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What to do about a sore knee?

What's wrong with my knee?

  • What's making my knee hurt when I bike? I started biking to work a few weeks ago (only 1 mile each way) and it was fine the first couple of times. Then one day, on the way back, I felt something strange in my knee. It wasn't painful, but it felt like everytime I moved my knee up (when the pedal on the bike came up) and then down, a ligament or a tendon would "get caught" or click into place. No audible click though. I didn't think much of it after getting off the bike because my knee felt fine after. Then that night, while moving around in bed, I got this sharp pain in my knee and tried to bend it, which made it worse, so I kept it still and went to sleep. The next morning, it was fine, but when I got on my bike and started pedaling, the sharp pain returned. The pain doesn't feel like it's on my knee cap, but more inside the knee. And bending it up while pedaling makes it hurt. It also hurt to walk up and down the stairs on that knee but regular walking was painless and normal. I gave up biking for a few days, the pain went away and walking up and down the stairs was painless. Got on the bike again, went for about 1/4 of a mile before the knee started hurting again. I think it has to do with going up hill, even though I do it on one of the lowest gears with minimal mashing. My bike seat is pretty high, I can *barely* touch the ground with my toe while the bike's leaning and I'm sitting on the seat, so I don't think the knee pain is from low seat. At first, "research" on the interweb made me paranoid that it was a torn meniscus. But then, considering there was no "pop" that resulted in debilitating pain, I don't think that's it. I'm going to see the doctor this week for an unrelated thing, but was wondering if anyone else has experienced this before? I think it's definitely "getting better" but it's just annoying that the pain returns whenever I bike.

  • Answer:

    I'd be willing to put money on Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS). The big clue is that when you stop doing what makes it hurt, the pain completely disappears. Also that it only kicks in on hills. It's a fairly common running injury, but it's not exclusively a running injury. Google it and see if you think that's what it is. I had a bout of it a few months ago from running. It's interesting, because it can be debilitating pain, but the moment you discontinue activity, you're completely back to normal.

nakedsushi at Ask.Metafilter.Com Visit the source

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I don't know what's wrong with your knee, but regarding the "what's making it hurt" question: What sort of pedals are you using? If you are using clipless pedals, how much float (degrees of free rotation) do they allow? Some pedals are a lot more knee friendly than others. I used to use standard Shimano SPD pedals and they were very unforgiving, and my knees would bother me a lot on longer rides. I switched to fully floating pedals about 18 months ago and my knees are MUCH happier.

mosk

do you use toeclips of any kind? are there hills on your route? barring any of that information, it's possible that your seat is actually too high. try lowering it a half-inch or so and see if it makes a difference.

rhizome

If possible, stop in at a bike shop and let them look at you sitting on your bike. They can check if your seat is at the right height and that you're putting your foot in the right place on the pedal. There are bunch of other alignment things they can check, but those are the main ones. The key thing is that your knee should be slightly bent when you are sitting on the seat with your foot more or less parallel to the ground, at the bottom of your pedal stroke. Good luck -- it's really worth trying to figure out what's going on so that you can ride your bike.

nnk

Seconding bike posture. My knee felt weird until I fixed the way I rode.

pantsrobot

Platform pedals and I tried lowering my seat an inch and that made it worse.

nakedsushi

Go to a shop that knows what it's doing and ask to be fit on your bike. Generally speaking, pain in the front of the knee indicates a saddle that's too low. Pain in the back of the knee indicates a saddle that's too high. That's not a rule, however, and a competent bike fitter should get you squared away. If you ever decide to go from platform pedals to clipless, and want something with free float as http://www.metafilter.com/user/21751said, I recommend http://speedplay.com/, but it's a very individual choice to make.

spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints

The height of your saddle (called seat height) is probably the most important adjustment on your bike. Inches are huge, huge adjustments to make at a time. I'm an experienced cyclist, and I can feel 1 cm differences. First of all, you're injured. Go to a doctor, heal up first until it doesn't hurt to walk up or down stairs. Don't get back on the bike, you're not going to accomplish anything other than prolonging the pain or increasing the injury. I injured my knee doing something similar, had to cancel a week-long bike tour that was two states away. Didn't look at the bike for two months. Then you should do what other people are saying and go to a friend who rides often, or a suitable bike shop, and have them look at your positioning.

meowzilla

I'd be willing to put money on Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS) 100% correct. I have this too. Pay the money for a professional bike fitting, and always, always, always stretch before and after riding - and every day, even if you don't ride, if you can.

pdb

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