Fullcount

Fifty-three and loving cycling once again. Been trying to average 100 miles per month as I start back with this activity after a long time away. Been at it for about five months now after a 30 year absence. Now I am starting to experience knee pain. Been backpacking for past five years and never experienced it like this. Backpacking had been tough on the ankles with only minor discomfort to the knees.

I get out every other day for about 10 miles with the last few rides feeling pretty good with the legs and stamina. My question, is this normal for the knees as they too strengthen? I have been taking an antibiotic, cephalexin 500 mg for the past week after some dental work. Wondered if the knee thing could be a side effect.

I know a lot of you would be saying 100 miles a month??? That is what you do in a weekend. I too would love to get there also, but I am trying to take it steady. Just do not want to get sidelined by doing something the old knees are not used to. What has been the norm for those of you when getting back into shape?

10 Wheels

Not normal...Where is the sore area?
My 71 y/o knees did 100 miles Thursday night.

B. Carfree

Muscles strengthen faster than ligaments or tendons. In fact, long before you add any new muscle tissue you get stronger by virtue of better coordination (recruitment) of the fibers. This newfound strength adds to the forces the connective tissues have to deal with and can result in small tears and inflammation, which is likely the source of your pain. The best advise I have for you is to back off, at least in terms of power. Consider forcing yourself to ride at a much higher cadence than you have been using and even traveling at a reduced speed when you do ride.

Take some NSAIDs, use some ice/heat cycles, let it rest a bit and ride easy when you come back. Not only do these tissues take longer to strengthen than muscles do, they don't heal very well either (no circulation). You might consider having an experienced cyclist or a quality shop look at your fit on the bike as well. A good fit can help prevent some of these problems.

Once you are healed, bear in mind the 5% rule: Don't add more than 5% to your workouts per week. It sometimes seems like it will take forever to achieve some mileage goal when following it, but you are more likely to obtain your goals if you avoid injuries.

10 Wheels

Where is the sore area?

tsl

Yup. "Knee pain" covers an awful lot of territory.

Before anyone can speak to your specifics, we need to know where. Until then, all you'll get are assumptions. B Carfree's recommendations are okay for general purpose, all around soreness. But most of us consider soreness different from pain. Where it hurts makes a difference in what will fix it.

Does it hurt only while cycling, or afterwards as well?

Bill Kapaun

A couple things that can exacerbate knee pain-
Seat set too low.
Cranks too long. (10mm difference made the difference between very minimal riding to a 70 mile day on my hybrid for this 65 year old)

Fullcount

Left knee is hurting on the sides and above the knee cap when I walk. Right knee is popping when I walk, but not as much pain. When I ride, I do not notice the pain at all on either knee. Last couple of rides, I have been using the third ring (big) almost exclusively in order to simulate a harder ride. I do not have hills, so I was trying to create a harder ride to simulate the lack of an up hill climb.

No throbbing when at rest...just when walking

Mycoalson

Okay, I'm hoping I do this when I'm 73. Very good.

Mycoalson

Hey, I'm no Doc, and I'm relatively new to cycling. So, my experience is only personal and anecdotal. Don't take it as gospel or all encompassing.


I'm 51 and had my left knee replaced in '05, and my right knee scoped a month later. In '07 I cycled and got into enough shape to start getting in shape and my discount store bike went kaput.

I stupidly quit cycling, ballooned to somewhere around 300 pounds, with a 42" plus waist. I say plus because I could no longer dry my pants and fit into them. I refused to buy 44" waist.

Anyway, last year I started cycling again and initially was doing around 100 miles per week.

Last week I did 314. Obviously, along with the increase in mileage I've dropped weight and pants size.

I mention all of this background info, only to really say this:


When I first started back, last year, I noticed some knee pain in very short distances. As my fitness improved the knee pain would go away.

Over the course of the year and increased distances, I've had to do various stretching exercises to stretch different parts of my body more, at different times. Sometimes hams, sometimes quads, sometimes neck and back.

I'd point out my flexability has always been excellent, but, I still had to engage in vigorous stretching.

As to knee pain, as I increase distance, it will come back a bit then go away.

I'm no star athlete, I'm not really in that great of shape, but I take it easy, look for advice and try to increase distance somewhat slowly.

In your case I'm a bit afraid to give too much advice, as I tend to find ways to work a comfortable middle ground in regards to pain. I've yet to allow a minor injury to get major, I've tried to follow good practices, but I've also been fairly able to push my own personal limits and limitations.

