New to cycling - Front knee pain just in one knee!?

myattcp · Post by **myattcp** » 13 May 2016, 7:35pm

Hi all,

pretty new to cycling,but having a problem with my knee when riding making it pretty unpleasant to do anymore than my 5 mile commute each day. I have tried to fix this myself via cycling websites and watching videos as it seems to be a pretty simple thing for someone to do. Im just wondering why just one of my knees hurt at the front when riding, I use clipless shoes and looking down at my feet when i dangle my feet in a seated position they are pretty much straight, so i set up my cleats to mimic this. I have the yellow ones so there's float in them. But on the downstroke i get alot of pain just in my right knee at the front. I thought it could be seat position but then why would one knee hurt and the other be perfectly fine?

If anyone has any info on what i should be looking at that'd be great

Heltor Chasca · Post by **Heltor Chasca** » 13 May 2016, 7:56pm

I've got an old rugby injury that lives permanently in my left knee. The only thing that calms the pain is cycling and swimming so I'm lucky. But to get to this point I visited a specialist at my local GP's. They did a few observations and remarked on my core strength and lovely legs! Isn't that illegal? Anyway: The two tendons that cross over my knee cap like an 'X' by/over my knee cap were rolling over each other and 'clicking' which caused some discomfort and sometimes swelling. I used to take along a tiny pair of steps to get into the back of my work vehicle. Now I leap in and out like a young gazelle.

So I guess I'm saying, don't take advice from me or anyone else on here: Go and see an expert who might flatter you with compliments AND sort your problem out....b

Post by **Vorpal** » 13 May 2016, 8:56pm

Knee pain is often a symptom of a saddle that is too low. However, there are other possible reasons.

You can try raising your saddle. Your knee should be *slightly* bent at the bottom of the pedal stroke. If your hips rock, the saddle has gone too high.

You can also put platform pedals on and see if the pain occurs when you don't have cleats.

If neither of those things gives you any new information, see some of the threads about bike position.

You don't have to read all of this one... viewtopic.php?f=5&t=74985

NATURAL ANKLING · Post by **NATURAL ANKLING** » 13 May 2016, 9:03pm

Hi,
A physiotherapist or other expert will tell you whats wrong / weak.

But how you arrived at the pain is more complex.

Most will say go over to pedals only like BMX type (cheap plastic will do, with acres of platform) with no retention if it clears up then that will tell you something.
Pain of this type might well take six weeks to clear, removing its cause will show fast relief.

physiotherapist (nhs)
Exercises if weakness is detected.
Asymmetric leg length :?:

( all being well a band of approximately 5-6mm is max for errors which can lead to discomfort on seat height alone, if you are moving smartish)
Max height gives power, min height is good for strength training, and minimum safe comfort seat height is probably best for every cyclist, unless you want to extract max power like a TT.
History of previous exercise / age :?:

Post by **Vorpal** » 13 May 2016, 9:43pm

There are some other threads about knee pain, too
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=86003
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=57450
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=46588

And check the description on this one. It's about one of the most common knee ailments that cyclists suffer with...
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=70076

53x13 · Post by **53x13** » 14 May 2016, 5:02pm

I visited a few physiotherapists over the years concerning a recurring knee pain in my right knee. One eventually asked me about how I sit and how I lie in bed, and sure enough I cross one leg over the other which puts a lot of strain on my right knee. When I stopped doing this (a very hard habit to break!!) my knee pain was gone in almost a month, never to return.

Heltor Chasca · Post by **Heltor Chasca** » 14 May 2016, 7:49pm

53x13 wrote:I visited a few physiotherapists over the years concerning a recurring knee pain in my right knee. One eventually asked me about how I sit and how I lie in bed, and sure enough I cross one leg over the other which puts a lot of strain on my right knee. When I stopped doing this (a very hard habit to break!!) my knee pain was gone in almost a month, never to return.

+1 I was advised to concentrate when getting in and out of bed and in and out the back of my pickup truck. Once I thought my physical work was in jeopardy. Not now thanks to some professional advice. [emoji106]

NATURAL ANKLING · Post by **NATURAL ANKLING** » 14 May 2016, 8:12pm

Hi,
I have suffered the same.

I used to crouch down on one leg supporting all my weight on one foot.
This lead to pain in my knee, so I am very careful about bending my knee beyond 90 degrees (less than) when climbing up scaffold etc.

This problem creeps up on you with old age 57, I was a real monkey when I was in my teens.
Same thing with my back, I never pivot with straight-ish legs when picking up off the floor, always rest with a hand on a table and also one on my knee trying to get off floor.

531colin · Post by **531colin** » 15 May 2016, 8:34pm

myattcp wrote:Hi all,

pretty new to cycling,but having a problem with my knee when riding making it pretty unpleasant to do anymore than my 5 mile commute each day. I have tried to fix this myself via cycling websites and watching videos as it seems to be a pretty simple thing for someone to do. Im just wondering why just one of my knees hurt at the front when riding, I use clipless shoes and looking down at my feet when i dangle my feet in a seated position they are pretty much straight, so i set up my cleats to mimic this. I have the yellow ones so there's float in them. But on the downstroke i get alot of pain just in my right knee at the front. I thought it could be seat position but then why would one knee hurt and the other be perfectly fine?

If anyone has any info on what i should be looking at that'd be great

One knee will hurt because nobody is perfectly symmetrical.....in addition to that, when you set your bike up "wrong" your body's response to that "challenge" will always be asymmetrical, usually protecting the "favourite" leg and at the same time sacrificing the "weaker" leg.
"dangling" your feet to set cleats is next to useless. Set the cleats so neither foot is at the "end" of the float in either direction when you are riding
Go here http://wheel-easy.org.uk/ride-calendar.html and download "bike set up" for a simple guide.

Mark1978 · Post by **Mark1978** » 15 May 2016, 8:56pm

Not only are people not symmetrical that goes for leg lengths too. They will always be different to some degree.

Rabbit · Post by **Rabbit** » 5 Jun 2016, 9:26pm

I had exactly the same problem in the same knee. Realised my saddle was about an inch too low. Also when I saw a physio he said hip muscles needed strengthening to keep the kneecap moving smoothly and straight. The knee heavily influenced by muscles from your hip to your calf. Also cycling naturally builds up some muscles like the quads and you can get an imbalance. If you're worried pay £50 to see a physio or a bike fitter - don't wreck your knees! The good news is you can get it sorted.

Cycling UK Forum