Knee Pain and Stretching
 

I stretch before and after I go for a ride, but I am still getting soreness in my knees. Especially my left knee, my left is my dominant leg.

Does anybody have any stretches, or exercises, that have helped eliminate, or at least aleviate, knee pain?

Where does it hurt? On the outside, inside, front back? Stretching is good for flexibility of muscles and tendons. Ligaments to a lesser extent because they don't undergo the same amount of forces or range of motion. Knees are vulnerable mostly due to seat positioning, height (fore-aft adjustments), shoe/cleat alignment and pedaling motion.

General rule of thumb on knee pains:

- inside & outside = shoe/cleat alignment & float
- front & top = seat too low and/or too far back
- behind & underneath = seat too high and/or too far forward

Good facts to know.
The pain is mainly underneath. My seat isn't too high because I am not quite at my maximum extension in my pedal cycle. I think the seat is too forward, I find myself shifting back when I am riding. I'll make the adjustment and see what happens.
Thanks

My knees get tight if I don't do a full squat (put my butt on my heels) as part of my stretching. That does something for me that quad stretches don't.

I would really encourage you to get your bike fit setup properly. Not sure if you where you purchased your store, but most good LBS’s will do a good job.

Once you get a good fit, then there are other things you can do to fine tune to limit your knee pain.

I suffer from knee pain from a cycling accident 5 years ago (was hit by a truck). Stretching is THE key to keeping my body feeling good. Sometimes I go through periods when I get to lazy to stretch - and I have knee pain. When I stretch more regularly, I have no knee pain.

The best stretches that I have found to be helpful for me are those that stretch your Iliotibialband (which runs along the outside of your thigh). It connects at the hip and knee. When it is tight, it can pull on the knee, causing knee pain. Keep your IT band loose, as well as your hamstrings and see if that helps. Also, don't forget to stretch the calfs (downward dog - a yoga pose) is good for that. Speaking of yoga, I should mention that after my accident I did yoga once a week for about 6 months - my body has never felt as good, and it really helped. I recommend trying it if you are having reoccuring muscle/body alignment issues.

I'd like to 2nd the need for a good, professional bike fit. I had some real problems w/ my left knee (it's my weak side) - I got fitted by the bike shop where I bought my bike, tried different combinations of shoes and pedals, stretched religiously, etc. Nothing seemed to help. I then went to get fitted by a shop owner that used the Lemond fit system. He made some small adjustments to my position and put some wedges under my cleats. That did it - probably the best $80 I spent on cycling...