Originally Posted by
BlazingPedals
Sometimes people with knee problems benefit from short cranks. They require less knee bend at the top of the pedal stroke. The idea is to spin more to compensate for the reduced leverage - like eating the elephant in more, smaller bikes rather than fewer large bites.
+1 As someone with meniscus tears and osteoarthritis in both knees, short cranks are a life saver. IMO CF (crank forward) won't do as much good as switching to shortie cranks.
On a recumbent you'd have to resist the temptation to do leg presses- with your back against a seat you can apply more force to the pedals than on an upright.
High cadence, low gearing.