Knee tendonitis
 

I thought 3 weeks (minus 1 day) off the bike, very little walking, and only occasional stairs would let the tendonitis heal in my knee. But nooooooooo! Today I returned to work where I walk 10+ minutes to my office, and take stairs up and down a few times a day. By the middle of the day I could already feel a flare-up. No doubt I lost a little fitness these past three weeks and I ate much less than normal, but I didn't expect this to happen already on the first day back.

Anyone have any tried and true quick solutions for mild tendonitis in the knee? I use an ice pack (a large zip-lock bag full of frozen cranberries), take care going up stairs, and strengthen my quads. The pain is just above the patella and not bad enough to see a doctor or PT.

What's it going to take to keep it away for good???

Jen

No advice, Jen, but hope you're feeling better soon!

For good? Strengthen those quads. Meanwhile, remember ibuprofen is your friend.

Mine developed just over a week ago. Rode on the trainer for ten minutes today and it feels ok. Will try a 20 minute ride on the trainer tomorrow and see what happens. Most things I looked up said that if it did not get better after two weeks of self care (rest, icing, ibuprofen) it may be time to see the doc.

Ice then stretch then heat. 3 times a day. That is what PT taught me. Well that and PAIN!:eek:

I find a sauna to be really helpful, more so even than a hot tub. Fifteen minutes, three times a week makes a big difference. Also, completely laying off seems to be almost as bad as overdoing it. Stretching, walking, light spinning, and patience all help. I also think you've gotten good advice about ice, strengthening exercises and ibuprofen.

Chiropractor to get knee/ankle/hip lined up right. That usually does it for me.

Patella strap seems to let me ride very relaxed on my tricky leg. I use it for warmup always. After 15 miles, take it off.

Make sure seat is appropriate height. 30 degree leg bend, more or less. I mostly see people too high with odd knee pain and problems. Endurance can handle a little more bend. Lower than I used to see as standard. Check out the riders in the peloton - more knee bend than I usually see in club rides. Pretty funny. I have my wife measure my knee bend to be sure I'm in a good range. Usually the bend you've been riding feels best, which skews the "by feel" adjustments.

Lots of good advice above. I'd add that when riding start with a very complete warm up. That is, no pressure on the knee at all, just gentle spining. For me the length of time this takes depends on the temperature. In weather under 70 degrees it can take half an hour. Good luck and hope it heals soon.

Jen, are you sure you have tendinitis and not synovial plica syndrome, which i am currently battling (and finally winning :) )? I can walk, jog, or run comfortably, but cycling was painful for about six weeks. Use the low gears, stand when climbing steep hills, keep up your quad stretching and strengthening exercises, and protect your knees from cold.

Ice, rest, ice, rest. If it is IBT problem there are lots of links out there with good advice. I can not agree about standing while climbing however if you have knee problems.

It seems that after you get fitted, you still have to tweak it a little bit. I would try raising the saddle, about an 1/8 of an inch at a time. I had the same problem, good luck.

I have suffered from that for years. Get the pain on in the upper quadrent of the knee just beside the kneecap. I discovered that one of those knee braces from the drug store - the sleeve type with a hole for the knee cap worked great. Tendonitis takes a long time to recover as they get so little blood flow. I found the brace seemed to help with that. I use one on any ride more than 40 miles. This condition kept me from being able to do a century for years - that is no longer an issue.

Good luck and I hope you find something that works for you.