The trick, I would suggest, is to find a gear you can pedal without feeling like you're doing leg presses. Simple as that.

Bicycling is the Last Refuge of the arthritic athlete. The next twenty posts will tell you to ride a bike that is fitted to you properly.

There is one member of the bike club who has trouble walking, but can ride almost anyone into the ground.

You probably have to be careful on your choice of cycling shoe, a stiff sole works best for me. You can buy shoes with moldable footbeds and you can buy full custom shoes. I suspect you can find something off the shelf that will work.
Have you decided on pedals? Flat pedals to start?

In addition to all the great stuff above, the saddle(seat)height is very very important,as is pedaling cadence..
Bud

I am developing arthritis in my right hip. I was concerned that bicycling would aggrevate it. Instead, I have found the opposite to be true: cycling seems to improve the condition, rather than making it worse. The only compromise I have had to make is mounting the bike: I cannot swing my leg over a fully upright bike/saddle. Instead, I have to tilt the bike towards me at about a 45 degree angle in order to swing my leg over.

For pedalsm, I found these Ergon PC-2 pedals that looked like they might go well with my Croc's... http://www.ergon-bike.com/us/en/product/pc2
I wear Medical Rx Croc's.... they offer the best relief of anything I've ever found. These are very different from the other off-the-shelf Croc's.
A lot of good inputs here, thanks, Folks.
For saddle height, have got mine set so my legs are almost straight at the bottom of the stroke... I assume that's best for me?
Wes

I cannot swing my leg over a fully upright bike/saddle. Instead, I have to tilt the bike towards me at about a 45 degree angle in order to swing my leg over.
I'm kind of finding the same thing to be true for me as well...
Man, it stinks getting older than the brain feels like you are!
Wes

You can pedal through foot problems. After years of suffering with arthitis pain I had my ankle fused 2 years ago. I can ride all day now with no pain. Prior to the fusing I could ride but with discomfort after the ride.

As we get older most of us will have some cobbled parts.

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr256/sru75/IMG_1584.jpgT

I cannot swing my leg over a fully upright bike/saddle. Instead, I have to tilt the bike towards me at about a 45 degree angle in order to swing my leg over.

Is that a problem? I haven't been able to do that in years. I've heard of people lying their bikes flat on the ground, standing over it, and lifting it up to mount it.

Whatever it takes to get rolling.

Whatever it takes to get rolling.

*s*

MarTay6,
My experience and the results of many studies all say that biking on a properly fitted bicycle will lessen the stiffness of an arthritic joint along with the pain being reduced. Unless you have a condition flat limiting your motion you should notice a benefit from riding. There are many here with joint replacements and rather severe injuries that have found cycling a pain reduction and motion improver.

Bill

Thanks for the encouragement.
I went through rehab twice in recent years- once for a sprained ankle- and once for knee replacement. Both times, I found the recumbant bike to be like many people say about running- that it's addictive. I felt great doing the recumbent, and feel great after a short ride on the bike.
Wes

Motion is lotion esp. for joints. Just don't "press" too hard esp at first.

Answers are already there--Or here.

Many of us have joint problems and it is Exercise in general that keeps us able to move. Cycling is one of the few Non-Impact forms of exercise that is available to us "Invalids".One of the others is sitting on a couch- and just moving from the chair to the fridge for a cold one. I can't think of any form of exercise that keeps the body mobile without causing any pain or further damage. That being said- Numb bum syndrome does hurt and you will just have to get over it.

Take it steady and come back gently. Try to do 25mph up your local mountain and it will hurt

For the OP, I had my left knee replaced last year. Getting back on the bike helped keep the Range of Motion for the new knee.

I am having some left hip joint pain (osteo or bursitis, not sure). I find that if I just relax on a ride I can do just fine. If I start pushing too hard, it really starts hurting and carries over into walking while off the bike. So, I just relax and "smell the roses" YMMV

This is an interesting paper.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19011540
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2905225/?tool=pubmed

Apparently, frequently resveratrol (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?term=resveratrol) has positive effects on all joints (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?term=resveratrol%20arthritis).

Also, deep prolonged heat assists the body's "heat shock proteins" in promoting rapid healing. Get a heating pad to put over the effected areas and use it - as hot as you can make it without it becoming painful. Try as best as you can to get the heat deep inside.

I have joint issues that get BETTER when I ride my bike. I have a knee that gets sore and stiff when I sit around. If I go for a 20 mile bike ride, it feels fine when I get back.

The only thing better for weight-bearing joints is swimming - this was said to me by my Ortho. I have had knee issues for 30+ years, 8 surgeries and (so far) a knee and hip replaced. I have OA rather badly. Riding keeps my new knee loose and working. Can I ride like a kid? Nope! But nice easy long rides (smelling the scenery) are great for me.

Now if they could only replace a hand...

Shorter crank arms helped reduce pressure on my bad knees. Went from 175mm to 172.5mm crank arms and was able to increase the distance(by 5-6 miles) before discomfort would set in. I am thinking of going to 170mm crankarms. I am not going to get any faster, but I never was anyway.

You can pedal through foot problems. After years of suffering with arthitis pain I had my ankle fused 2 years ago. I can ride all day now with no pain. Prior to the fusing I could ride but with discomfort after the ride.

As we get older most of us will have some cobbled parts.

http://i489.photobucket.com/albums/rr256/sru75/IMG_1584.jpgT

Can we change your nickname to "Hardware Hank?" :)

Shorter crank arms helped reduce pressure on my bad knees. Went from 175mm to 172.5mm crank arms and was able to increase the distance(by 5-6 miles) before discomfort would set in. I am thinking of going to 170mm crankarms. I am not going to get any faster, but I never was anyway.

