Jarrett2

I've had patellar tendonitis in the past and what you are describing sounds the same. Although, cycling helped mine.

My first guess is your saddle is too low, but a proper fitting is in order I'd guess.

Pain is the first symptom of patellar tendinitis, usually between your kneecap and where the tendon attaches to your shinbone (tibia).

If you can press just at the bottom of your knee cap as it heads to your shin and feel pain, that's probably what it is.

Jakedatc

Still not sure how you guys get that his fit is the problem when he rode ___ days before this without pain and then did a ride out of the norm and had pain. then with some rest it almost immediately went away..

not everything is a chronic injury. Sometimes you pull a muscle and that is it. do you guys buy glasses when you get dirt in your eye and can't see for a minute?

531Aussie

Short version (I've bored this forum many times with my chondromalacia story ):

Straight leg raises are the best thing for me by a mile. I had it bad about 20 years ago, and these fixed me very quickly, after a month of rest, icing, stretching and taking drugs did virtually nothing.

My PT said that a slack middle quad (rectus femoris or vastus intermedius, or both?), possibly in combo with an imbalance between the lateralis and medialis, causes the firing order of the quads to go wrong, so the middle quad doesn't pull the cap up and out of way of the end of the femur like it should during contraction, causing the rubbing and wear (and pain, etc).

My chondromalacia comes back a little every couple years if I get lazy with my pre-hab, but I can quickly get on top of it.

I was misdiagnosed with patella tendonitis by 2 PTs before a 3rd PT diagnosed chondromalacia. He had my leg flat on the bed and rubbed the cap from side to side against the bone and said he felt roughness and grinding (from wear). Apparently, this is one of the best ways of telling the difference between it and tendonitis.

motorthings

The screaming is always a good secondary indication.

Alias530

I've only been riding 2 years but I ride a lot. Mountain biking, road biking, cyclocross bike on lighter trails... NEVER had this sort of pain or giving out feeling. I've been on two rides, 20 and 30 miles, and this pain hasn't come back so far. Going to do 60+ miles today so we will see.

berner

I'm a 76 y.o. man and ride 3000+ miles a year. I do a bit of strength training at home with dumb bells and stretch daily to stay as limber as possible. Occasionally the right knee complains some. I do leg exercises in addition to riding the bike so that all the muscles, especially in the knee area, get a workout, not just the ones that pedal the bike. Advice as above, to stretch and exercise the afflicted area has worked for me. When the knee does complain it's because I've not been doing the exercises so I get back on the routine right away. Exercise or stretching is not a cure for all ailments but in a sport where repetitious movement is the essence of that sport, muscle imbalance and the pain caused by such imbalance is easily dealt with.

Jarrett2

That's how my patellar tendonitis is. Flares up, goes away. Depends on exertion on that leg. It was actually hurting yesterday, but not today.

Jakedatc

Yes, but you have to look at the whole story instead of trying to fit a condition to the person. This sounded very much acute from the get go.

History- has gone from X miles to an increase for his longest ride. Any time you have discomfort with coinciding with a change in activity level you should be aware of that. His bike set up has not changed, so a mechanical/fit problem was very unlikely. No prior history of knee pain, unlikely a chronic condition.

either way, seems like he is doing good now so that's that.

Alias530

I did 72 miles yesterday and had a little bit of pain in my normal spot (center of joint) in the middle of the ride but nothing afterwards or below the cap.

Jakedatc

I wish i could ride that far right now... i'm headed out to do 16-22 and hope i don't freeze to death haha but the sun it out!

Alias530

It was 65-71 for most of the ride. Got to low 60's as I got back to my house. I started after a full day of work too. California weather, so nice...

woodcraft

As far back as possible on most shoes is a good starting point IMO.

lopek77

I'm not the expert, but I will share simple facts learned from knee doctors, and one USA national cycling team coach which I know pretty well personally.
Pain is always bad in sports. Discomfort, heat, burning is ok....but pain is never ok. When you have knee pain, typical, regular stretching before and after the ride may prevent pain form coming back. Most of the knee pain is from misalignment of the knee cap, which is pretty easy fix.
If the pain is below the cap - go to see the doctor. From my personal experience, if you have a choice, go to the doctor who believes in exercises and therapy to fix the issue, rather than cutting and opening the knee to replace/fix the problem.
Cyclist can't get together and decide which chain lube is best, and the same with doctors...almost every doctor will have slightly different opinion about the same issue...

Alias530

Below the cap like in my pic on the first post?

what if it's just once? I haven't had that pain again since

lopek77

If it was from a knee cap - it's not good...Maybe it was just near the knee cap? I'm glad it was just once, and that you don't have that pain anymore.
I'm riding bicycles for around 30 years. I never stretched for the last 28 years...Then I started having some issues with my knees. I ride a lot, and most of my rides are between 20 - 100 miles, with an average around 40-50. Stretching is a wonderful thing, and everyone should do that. It's not only good for your muscles, but also for your knees and the knee cap. Misalignment can be very painful.
There are some specialists dealing ONLY with knee issues. I went to one, and I have to say that I never saw interiors so freaking rich and expensive They were either that good and successful, or the only ones in the area. But thanks to them, I'm mostly pain free.

Alias530

It's just like the pic in the first post, it was the area right below the cap on the surface of my leg. That connecting tissue/tendon thing you can feel below the knee cap. No pain of the actual cap itself.

Sy Reene

Most advice I've read is that static stretching be done after a ride, rather than before.

lopek77

I believe that before is more important than after. It's the same idea as a warm up, and it works!
You will find mixed opinions about that...

lopek77

From Live Strong

"Whether you’re commuting to work on your bike, training for a triathlon or you just like to hit your favorite spin class after work, you can improve your performance and protect yourself from injury by stretching before your workout. Dynamic stretches, which involve movement -- rather than holding a static stretch -- are most effective before a workout because they warm up your muscles and joints and help prime them for the activity to follow. Triathlon coach Scott Seamster recommends hopping on your bike for a short warm-up ride and then performing a few dynamic stretches to target the major muscles used during biking -- the glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors and quadriceps, as well as the triceps, calves, pectorals and back muscles. Read on to find out 11 essential stretches to do before biking."

https://www.livestrong.com/slideshow/...before-biking/

Jakedatc

An active warm up before you start going hard is important.. . for me this is riding the first 5mi or so without too much punchyness and maybe a few more RPM. one cold morning i even spun on my trainer for a bit before driving over to a group ride i knew wouldn't start slow for long.

static stretching afterward is good because your legs are warmed up and they are more receptive to being stretched like that. static stretches before actually hurt performance by reducing power.