After the solo20 race at last weekends round at Buttonwillow, I found myself with really stiff and achy knees. I didn't notice until I came in to the pits and had to extend my legs, which was when I had trouble getting off the bike. It was almost like my knees fell asleep, but with some minor pain. So, I'm looking for some tips and advice on ways to mitigate this. I'm 28, I play indoor soccer twice a week, and haven't really had any issues with my knees. I'm 5'11 and 175 lbs, in good shape. But for some reason, when my knees are in the riding position for that long, they seem to stiffen up. I did play soccer the night before, and wonder if it was a direct result of that.. I had to ice them after and take some ibuprofen. Then they felt fine. This weekend, we've got the 6 hour at Miller coming up and I'll be riding 3 hours of it. I am sure I'll be fine, but I'm hoping to help reduce the knee fatigue/soreness after. Current thoughts: - lower rear-sets possibly, but I think my woodcraft SV rearsets are non-adjustable. - take glucoseamine & fish oil this whole week, see if it helps - I'm thinking my Spidi leathers may be too tight in the knees.. - Wear cycling pants under leathers and increase compression (maybe this will make it worse) - take ibuprofen before the race Any suggestions/thoughts are welcome! Thanks!
Do you ride a bicycle at all? I've got TERRIBLE knees, and without cycling I wouldn't be able to ride at all.
I have a Specialized Enduro SL (mountain bike), and a nice trail behind my house pretty much. I could definitely put some time on it if it will HELP the situation...?
learn to know how much weight you can put on the seat, I had the same problem and learned that i can still keep some weight on the seat ( i use to hover like a girl in a porta potty)
try Power Yoga. it will improve your flexibility as well as strengthen the muscle that support your knee and reduce your pain considerably. Lots of hot women in Power Yoga Classes, too. :up:
I'm not so sure IB is a good idea during the race weekend. I love the shit, but usually switch to Tylenol (hate the shit) and lots of water a few days before the race weekend if needed. Never know what's gonna happen on the track. Internal injuries and anti-inflamatories don't mix well.
i think the main thing is not to play a soccer game the night before. plain and simple. it's great to be in shape and hit the training hard and stuff, but you need to have a significant rest period before you do a max exertion activity like a solo 20 (at least a day or two of rest beforehand). secondly, bicycles can certainly help. however, it doesn't seem like you have weak knees, it just sounds to me like you tried to do too much high-impact activity too close together (soccer is not exactly easy on the knees and neither is riding).
Make sure your leathers have plenty of stretch room and are not binding. My knees used to hurt until I got some new leathers. that had more room in the knee area.
Reduce your sugar intake, that means not only soda, but white bread, rice and pasta. Sugar is a know inflammatory. Tylenol before your ride as suggested, Aleve or other NSAID after the weekend. Drink plenty of fluids, water to sports drink 2:1 Stretch. And yes, if your suit is too tight in the knees, it can cause discomfort. Armor should have a little wiggle room in riding position, but not too much so that it will rotate.
i'm 27, and i had the same issue the last couple of years. Icing at the end of the day is ALWAYS a good idea. If you're going to take Ibuprofen, look up online how much you have to take to actually get anti-inflamatory benefits from it. 2 or 3 will relieve your pain, but I think ti's more like 6 pills that are required (before riding) to prevent the inflamation ahead of time. the other thing that has been a life-saver for me are "PAT straps." I had a rough bought with ilio-tibial band syndrome (ITBS) after hiking into and out of the Grand Canyon with my brothers... The straps just kind of hold everything in place. For $20, they're worth trying.
I have had 5 knee operations, my first was in 1988 and last in 1998. Two ACL reconstructions and 3 arthroscopies. I have had as much as 90% of my meniscus removed from both knees. I started taking Glucosamine and Chondroitin in 1988 when I was skiing competitively and have continued through today. Over the years the research has changed some of the what you will find in these supplements but Glucosamine has always remained. No personal interest here, just relaying my decades long experiences. I take a product from a company called hi-health http://shop.hihealth.com/Optim-3reg-Glucosamine-Chondroitin-Complex-IX-240-caps-P3317.aspx Joint formulas don't work like aspirin or advil, you have to realize the benifits over time, it's a supplement which builds on itself. Taking it for two weeks and stopping will do nothing for you. Good luck.
try this simple exercise: it really helps restore flexibility and full motion of knees and ankles http://www.bikramyogaportsmouth.com/byp/26-postures/fixed-firm-pose-|-supta-vajrasana.html
From my experiences, yes. I wouldn't be able to Mx, RR, or really do anything without my bicycling. My knees are weird though. One is missing some tendon, and the other has a couple of minor tears that didn't get operated on. If I haven't been really riding my bicycle hard before a roadrace, they get very stiff and sore fairly quickly. No real issues w/ a decent amount of cycling though