Good point. I use 165mm arms on my fixed gear bikes and don't have problems with my knees.

That ankle looks like it belongs to a carpenter who had a nail gun run amok!!
Wes

That ankle looks like it belongs to a carpenter who had a nail gun run amok!!
Wes

You just HAD to say that didn't you? It brought back a very bad memory, and its' all your fault. :)

I was building a Christmas set at a local church, in fact just a few miles from where I am now, and nailed two fingers together with a defective nail gun. Needless to say I let out with a loud, very unchurchlike expletive that silenced the entire crew and those practicing the drama.

A bit of Keflex and some bandages and the fingers were just fine. The gun was used by one other person who also injured himself, guess he didn't believe me. And, I was told I was forgiven of my sins in speaking that way.

Way OT, but it was a dramatic reminder.

Back OT: Like the TV commercial says "A body in motion tends to stay in motion, or words to that effect. Best I can figure exercise has no downside. It only wears out artificial joints. The rest exercise lubricates and keeps working. Go for it. There is no downside. By the way; I was older than you when I started cycling as a hobby.

For pedalsm, I found these Ergon PC-2 pedals that looked like they might go well with my Croc's... http://www.ergon-bike.com/us/en/product/pc2
I wear Medical Rx Croc's.... they offer the best relief of anything I've ever found. These are very different from the other off-the-shelf Croc's.
A lot of good inputs here, thanks, Folks.
For saddle height, have got mine set so my legs are almost straight at the bottom of the stroke... I assume that's best for me?
Wes

Double-check it; rotate the crank so the pedal is all the way down; put your heel on the pedal -- your leg should be straight.

Has worked for me all my life.

I have to tilt the bike towards me at about a 45 degree angle in order to swing my leg over.

I was using a cane and had to do that for about 3 years. Bad hip that didn't like walking, but the smooth circular motion of the pedals with no impact points was great. Of course on a bike the hip isn't carrying a lot of weight. That was another nice advantage.

Just a couple loops of nylon twine along the top tube made a nice holster to carry the cane.

My doctor said that bicycling is normally good for the knees, as long as it isn't excessive.

I was 63 earlier this month. I have had arthritis since I was 6. Originally the doctors thought it was rheumatoid, but, by the time that I was in college, they switched to juvenile arthritis. Anyway, most of my joints have been affected in varying degrees. The relatively unaffected joints are both knees, both hips, one ankle, toes on one foot, one elbow and my back.

As a kid, I rode a lot and had very strong legs. In college, I could Leg Press about 325lbs (I weighted about 125lbs at the time). I didn't ride much from midway through high school until I was about 25. I rode sporadically over 1 to 2 years. I started again 10 years ago and have been going ever since.

I don't think that I have had anything bad happen from riding. It did aggrevate my prostate for a while, but my lower body has been pretty good. One of the problems that most arthritics have is poor circulation. Ever noticed how easy it is for your hands or feet (depending upon where your difficulty is) to get cold in the winter? Cycling gets things moving and that is always a good thing. It even seems to help my arms and neck, even though they are not under much load. As has been pointed out, the trick is not to strain anything too soon. If you injure yourself, we take much longer to heal due to age AND health issues.

Also as others have mentioned, bike fit is VERY important. Any physical problems caused by ill fitting can add to our existing health issues. The guy why built my bike did an Excellent job. I took the measurements that he asked for and spec'ed out the parts that I wanted. He put togheter a a bike that just FIT. After riding the bike for about 2 years, I finally decided to have a proper fitting. The fitting verified everything except for a 1/4" difference in seat elevation. Not too shabby...

Not shabby at all; but I have been AMAZED at how SMALL a measurement can be and still make a noticeable difference!

I remember an old hardtail MTB that was uncomfortable, hard to ride, just felt 'dead'; I put a 2mm spacer under the stem, and the bike came ALIVE!

Also, over the summer, I was forced onto a frame that didn't fit me as well as the one it (temporarily) replaced; the difference was a 20mm longer top tube, and I developed needle-like pains in my neck that are only now going away since I'm off that frame.

be sure to learn how to "spin" your pedals in circles, rather than push them (down) very very important, It may take months to learn and you will need to work on it, especailly at the beginning of) every year, I've been dealaing with arthritis and missing (meniscus/ligaments) and damaged parts for nearly 40 years

Get on your bike and ride!!! Make sure that your bike fits you and that your saddle is comfortable. I started riding at 62 and with artificial kneecaps in both knees, I feel great after 20 miles, and even greater after 100 miles. This riding is becoming an addictive habit. Drink lots of water and feed your body right and you will have a very enjoyable riding season. It is way cool when you can out-ride people younger than you !!

Experience counts :)

Thanks for all your inputs here- very encouraging!! I've been riding everyday, about a mile or so, at a fast pace- and it feels good! That's not to say I've got the seat figured out yet- There are so many seats, so many choices- and add to that individual positioning, that it's a maze. And when- as DX Man says, amazing how much difference a small amount of adjustment can make- how do you know which way to try?? I mean- what made you put a spacer under your stem?? I have to go shopping for a seat at my lbs today, (as I have to return the cushy seat off my wife's bike to hers!) I used it to get started, as the seat on the bike was obviously too uncomfortable. I've got new road tires coming for it, to "hybridize" it- (Schwalbe Marathon Supremes) and Ergon grips and pedals...
Pat- I assume that by spinning the crank instead of pushing it down- you mean follow the stroke all the way around the circle, right? Makes sense...
For the first time yesterday, I was able to feel the frame working... the forks working... it felt good!
Wes