[brooksby]

I have started getting pain in my knees.

The outside of my right knee, which seems to settle down after a while if I force myself to ride despite the pain.  Slight similar pain on my left knee, but nothing like as often.

I also have what feels like burning pain and cramp at the back of my right knee, and the last few days I’ve had a stabbing pain behind my right kneecap (which is most noticeable when climbing stairs).

My bike is a pretty upright hybrid and I’d followed all the guidance I could find on the interweb for saddle fore/aft and height.

Can anyone suggest a basic adjustment that might ease things off until my knee (hopefully) repairs itself?  Am I just getting old? 

Topic

[JLasTSR]

After my bike crash I rode
After my bike crash I rode out a few times soon after it and got terrible pain on the outside of my left knee. Shortly afterwards my left hip failed and was replaced in August 2024. When I told the Surgeon about how painful my knee was he said ah let’s sort the hip out and then see how the knee is. After the hip was replaced my knee stopped troubling me. It came as a surprise that a painful hip often is perceived as knee pain, muscular pain, or other leg pains.

I also had my ITB become aggravated years before when I had the saddle about an 1/8th of an inch too high.

[brooksby]

Touch wood but it’s cleared

Touch wood but it’s cleared up almost completely.  Twinge every now and again, but most of the time I don’t even notice anything.

I lowered the saddle by about a centimetre.

I haven’t seen the musculo-skeletal service yet, obviously (I seem to recall that this happened the last time I had a referral to them – it takes so long to see them that by the time I do get to see them everything has cleared up…).

[Hirsute]

How are you getting on

How are you getting on brooksby ?

My knee flaired up again and I have had 4 sessions with a physio. Interestingly most of it was working on areas away from the knee – hip, hamstring and foot arch. They all combined to pull my knee out of alignment leading to the discomfort.

[OldRidgeback]

Good luck – I’ve had problems

Good luck – I’ve had problems with my right knee on and off for about a year now. It possibly relates to an old football injury. It seems to be getting better, but I don’t want to push it. I’m missing being able to go running but cycling doesn’t seem to cause problems now.

[brooksby]

I just got a letter from the

I just got a letter from the musculoskeletal service, acknowledging my GPs referral.  Apparently waiting times are currently 25 weeks in my area 

[Spangly Shiny]

Just as a matter of interest,

Just as a matter of interest, and to assess the relative accessibility of services. How long between referral and appointment for your musculoskeletal rendezvous? I was referred in early January for mine, with an appointment scheduled for mid June. Ring any bells?

[Hirsute]

Bus wanker !

Bus wanker !

I think you are very likely right that walking differently has put pressure on the other knee.

I do have a long term issue with my knee and I’ve overdone it in the last few weeks, so I’m not really on the bike and am trying to remember all the knee exercises I’ve been given over the years!

 

[brooksby]

Thanks for asking

Thanks for asking

I haven’t been riding yet (Ithink I’ve been a bit scared to, in case it blows my knee) but I’ve lowered the saddle as per everyone’s suggestions in preparation.

I bought one of those neoprene wrap-around supports, and after only about four days of wearing it every day my knee was feeling a lot better.  It now just feels ‘tight’ on the tendons etc behind the knee – like just before you get cramp – instead of ‘proper’ pain (IYSWIM?).

The other knee now hurts a bit, which I imagine is a consequence of walking differently…

My GP has referred me for X-rays and to the local musculoskeletal service, to get a better idea of what’s going on and to work out a longer term fix.

I intend to start cycle commuting again next week no matter what – bus commuting is absolutely soul destroying and I’ve definitely put on weight 

[Hirsute]

How is the knee brooksby ?

How is the knee brooksby ?

[David9694]

+1 on saddle height and also

+1 on saddle height and also check your lateral alignment – everything should be straight and aligned.  My bike fit years ago moved my feet to the outermost (so cleats innermost).  On one bike with a Q factor of 0 I’ve installed those pedal extenders. 

You don’t say how much riding you’re doing and how long the pain takes to set in – it’s not one of those “well, twice last night and again this morning” situations, I assume?

[Dnnnnnn]

+1 for the physio. I’d knee

+1 for the physio. I’d knee problems a few years back – except the problem wasn’t really my knees, it was muscles above and below. I doubt I’d have been able to self-diagnose it.

[brooksby]

Jimmy Ray Will wrote:

Do you sit on your arse for work? 

Office job: eight hours a day sitting on my arse and staring at a pc monitor 

[Jimmy Ray Will]

Indeed, but too high is more

Indeed, but too high is more damaging than too low. 

If your saddle is too low, you’ll get pain in your quads as you are overloading them at the top of the pedal stroke. 

If you get pain in the back of the knee, it tends to mean you are over extending. 

Pain on the side of the knee is generally related to instability or lateral movement in the pedal stroke. Most common reason for instability in the pedal stroke of ‘mature’ riders is sleepy bottoms. Do you sit on your arse for work? 

[brooksby]

OK, thanks.  On saddle height

OK, thanks.  On saddle height: I’d been aiming for the height I read where the leg is nearly but not quite fully extended when the pedal is at the bottom.  I’d read elsewhere that having the saddle too low can also knacker your knees 

[Jimmy Ray Will]

First up… look to see a

First up… look to see a professional, to rule out anything significant.

How quickly does the knee settle down after stopping riding?

From what you’ve explained so far, I’d either suggest your glutes are being lazy and / or your saddle may be a little high. 

Try playing with both separately. 

For the glutes, basically an hour before riding, do two sets of 10 decent squats, and two sets of 5x 10-15 sec glute raises. Ideally on the glute raises alternate between knees close together and knees wide apart. 

You might also want to do some clam shell exercises as well. 

These exercises should ‘turn on’ your glutes. If you go out and ride, and the knee feels better / less irritated, it would suggest your glutes are to blame.

Lowering your saddle is straight forward, but don’t mess about with it, chop it down by a solid 15mm or more and see what happens. If it feels better, go down another 10mm and see what happens. 

Something I’ve seen more than once is when people with an obviously too high a saddle height, lower the saddle a few mm feel better / worse / no different, and declare the experiment a success or failure based on that miniscule adjustment. If it makes no difference, change it some more until something changes… is it good or bad? if its bad, go back the other way. If its good, keep going! 

Good luck with it. 

 

[Author]

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