Anyone have any experience with this? After running or pedaling, even racing last weekend my left knee feels like someone driving a nail into my knee cap. The worst is just walking around. Dont feel it on the bike or pedaling, but standing up or walking its a 6 out of 10. If I take a break from pedaling for a day it goes away, but instantly is back after the ride. For reference I pedal 250-300 miles a week, run 15-20. Anyone have this or deal with it?
Yep, happened to me. My brother is a hardcore mountain biker, so I bought a cheap mtn bike and did it with him. Now, I ice skate 4 times a week, so I want to think that I have pretty good leg muscles. Well, after about 30 minutes on the bike, I got this killer pain just like you described. He says it's because I don't use that particular spot of the leg for skating. After putting in many miles after a few weeks, it just went away.
I was a catcher as well for 8 years. This didnt start until I started really running this winter. I have always avoided doctors like the plaque.. guess I need to break down and go see an ortho. :down:
I had it from fencing a couple years ago. Sharp pain on the front of the Knee at the bottom. Go to a drug store and get a "runners knee" brace/band. I started using it and it is a HUGE difference. I also started doing some leg extensions at the gym to strengthen the muscle/tendon that causes the pain. Now I dont have any problems and run/bike quite a few miles every week to train for triathalons. Good luck.
There are several possibilities. A few of which could be patela femoral syndrome (femoral muscle imbalance resulting in kneecap being pulled out of alignment with the trochlear groove), arthritic cartilage deterioration of either the back side of the kneecap or the groove it ride in, torn cartilage either of those two locations. I had similar pain for 12 years. Had a good idea it came from an athletic injury in college. Finally got tired of it last summer and had it looked at. Ended up being torn cartilage in the trochlear groove (the groove the kneecap rides in). Had orthoscopic microfracture surgery in August and still healing from it. Functional now but still several months till I'm 100% again.
I got it and saw a doc about it. He said to ice it and take ibuprofen to reduce the swelling (I didn't see any swelling, but he said that the area was swollen). After resting it for a few days the doc told me to start a work out program targeting the muscles around the knee (i.e. squats and lunges). Since I started focusing on building up those leg muscles, the knee has been better.
I have seen guys wearing these. Sounds like trip to drug store is in order today. I dont normally do much in the way of leg workouts (squats, extensions, etc). Ill try these to strengthen those muscles before I go see a doc. Thanks for the help and tips guys!
Drew, The root cause of the knee pain may be your cycling. I had the same knee pain issue when cycling this past off season. After getting fitted for the bike, I naively started playing with the seat positioning…forward and backwards. I had to ice my knee and take Ibuprofen after rides and sometimes take breaks from riding. It turns out that playing with the seat positioning caused my knee pain. If you do a Google search you’ll see that different seat and/or cleat mis-adjustments will result in pain in different regions of your knee. Just a thought. Cheers, Jason
Dealt with this last year, ended up being sent to a physical therapist. Stretch your IT bands(look up stretches on google) and take it easy for a bit...could just be over worked. The stretches do not feel good at first, but do help. A doctor won't be able to tell you much specifically without an MRI.
Jason, I was actually JUST thinking about that. I bought a new bike this winter, and it started shortly after that, but was starting to run at the same time. I have noticed my seat is positioned different than my old bike, moved it a few times. May need to check my cleats as they are getting old. Sounds like it may be many variables. Thanks!
Another vote for the pat straps. I have problems with my IT bands (sides of my knees) and the added tension just seems to keep everything in place so it doesn't rub and become more enflamed. That and lots of ice gets me by.
The patella braces are bandaids and nothing more imo. They def help but don't solve your problem. I was dealing with patella femoral syndrome for quite some time because of excessive running. I talked to several docs and phy therapist and most things didnt work. I finally talked with a phy therapist who was a runner and she gave me some excercises that solved my issue within about 4 weeks. She had me do deep lunges (sp?) and hold them for about 10 seconds each. I would do 8-10 on each side every day 2x a day. You will find out real quick that your core is not as strong as you think and that your knee stability is not too good either. I hurt like hell for the first several days but quickly starting seeing progress. Many knee issues in runners are a result of the lateral side of the quad being stronger than the medial side. This causes an imbalance of stability on the knee. Also, be sure when doing lunges that your tib/fib is perfectly vertical. I found that to be a very key element in my recovery. GL with your recovery.
Drew, I highly recommend getting fitted by a certified tech. I never thought about how the seat positioning affects which muscles (quads vs. calves vs. hamstring) do the work when you ride, especially on hills. From what I understand improper seat positioning can cause an imbalance in the muscles as they work through your pedal stroke.
I think I might drive up to philly this weekend to be fitted. Have always wanted to, but never had the money. At this point Its needed.
I'd see an OS if I were you. Here is a great site that helped me find lots of info after my knee injury: http://www.kneeguru.co.uk/KNEEtalk/index.php
