Hi comrade 50+ riders,

I got a bike a couple months ago for the first time in a couple decades and it's taking me some time for my body to accept the stress and strain on my joints. I love the riding, but my knees don't love me. I can only ride it about a week at a time before I have to lay off for a couple weeks because of pain and swelling in my knees (also hips, and other joints, although to a lesser extent) and then try again.

I'm curious, what have your experiences been if you started riding again at this age after years away from it? Is this just a part of the process? Do joints need to somehow accommodate or get used to a new kind of activity?

I had a similar experience when I first started exercising and walking longer distances again about five years ago. That was after a decade (*cough* twenty years *cough*) of inactivity, staying busy with work and life. Getting back into exercising after that, my knees complained a lot and there was significant swelling which lasted a couple months, then they seemed to get used to it and everything was fine from then on. Maybe this is the same thing now?

My general fitness level is pretty decent, exercise every day, walking, hiking, calisthenics, lifting heavy things, so I wouldn't say this is a matter of getting used to being active. It's just the bike-riding that seems to be causing trouble.

My neighborhood is basically all hills, which may be a bit much for starting out. The only flat stretch is a tenth of a mile back and forth in front of my house. Other than that, it's quite steep, ascending in the lowest gear, seated, or standing with the second-to-lowest. Aerobically I'm totally fine with the hills, there's just this one problem.

I've adjusted the bike according to recommendations and I think the seat is properly situated relative to the pedals. I haven't had a bike fit; I may look into that although the cost may discourage me.

I've never been diagnosed with joint problems although I may see an orthopedic doc about this. Bike-riding is supposed to be low-impact I hear ...

Trying to make sense of why I'm having pain in several joints at once .. can inflammation propagate? That is, if I have a problem in one joint, say knees, can whatever causes inflammation there also cause it to happen in other joints as well, like, say, by moving through the blood stream?

Can swelling itself be a source of pain? That is, if I have swelling in a joint, would that cause the joint to ache all by itself, separate from any injury? Just trying to puzzle this out.

Because of this, and because I've had six tick bites over the last two years, I've talked my primary care doc into treating me for Lyme disease. (It wasn't diagnosed; he said the test is inconclusive and the downside of treatment is low, so better just to treat it if there's a chance.) As I understand it, Lyme can cause joint pain.

This week I'm back to riding, only a half hour at a time, back and forth on the (short) flat stretch and avoiding hills to see if my body will tolerate this.

Bike riding should not be any worse than walking. Your symptoms suggest you need a better fit and make sure you are spinning the pedals not bearing down. Generally if you cannot turn the cranks faster than 85 rpm then gear is too high. Pedal with low gears and higher reps.

Get a fitting by a bike shop you trust. Some adaptation is needed to ride but it should not hurt as such.

What is your cadence?
I had knee problems before I learned to stop mashing at 60rpm, and taught myself to spin at 85-105rpm.

I am by no means an expert but from my reading on the subject, if your knees are hurting, you might be riding too high a gear. Need to shift to a lower, i.e. easier, gear and spin faster. Here is some information I have found useful:

Bicycling and Pain

Good luck!

Some links to articles I've collected in the past:

CYCLING PERFORMANCE TIPS -

Cyclists' knee injuries - patellofemoral syndrome | Sports Injury Bulletin

Knock Out Knee Pain | Bicycling

Newsletter | SIRC

Been there done that. Yes it gets better. Bike fit is much more important to those of us over 50 IMO. All of the above advice, especially your cadence. I also did some physical therapy when I had knee pain. All good now.

Good questions. I'm paying attention to cadence now and doing a better job of anticipating shifting to keep the cadence up. I don't have a computer but I'm keeping it higher than once per second, I'd guess 80rpm most of the time.

That first week though .. by the time I got to the top of the hills I was struggling, wavering, trying not to fall over. Less than 60rpm I'm sure, like maybe down around 30 at the end, even in the lowest gear. I may have done some things I shouldn't have done. It's a used bike and I didn't realize at the time but a brake was rubbing. Live and learn.

Thanks, I'm glad to hear that worked out.

Knees and other joints can adapt, as long as there are no complicating conditions (degenerative arthritis, etc.), and the bike fits. Might take some experiments to adjust the bike to suit you. Consult a local bike shop that offers fitting advice if possible. Sometimes as little as a 1/4" adjustment in the saddle can make all the difference.

I've avoided most knee problems by adapting to a pedaling technique that suits me better. Conventional wisdom says place the ball of the foot more or less centered over the pedal axle. That's how I rode decades ago with toe clips to lock in a consistent position. But even in my youth I got twinges of pain climbing hills.

