hillcrawler

My knees get inflamed every time after my weekend rides. I don't have any visible swelling and there is no true, ass kicking pain most of the times but if you experience that inflammation you know how bad it feels. It starts to kick in on Mondays and gets worse on Tuesdays. Wednesday it starts to settle down, getting better each day and by the next weekend i am ready to give another burn to my knees. At this moment, while i write this, i can feel the temperature has gone up around the kneecaps. Surely a big battle goes on in there. I have already applied anti-inflammatory gel over the area and also took it as pills. When your knees are inflamed and you have to ride from work to home that is a terrible feeling. There is no sharp pain but you feel like your knees are kind of soaked in blood or something. It is hard to describe it.

If you are having it or had it and already beaten it please share your thoughts. Please don't tell me a word about bike fit or cadence or another basic things like that. My pyshio told me that i have patellar tilt and malalignment. I'm working on some exercises now to get them back to alignment and also doing some stretches to gain back flexibility and extension to the muscles around my hips and quads and i can feel they are really tightened while stretching. I don't know if i will be able to fully recover from this. It has been already more than 2 years i have been fighting with this condition. Even if i give myself a rest for two weeks and feel completely good with my knees i have the same problems right away after my first ride. I have reduced my distance and speed to the ridicilous levels on my weekend rides but it is not any different when i was riding much more distances with bigger pace.

(I had told myself to keep this one short...)

macjager

Bag of ice or frozen peas. Do it for two rounds of 15-20 min each time, and do it daily, (even if the knee does not feel sore, there is always some swelling and irritation - comes from moving)...There is also a solution you can make in a zip lock bag and toss in the freeze: 3 parts water to 1 part rubbing alcohol, (gets very cold but does not actually freeze solid, so you can shape it around the knee). And I have a similar issue as you; I have found that cycling has actually improved my the muscle strength in my legs which has lessened the incidents of the pain flaring up. Standing up while peddling (usually during spin class) is when I end up with knee pain. As always, YMMV, best of luck, knee pain sucks...

hillcrawler

I cannot ice them when they are ****ed up to the bone and beyond. I don't wanna touch 'em when they are boiling inside let alone icing them.

CharlyAlfaRomeo

Two weeks off isn't really a long time to let your knee heal.

I got ITB syndrome about 18 months ago from training for and participating in a 20 km obstacle race/mud run. It took 8 weeks off before I could start running again and even then I had to build up gradually from 2 km up to 15 km over several months.

If you really want to heal your knee and have a chance of riding your bike pain-free in the future (your near daily threads on the subject make me believe you do) I would suggest taking an extended period of time off the bike. 2 months might be a good start.

chaadster

You might wanna rethink that; it's hard to beat ice for managing inflammation.

Duane Behrens

A friend on another list believes that knee pain is a sign of bad positioning, and suggested dropping the seat slightly. I've also found that adjusting the angle of my pedal cleats (Shimano SPLs) makes a big difference. Oddly, my knees hurt less if my feet are angled just slightly outward at the front, leaving a minimum gap between the crank and the back of the shoe as they meet at each revolution.

Ultimately, I found happiness in slight adjustments to seat height, angle, fore-aft position . . . then slight adjustments to handlebar height, angle, stem length and so on. Working carefully and slowly, one component at a time, eventually led to a "sweet spot" in comfort and endurance. My knee now hurts only slightly, and only after extreme, multiple climbs. Good luck with yours.

Looigi

Yes. You should absolutely ice them, the sooner after the injury the better. Google RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation).

Long Tom

This. Ice is your best friend with inflammation. That and NSAID's.

hillcrawler

Ok but inflammation is the self healing mechanism of the body and we should let the body to do its job maybe?

Looigi

Yes, but it's complicated. In acute injury inflammation can be a runaway overreaction which can in itself be damaging. The purpose of the ice is to slow it down and prevent the excessive response. It's very well proven and documented. But don't take our words for it. There are plenty of legit sites on the web you can check out or if you prefer hard copy, the library or book store. And of course, there's always your doctor.

Myosmith

+1 on checking bike fit and saddle positioning if you have recurring knee pain. Incude shoes and cleat placement in the analysis.

A trip to a sports ortho isn't a bad idea either to make sure there isn't some kind of degenerative process or chronic injury involved. Also a good place for treatment advice.

Some of my friends who run swear by sitting in a tub of water just deep enough to cover your legs and as cold as you can stand for 15 minutes following a major event or hard training session. For more localized inflammation, icing off and on for 15-20 minute intervals while keeping the leg elevated is standard treatment.

I've had knee and ankle inflammation a few times, usually early in the season or after rides in very cold/wet conditions and haven't found anything better than rest, icing, and elevation (I don't use compression usually). If that doesn't do it, I fear medical intervention may be necessary.

Good Luck

pdxtex

for me, injuries always happen in the winter when my fitness is at its worst, its cold, and daylight is precious. that being said, dont rush warming up, and if its too cold out, say below 40 either bundle up really well or perhaps put off riding all together. to cut down on the overall load on my knees during the crappy months, i try to spin really easy gears, avoid standing/mashing as much as possible and if i need a rest day or three i take them. in the summer time i can ride all week long but now that its nice and crappy outside, i sometimes avoid riding all together and just go for a walk or weight lift. anything to give my legs an alternate workout and rest my knees...just mix it up a bit. cycling and running are not the best of friends either. running ive heard shortens muscle length and cycling elongates muscles so they are not the most complimentary of activities...dunno. maybe swimming might be a better alternative....

spdntrxi

I have a GameReady machine.. and a stim…. only way to go if you have chronic knee issues.

ursle

Please don't tell me a word about bike fit or cadence or (an) other basic things like that

So you treat the symptom and ignore the cause, great...ice.
In the least get a foam roller, knees are where thing connect, take the tension away (tight muscles) and get a second opinion medically.

mLuMaN83

Check fitment. If that doesn't help, take some time off. It is amazing what a few months of body rest can do for your body into the future. They hurt because there is a problem. It needs to be fixed/healed.

hillcrawler

Speaking of inflammation, i think we can share some thoughts about the foods and drinks that may help. I have been reading everywhere that Ginger helps and tried it a couple of times but i couldn't notice any change. I'll try rosemary tea next.

Machka 

And on it goes ...

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ng-hip-muscles
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...la-maltracking
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...our-quadriceps!
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...out-stretching
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...with-arthritis
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...-Band-Syndrome
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...-knee-problems

Just to name a few ...

https://www.bikeforums.net/search.php?searchid=8374118


You need to seek professional medical help. I know you're in Turkey, I know things are different there ... but we can't help you.

And as I've mentioned before, if you don't trust your medical profession, start taking classes ... anatomy, first aid, yoga/pilates ...

Machka 

+1

We've suggested:

-- Bicycle fit
-- Cadence
-- Professional Medical Advice
-- Stretching and Strengthening Classes (Yoga/Pilates)
-- Ice
-- NSAIDs


And yes ... take time off. Do something to take your mind of your knees. Take up a different hobby for a while ... like photography, painting, music, canoeing, archery ...

JakiChan

Right now I have play a balance game with my saddle height. Too high and my hamstrings hurt. Too low and my knees hurt. *sigh*