Originally Posted by
macphisto23
I should add that I did get them checked out last year and I was diagnosed with patello femoral syndrome. I told the doctor my plans(last summer) and he told me that i should go for it. Like I said I decided to not go and instead did a kayak tour for a few months. My knees have felt relatively great until recently when i started doing a lot of hiking and exercising. Not much biking.
I wrecked both knees on my first tour. Took on too much too soon, lots of hills, etc. Different problem though, patellar tendonitis. After returning home I saw a Physical Therapist who got me going in the right direction to resolve the problem. I've done lots of tours since then without issue - because I now know how to manage it (training, stretching, ibuprofen).
My girlfriend is a Physical Therapist (didn't know her back when I had those knee problems). I asked her about your issue. She said you should:
1. See your doctor and ask for a prescription to Physical Therapy (can't just go see one on your own in most states).
2. Call around and find a Physical Therapist who is familiar with cycling-related knee issues. Any PT could help you, but she said those most familiar with cycling-related issues could probably resolve your issue sooner.
3. She said patello femoral syndrome is often caused by an imbalance in leg muscle strength, common in people who do one kind of leg exercise that strengthens one set of leg muscles but not others. For cyclists, it's often an overly tight "IT band." The result is your kneecap being pulled "off center" which causes the underside of it to rub against bones. I might not be getting that exactly right but I think that's what she said. A common treatment, she said, is a program to strengthen and stretch specific leg muscles to eliminate the imbalance, combined with an anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen.
Make an appointment, get an evaluation, tell them of your tour plans and have them develop a treatment program (exercises, stretches) to get you on your way to pain-free cycling. Then follow through on that program - religiously.