Help - Knee pain (never had it before)

[EnellCH]

I started out March and April with higher milage than prior seasons after 3mths break over winter. Last year, i rode without any knee issues (although at lower intensity than i started the past 2 months)

I now have soreness and have aches on the front/outside (lateral/posterior side) of my left knee. I think it is due to my shoes/pedals and misalignment?? (My right knee is fine)

I have a set of SPD pedals (Shimano PD-M540) and an old pair of MTB shoes. Current cleats have 4 degree float and have tried to loosen up the pedals to allow more float, but not sure if this works? I have also played a bit with the alignment of the shoes but not sure about how to do it.

What should i do, please advice? I am willing to buy new pedals/shoes or do whatever it takes to reduce the risk of escalating knee problems.

Thank you!

[generalkdi]

It could be a lot of things... Is the soreness always or just while you ride? Have you been fitted to your bike? Some pedals allow much more float than SPD, if you think the problem comes from there, Speedplay may be a good option (others as well). I don't think changing shoes will help with a knee problem.. At least, it wouldn't be my first choice.

In order I'd :

-Get fit
-Change pedals
-See a physio (if you have soreness all day long) (if it's only while riding, the 2 first steps most probably will have fix the problem)
-Continue from there.

[EnellCH]

I got properly fitted when I bought the bike. The soreness is not all day long, it's especally enunciated if/when I rotate or turn my leg, like stepping in and out of a car, sitting in "tailor" position etc.
Agree that i can likely keep my shoes and switch cleats and pedals. What other options than speed play? How are the eggbeaters?

[ColinL]

eggbeaters have a massive amount of float. 15-20 degrees or something like that, when the cleat is installed with the narrow side forward. you can get the entry model eggbeater super cheap on nashbar, if you just want to try. waaaay cheaper than trying a speedplay frog. (which is also a great pedal.)


quick question--
just how much more intensity are you doing now? this could be simple tendonitis if you're overdoing it a bit. also it could be caused by something not cycling related at all, such as crouching a lot doing yard work or something like that. cycling is high stress and surfaces the pain, but maybe isn't the original cause. just something to consider.

[KypD]

My left knee started hurting a few weeks after switching to new SPD-SL cleats....eventually the left one workd its way over just enough to make long rides produce pain.

I knew my right cleat was PERFECT so I just matched the two, and it instantly went away.

[TrojanHorse]

It's possible your seat drifted down a little bit too.

[Mike F]

I didnt check the work after my complementary fitting and last week I experienced the same thing. The three bolts that went from the clete to the shoe loosened up and the cletes slid down 2 cm. Re did them with locktite (blue) and they have stayed put but its taken a couple days for the pain to lessen when standing from a sitting position. Funny thing is they feel pretty good on rides.

[lazerzxr]

Left knee problems are common due to left foot problems also being common, dont rule out the shoes you are using. I have tried 3 pairs of shoes in the last few years and all make my knees track differently. I have also tried 6 different makes of insole and can clearly tell between them. My current set up uses a different insole for each foot and has a remarkable effect on my knees.

Good knees start with comfortable, well supported feet - thats a fact

[kyamei]

After 2000 miles on my bike, I pretty randomly got a pain also on the outer side of my left knee during a ride. After that, the pain would return after just a few miles on every ride.

My first thoughts were also cleat positioning or seat height. I played with all of those things over the course of a month or two (try one change, go for a ride, wait a week, change something else, try again, etc).

I later noticed I did not have the issue when I rode my TT bike. Which led me to think maybe it was fore-aft positioning. My road bike was setup to have my knee over pedal spindle (I know, I know, not necessarily the correct position, but it is a good starting point...), so I put my seat height/cleat position back to what it was and slammed my saddle all the way forward. What do you know? No more pain.

I believe my pain was where the IT band tucks into the knee (a guess based on my Google-fu). I don't know if this is the same as what you are experiencing, but since it wasn't mentioned, checking fore-aft position may also be worth a try.

[generalkdi]

Left knee problems are common due to left foot problems also being common, dont rule out the shoes you are using. I have tried 3 pairs of shoes in the last few years and all make my knees track differently. I have also tried 6 different makes of insole and can clearly tell between them. My current set up uses a different insole for each foot and has a remarkable effect on my knees.

Good knees start with comfortable, well supported feet - thats a fact

If it was the shoes, wouldn't he have problems to both knees?

[EnellCH]

I do pronate quite a bit and probably need insoles in my bike shoes. Will try this plus higher float cleats and reassess seat hight.
Hopefully this and perhaps a bit tendonitis is the reason, i started the season ambitious riding about 3x the amount of milage as i did March/April the year prior.

[lazerzxr]

If it was the shoes, wouldn't he have problems to both knees?

No, feet/knees are not symetrical, shoes are - theres the problem

[Dainbramage]

Look into the BG Fit cleat wedges and have a professional fit done. The wedges may help with your knee issues if you're feet aren't lined up right.