Good luck. I had a tough time starting, don't want to quit now, and hope to avoid injury and illness.

DnvrFox

Have you had a "fit" of any kind? Sorry if you said you did and I missed it. If not, go to a LBS and have them take a look. Knee pain like that is not normal. I would NOT be pushing the big ring.

In my case, I was 58 when I started bicycling. I put in 1100 miles the first 3 months, then did Ride the Rockies (400 miles of Colorado passes) on a mtn bike. I will be 74 in a month and never have had any kind of knee pain, period.

You really need to check out your fit.

Good luck.

10 Wheels

Hey OP, Raise your seat post about 1/4 of an inch.

Then stay out of the big ring for about two weeks.

Just got back from a 10 mile ride in between the rain.

jyl

Make sure your saddle is high enough. When the pedal is farthest from the saddle, and your leg is locked straight, keeping your hips level, you should be just able to brush the pedal with your heel.

Too- low saddle means your legs never get to fully extend, which is both weak and very hard on the knees. Imagine walking a mile with your legs bent in a crouch.

Pedal a higher cadence, at least 80 rpm. Means when cruising on the flat, being in the middle ring, not the big ring. As you get stronger you can try big ring riding, but if your knees hurt, back to the middle ring.

Too-big gears mean more force required, hence more stress on the knee and the rest of the legs, butt , etc.

Give cycling a rest for a week then resume, gently , using the above tips . If your knees hurt again, come back with more details or consult someone in person: a bike fitter and a sports doctor. Do not keep riding with pain or try to cover it up with pain meds.

The knee pain you're describing is not something to take lightly.

rdtompki

As others have said: you have no base so a)concentrate on gradually building up mileage and b)keep your cadence up to avoid stress on your knees. Fit is important, but saddle height is critical for mitigating knee discomfort.

You'll build up cardio while at the same time strengthening muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc. Even at that mashing is overrated. The best way to do significant climbs, especially as you get older, is to have the right gears and keep the cadence up to something reasonable. What is "reasonable" will vary. My experience is that when I have to I can hold 60 for a long period, but it takes a toll on my muscles; definitely something to be avoided on a long climbing ride if at all possible.

DnvrFox

Saddle height IS an important portion of "fit." Your statement confuses me, as if fit and saddle height are somehow separate issues.

tsl

Most likely your saddle is too low. This accounts for the pain in front of and above the knee.

And certainly you're using too hard a gear. This accounts for the pain at the sides of the knee.

The big ring is for racers going fast. New cyclists tend to use too hard a gear and pedal at too low a cadence thinking this is somehow "more efficient", or that struggling along "gives a better workout". The easier gears are there for a reason--so you can take it easy on your knees. You compensate for the reduced speed by pedaling faster.

Stay out of the big ring unless you're whizzing along above 20 or 22 MPH. Use easier gears and spin faster (keep a higher cadence). Work your way up to a cadence of around 90 RPM. (For most of us over 50, the big ring is purely decorative.)

When I started out, this was exactly my problem. I used too hard a gear and maintained a cadence between 50 and 60 RPM. The first time I got my cadence up to 72 RPM, I thought my legs were going to fly right out of my hip sockets. These days, my measured average is in the mid-90s with peaks of 110-115.

Fullcount

Tsl- you hit the nail on the head, I have been trying to use the big ring lately. I have gotten my cadence to 78-80 rpm on this big ring on the flats. I will try to send it back to the middle ring and target 90 rpm from there.

The other issues is that is am riding a 57 cm Peugeot when conventional wisdom says I should be on a 54 cm frame. However due to some belly fat, I am not comfortable on my 54cm Trek 520 as I feel I am bent over too much. The Peugeot has trekking butterfly type handle bars and with the seat down all the way, I feel comfortable on the bike. I did check the heel test mentioned on an earlier post and true to form....the seat was too low on the Peugeot, so I raised it about a half inch and tilted the butterfly bars so I would not get stretched out. Long term solution is to get both my Peugeot and Trek to my LBS for a fitting. The Trek has drop down bars and if I raise the seat on that, I will really be bent over. My cycling interest is in the touring style and not the racing style. So up and comfortable is where I want to be. Lack of hills in my area is what prompted the third ring experiment

Thanks for everyone's help

Carbonfiberboy 

There are a couple other things you can do. This stretch series:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...1#post15372967

and activating the vastus medialis obliquus (VMO) in your quads with exercises and pedaling methods discussed here:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...1#post16081392

fietsbob

>..and the gear ratio choice. .. my be over ambitiously High.