Help!

I'm trying to work on increasing my miles, and I thought I was doing it correctly. I've done a couple of 40 mile rides on a flat rail-trail. I've also been doing 25-30 miles on hills. Yesterday I did a 30-mile hilly day, and then today pushed out to 45 miles on flat terrain. I keep the cadence around 85-95. Now, tonight, my knee is killing me. It aches on the upper, 'outside', on the front - hard to describe where! It just feels close to the surface on the front. Right knee is fine, left is the problem. I've just started really putting in miles. Before two months ago, I was riding a flat 35 mile course every few weeks, but riding a stationary every other day.

Any advice? Please don't say to cut back the miles!

Any past knee problems?

Probably patella fenerol (inflamation of the knee cap). See your doc -- he'll refer you to an orthopod.

Or your bike may not be fitted correctly. 1/2cm in the seatpost length could do what you're describing.

Yeah, a patella something-or-other, so my doctor told me to stop running, so I starting riding. Go figure.

I'm gonna try to lower my seat a 1/4" and see what happens. I'll also avoid mashing and concentrate on spinning.

Thanks y'all!

Ah Yes, the dredded Patella....I was told to stop running too that is how I got into biking myself but only because I have loose joints, thus my joints grind into my knee cap. If I were to have kept running I would have needed a total knee replacement. I'd make sure you see your doctor too if your knee is bothering you, but see if you can get your bike adjusted again.

Patella Fenerol is inflamtion due to grinding

I have it too. I lowered my seat a bit. I lost a bit of efficiency but the pain is gone.

Yes... try lowering your seat alittle it might feel weird but you might get a better work out on your quads. If not,,,, your bike might be too big for you..

Noah

What pedals are you using? Do they provide enough float?

Be careful--you can screw up you knees w/ too low of a seat position too!

Is your bottom bracket square with the frame? To check it; have someone hold a straight edge (A flat piece of wood about 3 feet long will do.) against the chain wheel. Look from above, close one eye and see if the straight edge is parallel with the top tube.

One more thing to check is the pedal bearings I had one wear slightly (you shouldn't be able to move the pedal vertically or horizontally at all ) and it just about killed my knee.
Good luck

Sorry to be pedantic but it's the patello-femoral joint, being the joint between patella (kneecap) and femur (thigh).

Just thought that might help if you want to 'google' it.

Good luck getting it sorted.

Jon

It took me a while to nail down the right hight and seat adjustment, and before that my knee's would throb a bit after longer rides. If you have not had knee issues in the past, then I would lean toward bike adjustments rather then the Patella.

whoa nelly. i'd say to raise your saddle. especially since you weren't having probs before. possible your seatpost has sunk a bit.

sd

I have the same thing and its caused by the pounding from running. So are you using a gear thats too big? Maybe bump down a gear

I'm on a new bike - I've only had it for two weeks, only about 200 miles. The seat height might be the problem. I'm still tweaking things. Or...

Hammer the Hill hit on the other issue. I'm riding a triple, with a 12/23 (long story on the rear cassette, but I just ordered a 12/26 from Nashbar) but I'm so worried about using my granny gear, trying to look tough, that I am mashing up hills, on the middle ring (the triple is a 30/42/52.) Of course, I realize that I'm being silly, cause riding up a steep hill on a 42/23 is much harder than the folks on a double on a 26, or even 27. So, I need to swallow my pride, and use whatever gear I can do get up the hills without destroying my knees! I rather be riding a triple than sitting on a couch with a bum knee!

Ask your Doc about the supplements Glucossimn and Condriton (spelling is likely all wrong). It is supposed to keep the cartlidge in the joints healthy. I think it works for me and I know it works for my dog.

I have a 34 tooth gear on the rear and have used it once or twice.

Joe

I've been dealing with inflamation under my kneecap for 35 years, and my experience has been a little different from most of the posts here. First, from your description it's not clear that you have kneecap problem. The clue that the kneecapp is inflamed is that it will be painful to walk down stairs. If you can walk down stairs without pain, it's probably a sprain of the lateral colateral ligament. Try adjusting the angle of your cleats, check that the pedal is not bent, or get pedals with more float. That may also help if the problem is an inflamed kneecap. Ice and ibuprofen are also helpful.
If it's the kneecap, one common cause is that the kneecap doesn't track properly in the groove in the femur. Sometimes (as in my case) that's caused by poor muscle development. That's why it's a common runners' injury: runners develop an imbalance between strong hamstrings and relatively weak quads. Strengthening the quads, and particularly the vastus (the part of the quad near the knee and toward the center of the body) may help. You need to be careful about strengthening the quads, because any excercise that works the quads also strains the joint that you have already injured.
Lowering your seat will put more strain on your knee, not less, and increase the range of motion as well. Lower gears will decrease the pressure on the knee, but I found higher cadences inflamed my knee more.
My solution was to work on strengthening my quads. I did squats, lunges and one leg squats. I also did short, hard interval workouts up hills in big gears on the bike once a week or less during the season. You need to warm up carefully, and do strength training only when you are completely pain free. Ice and ibuprofen after strength training is worthwhile also, even if you are not immediately in pain.
If you go to doctor, try to fnd one who treats athletes, or who is an athlete himself. Too many doctors told me to rest for a year. The best doctor told me "do anything you want as long as you can stand the pain."
I had serious deterioration to the cartilege of my kneecap that was clearly visible in Xrays. I've followed the program I descibed above for 35 years. I very occasionally get a little knee pain, but it never restricts my activity. I haven't felt any need to take glucosamine or other supplements, but I would if the problem returned and a doctor recommended it. I still ride with a local racing club, and I still coach ski racing in the winter, so I must be doing something right.

Sounds like ITBS to me. DOES it hurton the lateral of the knee?? A sure fire diagnosis to this problem is does it hurt walking DOWN stairs??? If so no doubt it is Ileo Tibial Band syndrome. Type ITBS or Ileo tibial band syndome in google There is a whole website dedicated to this condition. DO NOT try and ride through this problem. I will get much worse if you do.

Patella-femoral syndrome also can make walking down stairs painful, though you might have ITBS. I think I have PF, Eddy M has good advice on that, definately don't lower your saddle if you have PF. High saddle, forward saddle position, avoiding big gears are reccomended. If you ride more than one bike, your position should be the same on all bikes, preferably same model saddle. Strength training of quads is good (leg extensions). Tight hamstrings can make it worse, so stretching hamstrings helps.

Sit on a table with feet hanging loosely, look down and notice the natural position of your feet. If toes are pointing in or sticking out a bit, set your cleats to replicate this alignment when clipped in.