When I resumed cycling last year after 30 years away, I decided to stick with platform pedals for awhile and place my foot wherever it felt comfortable and strong. That turned out to be with the ball of the foot slightly ahead of the axle, about an inch, which works best for me when spinning around 80-90 rpm on flat terrain and downhill. But when climbing hills I'll center my arch over the axle. And I prefer a fairly large platform pedal, around 3.25"x3.25" (with corners lopped off), which is more versatile for the various shoes and/or boots I wear. I adjust the saddle height slightly to suit the thickness of the soles. Works great for me. No knee pain, feels stronger and more natural to adjust positions as needed. Turns out cycling coaches with more expertise than I recommend the same techniques, at least for mountain biking, trails and casual riding. (See James Wilson's blog, and the link to Catalyst platform pedals. However the Catalyst pedals practically force the rider into centering the arch over the pedal axle, while I prefer the freedom to choose and vary my position, so I'll probably stick with more conventional 3.25"x3.25" platforms.)

My main challenge is neck pain from a permanently damaged C2 in a car wreck several years ago, along with back pain from the same injuries. Those will never heal properly and strengthening and stretching can only minimize some of the pain and strain, and eventual deterioration.

I began last year with a comfort hybrid that's still my favorite bike. Simple spring suspension fork, padded and springy saddle, long wheelbase, large lower pressure tires. It's like riding a comfortable sofa, or well fitted ergonomic desk chair. A few weeks ago I added a steel frame road/hybrid with rigid fork, but despite my various adjustments and modifications it will never be as comfortable for long rides on rough pavement or gravel. It's lighter and quicker, especially uphill. But unless I can find the magic formula it won't replace the comfort hybrid as my favorite bike. I've been able to ride up to 63 miles in a day with the comfort hybrid and not feel too bad the next day. So far my longest rides on the rigid fork bike have been 40 miles and I needed a day or two of rest to recover from the back and neck spasms. My next mods will be a different saddle and perhaps wider tires at lower pressure to see if it softens some of the jolts without sacrificing too much quickness.

Is your saddle too low or too far forward? Either of those effect my knees.

P2

It does take time for ligaments and tendons to get stronger.

These grow much more slowly than do muscles and cardiovascular fitness.

It can take new runners as much as two years for connective tissue to adapt.


-Tim-

Don't forget to inflate the tires!!!!

Do all of the above. Also take a good joint supplement and NSAIDs

That makes me think I don't have much chance of getting the fit right on my own.

I'm a big foot (too?) so I'm with you, a bigger pedal sounds great. Right now I can't fit on the stock pedals that came with the bike. I'm shopping for larger pedals and also pedal extenders so I can mix and match to see what works. I do want to end up with a toe cage/mini-cage.

Car accident: the gift that keeps on giving.

Thanks for all the detail, great reply.

It's now back 3/4 inch and up an inch from where it was when I first got it. That first week of riding though it was wrong in both those ways.

Thanks for adding this. I wasn't sure whether tendons and ligaments strengthened at all.

Very good advice.

It would be a serious engineering error if muscles got very much stronger but connective tissues did not. That would be the equivalent of weak links in a chain. Every part of the body will get stronger when it is used but not overused before it is ready.

This can be hard to do but I'd slow down if dealing with pain and do other activities until this gets better. There is no good reason to continue doing strenuously an activity that causes you pain. Concur with the others that, in addition to the long lay off, the likely causes are (1) fit and (2) gearing.

Well that's bad news, I was hoping for a few weeks for them to adapt. I tried again today and it is frustrating to back off and sometimes even walk to baby the connective tissues even though the legs, heart rate and breathing are all raring to go.


What supplements?

If you're riding after having knee pain, and you get swelling, you need to take it very easy on those first rides. Spin a lower gear, not strenuously, give it a chance to really recover and strengthen. I overdid it when I first started, years ago, right knee was constantly in pain and it lasted months. But I had gone car-free at the time so I didn't have much choice, and was basically riding one-legged. That really isn't necessary - back off and spin whenever you start to feel it.

FWIW saddle too low causes the knees to hurt.

There are hundreds out there. As long as it has glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM it's covered all of the basics. Other ingredients may help but may just be there as marketing hype. Every drugstore and big box has dozens of choices.

I've tried expensive GNC products and cheap big box products and noticed no difference. I just get the Kirkland joint formula in the giant bottle at Costco since 2 adults and a large dog are all on it in my household, then a separate MSM because it is cheaper that way actually.

YMMV

I'm not a doctor but I play one on the Internet.
Top 10 reasons you're knee hurt aftrr/during riding a bicycle (however in no particular order).
10. Saddle too high.
9. Saddle too low.
8. Saddle too forward.
7. Saddle too far back.
6. Cadence too low.
5. Mashing too hard on pedals.
4. Over use.
3. Years of under use.
2. Too much too soon.
1. WE'RE OLD.
Yes, you can adapt and your tendons and ligaments can get stronger.
That's why a lot of riders (including me) start the year with spinning and long and slow rides for 6 weeks after a lay off. Before starting a harder strength building phase. And ending with a speed building phase.

This is what leads many new runners to injury. You feel great but the joints are not ready.

Take it easy the first year. Stretching really, REALLY helps avoid injuries here.