Metallifan33

So I'm dealing with some nagging right knee issues (swelling for a few days after rides greater than 90 minutes/hard intensity rides). I've had a couple of professional bike fits and my knee motion is in line.
I saw a PT today for the first time and she said that cycling works some muscles a lot and others minimally which results in muscle imbalances that could cause my right knee pain.
She gave me a few workouts to do and basically said that if they don't help the issue, we can do an MRI to investigate further.
Do you guys do anything similar? Yoga?
If you've had knee pain/swelling in the past and have successfully "fixed" the issue, I'd love to hear about it.
Thanks!

caloso

Yes, I had knee pain. Turned out to be tendonitis caused by a tight IT band caused by weakness and inflammation in my piriformis, which is a small muscle in my butt. PT explained that I was superstrong forward and back but very weak side to side. Don't know if this is your issue, but I have since found out that it's fairly common in cyclists.

I was given a stretchy band and instructions to put it around my ankles and do crab walks and fire hydrants (think of a dog lifting his leg). I also started going to a strength and balance class (yoga without saying "yoga"). Those all worked well, but the best thing was to start playing in a weekly coed rec soccer league.

Metallifan33

Thanks! Yeah, sounds like the same deal (although there wasn't any discussion about my IT band... which isn't bothering me). Glad it worked out for you. How long did it take to work out the issues?

MoAlpha

You have a perfectly good physio. Why are you asking this bunch of kibitzers? If you post, "I have pain," here, someone will tell you to raise your handlebars, drink more water, and see a cardiologist.

That said, If it's chondromalacia patellae, the most common form of knee pain in otherwise healthy weekend warriors and thought to be due to a strength imbalance in the knee extensors which pulls patella out of line, there are hundreds of sources of information and effective exercises directed at strengthening the vasti and fixing the problem. Just Google. Whatever it is, it's pretty safe advice to say, forget yoga, do what your physio tells you, and lay off the bike until it's better.

caloso

That was the thing. My knee was bothering me, but not my IT band or my hip, even though the problem was caused by a muscle in my butt. Took a couple of months. I still need to keep working at it, though.

Metallifan33

Interesting. I listen to the TrainerRoad podcast and the host Jonathan Lee was talking about knee issues he had which sounded like the same thing (weak muscle in the glute). It took him a while and a few PTs to figure it out, but then eventually resolved it.
Good to know it only took a couple of months to fix.

thehammerdog

sounds more like Dipsydoodleitus
very uncomfortable

caloso

I was lucky that the MD that saw me is a cyclist too.

littleArnold

I always supplement with weight training and have been an avid weighlifter on and off since I was a teen, so I don't have these issues. Maybe buy a weight set if you can find one and lift at home twice a week. I am not recommending lifting at a gym to anyone during the pandemic. Although I still lift a lot, now I do it at home with my own weight set during this pandemic. All you really need it a couple dumbells or a barbell with some weights. Best complete full body workout, is following an olympic lifting routine... but keep it easy on squats and the legs if your doing a lot of bike riding. During summers when I do a lot of biking I really take it easy on leg training with weights.

Carbonfiberboy 

Yes, both stretching and strength training for knee, back, shoulder, and hand issues. I had chondromalacia patella once and some swollen knee bursa also. For the most part, cycling by itself is excellent exercise. If problems develop, it's good to know that there's a fix for everything that's not a structural failure, and there's medical support for those. One only has to figure out what went wrong, why, and then how to fix it. BF is a good reference, as is google. Medical help is a fall-back if all else fails, but most medicals don't know squat about this sort of thing, same with most PTs. Even bike fitters aren't all that great unless they've done enough hard riding or racing to have had everything go wrong with them, too.

Metallifan33

What is BF?

Carbonfiberboy 

Bike Forums

canklecat

Yup. Between age and multiple injuries I have several imbalances. I do lots of home PT -- following instructions from a pro PT clinic who was familiar with cycling injuries. Mostly bodyweight exercises. I do squats, lunges, pushups, etc., slowly, concentrating on technique and balance rather than repetitions or maximum effort to get a burn or pump. And I give myself more time to rest and heal. Helps.

sfrider 

Clearly something essential is missing from your training regimen...