Ann C

I am having problems with knee pain associated with climbing... I don't have large hills to climb, but rides of 20 miles or more seem to often cause knee pain in the back, inside of my knee, usually the left leg. I think that I have ruled out the ligament, and I think that it is in one of the smaller muscles in that area. Sometimes I can go on the ride with no problems at all, then when I lift my leg to get out of the shower, the pain suddenly starts. Then, the pain is anytime I lift my leg, making me think that it is in association with climbing. Most of my rides are with a "train;" my 7 year old with me on a tandem, pulling a Piccolo with my 5 year old, pulling a trailer with my 3 year old. When I wear a brace, I am able to ride for a longer time without pain. My seat is raised to the point where my knee is slightly bent when it is straight down; and by what I have read, that is the correct height adjustment. Lately I have been made aware that cleat positioning can cause a problem. I have cleats that I think might be 1/2 a size too big. When I got them, I was using cages on the pedals, then I switched to the clips. How do you determine cleat positioning? If anyone has ideas of what might be the cause of the pain, and what strengthening exercises I can do, and what stretches would be good for this type of problem, I would be grateful! Oh yes, while this has been a left knee problem, last year on the first day of the MS 150 (two day, 150 mile bike ride to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis) my left knee did fine ~ I was wearing a brace ~ but my right knee started to hurt. The pain was also in the back, on the inside of the knee; the same area of pain as the left knee. I switched the brace to the right knee for the return trip and was able to do fine, and the left knee really didn't give me much of a problem. Any advice would be great; thanks!

Nightshade

Forums such as this one have lots of info to share. However,
Medical Diagnosis is not one of the topics covered properly.

THE best advice is to see your doctor for correct counsel before
you really damage your knees. "Jailhouse counsel" here means well
but often does more harm that good.

See your doctor ASAP!

Bill Kapaun

Shorter cranks REALLY helped out for my bad knees.

Garfield Cat

A good professional bike fitter has value because of the vast amount of experience over the years. And not because they're physicians. Some pro bike fitters have been trained in other disciplines as well. Try posting on the training and nutrition section.

Ann C

Thanks for the replies. I have been thinking about going to a physical therapist who treats sports injuries. I think that I have to go through a doctor first anyway to get there. I have also been thinking of taking my bikes to someone who can check them out. A doctor will know if I have a medical problem; however, the problem always seems that they don't know what is wrong because I do not have a chronic condition. They also won't know about biking positions of cleats, pedals, etc. unless they are bikers themselves, so I think that I need a combination of several people to help figure out everything.

rogerstg

Getting the same kind of pain in each knee after strenuous or long rides sounds like a fit/alignment issue. Especially since a knee brace helps - it tends to keep things aligned better.

Nightshade

Well, OK. However, get a "clean bill of health" before you even try to use the "jailhouse" advice
you get here on fitting the bike to you. That's the smart thing to do.

idcruiserman

Knee pain