Knee Brace for a newb!
 

Greetings folks...

Just started cycling two months ago. Quickly got into shape and did a 40 mile ride last weekend. Felt so amazing, except my knee started hurting.

Under the kneecap pain. I did some research and I think it is PFS which is a common cycling ailment. It is also known as runners knee.

I stayed off the bike for a week and today gave it a go. Started to ache about three miles down the road.

I think I am going to need a knee brace to stabilize the kneecap. Any suggestions from folks that have run into the same problem? Type of knee brace?

Stopping cycling is not am option! Lol.

I'm a 50 year old in decent shape so it's probably just worn out gear..i.e. my knee..lol

Thanks for the advice in advance.

Joe

Bike fitting?

I’ve tried a number of wraps, bandages and supports. Never stayed with any of them. The shape of my legs, they don’t stay put well enough. Lower gears, higher cadence, stretching and supplemental exercises seems to work far better.
I do use some fleece knee warmers though, which seems to help.

If you are using clipless pedals with shoe cleats and the knee pain is just in one knee, you might try moving the cleat more towards the heel on the leg where there is knee pain. If the pain moves to the back of the knee the cleat has been moved too much. But it’s hard to move a cleat enough to cause that.

The saddle might be a smidge too low as well. If you make adjustments just move stuff 1-2 mm at a time. Even after fittings sometimes tweaking stuff is needed to get things fine tuned.

You might also want to make sure your pedaling cadence is mostly in the 80-95 range. Pushing too hard a gear for too long sometimes can cause that type of pain.

Good luck getting it figured out and enjoy the riding!!

Diagnosing knee pain can be difficult due to the number of issues that cause similar symptoms. I've done all the things JPPE has suggested and I also do knee exercises to strengthen the muscles that stabilize the knee and so far it has worked to keep me pedaling.

The only time I've had knee pain from cycling was my first year back on the bike after 30+ years away. A simple patella strap under the kneecap helped with tracking while the knee got stronger.

Gear down, mash less, do knee exercises at home. Joints often benefit from exercises other than what we do in a particular activity or sport. Helps stabilize the joint to prevent injury. It may clear up on its own.

There are a zillion physical therapy/exercise videos on YouTube. The Bowflex channel has some of the best -- short, to the point, well done. Those videos don't all emphasize Bowflex equipment. Many are for exercises without any machines or apparatus.