lazerzxr

A few months ago I stepped up my training distance a little too quickly and developed a mild case of patellar tendinitis in both knees. I had a little pain below my knee and above which extended up to about the middle of my thigh. I recognised the symptoms straight away and took a full week off (almost unbearable) and then started riding again at a reduced effort and distance. I am now into my 4th week of riding very minimal slow distance and the majority of the pain is gone but I still have a creaking feeling around my knee cap.

It is not painful and I dont notice unless I place my hand on my knee with it bent at about 90 degrees and slowly move so as to make my knee flex without using my quads. In that situation I can feel a creaking like a dry hinge.

According to Andy Pruitt's book, the reason is that my tendon has lost its natural lubrication.

Anyway the questoin is,
1. Has anyone else experienced similar and how did you fix it?
2. If i keep riding when it creeks will i cause lasting damage? and:
3. How long am i likely to have to ride short and slow before I get back to my normal self?

Lazer

RNAV

1. When I had this problem, it was due to improper fit (and yes, I had been previously fit by my LBS) -- and it was something that didn't arise until I started training really hard, and started attacking climbs really hard. In my instance, my seat was too low and too far forward, and my cleats hadn't been setup to accommodate my overpronation. In your case, it's probably a minor fit issue, and I'd highly recommend getting some sort of 3D type fitting (Retul, etc.). With the 3D, the fitter can see to the mm how much side-to-side movement your knees are experiencing throughout the stroke, what your hips are doing, etc., and fine-tune your fit to help smooth out your stroke. That should take care of your problem.

2. Probably, but I'm no MD.

3. It took me about 3 months of fault-tracing before I finally realized that the problem was my fit. Like you, I took a week off and eased up on my training. Regardless of how much time I took off and how easy I went, my pain didn't start to go away until about 2-3 weeks after I got re-fitted.

motorthings

i have had knee issues for the last 35 years, and the only "creakiness" i am aware of is simply from the rough surfaces of cartilage under the patella and on the femur. when i had patellar tendinitis, it was a pretty severe case, and it took (unrelated) knee surgery to get me off my feet for 6 weeks before it totally went away. Tendinitis can take a very long time to resolve itself, and can flare up again easily of not totally resolved. Taking a week off is generally not enough to heal anything, but can be a palliative measure. Of course, every case is different, so seeing a doctor is a requirement. Andy Pruitt's book is a great resource, but many of these conditions can be hard to diagnose yourself, since a lot of pain can be referred pain, and many different issues can cause the same kinds of pain, and are treated differently.

i would guess the creakiness in your knee may just be something you are only now aware of, but was present at some level before. I am not aware of creaking (or "crepitus" as i think they call it) from tendons, unless they are so tight that it causes more pressure on the patellofemoral joint (which could amplify any sounds/sensations from roughness).

short version - see a doctor, and get a good fit (if you haven't already) and be prepared to take more time off. it sucks to have to do it, but it is far worse to suffer on for months riding in pain. I have learned the hard way too many times that most often what the body wants is rest.