Cycling & Knee Problems

Knee problems are the most common injury in cycling. While any injury can be frustrating and set back your schedule of training or your weekend plans, the good news is that most knee problems are solved by minor adjustments in the position of the rider or the parts of the bicycle.

Sudden Impact

• Patellar tendonitis is pain centered between the bottom of the knee cap and the shin. An inflamed tendon is to blame, but so is your treatment of your body. While many factors can influence the problem, it is often triggered by sudden stress, repeated hard impact, weight, muscle imbalance, and poor flexibility, all factors which can be controlled.

  Stop (at least temporarily) leaping off your bike, performing bike sprints, and any activity that can lead to over training. Take the time to warm up slowly, transition between gears and activities with care, and implement a general fitness regimen.

Crank Length

• Calculate the proper crank length for your frame. It must be appropriate for individual height and leg length. If the point at which you begin to push into the pedal occurs when the angle of the bend of your knee falls below 90 degrees, there is a greater risk of damage.

  For those who race, exact crank length is very important to achieve the proper cadence and efficiency. For the rest of us, the length needs only to be close enough to correct to eliminate most of the risk of injury. To err on the short side is better.

Seat Position

• Check your seat for height and position (forward or back), as an improper placement can cause issues with the knee. Make small adjustments in height and placement and perform a trial run to see if this alleviates the pain.

  Pain in the back of the knee may be due to a seat placed too high. Pain under the kneecap may be due to a seat placed too low. The IT band (iliotibial band) can be affected by seats set too far back, causing the rider to reach forward to gain the pedal.

Poor Motion

• Chondromalacia, also called patellofemoral syndrome (PFS), affects the cartilage of the knee when the kneecap (patella) follows a path to the lateral side, the outside, of the knee. The kneecap is supposed to move up and down directly over the end of the femur.

  Because this condition affects women more often than men, one factor in the development of knee problems may be the width of the hips, as it influences the angle of the knee in use. PFS also affects riders with sloppy form, who twist the knee sideways during pedaling.

  Overcome the problem by retraining the motion of the leg through intentional practice, observing the pedal stroke as you work, keeping the knee aligned forward. Strengthen the quadriceps with exercise that targets and builds the muscle.

  Focus on the inner quads. Extended your legs in front of you and tighten the quad (thigh) muscle for a count of 10. Repeat 10 times over 10 sets and build from there.

Flexibility

• The strength and flexibility of the whole body affects how the components interact. A tight lower back, muscle tension, or poor range of motion in your joints may lead to a knee injury.

  Overcome such issues through regular stretching. Perform a short series of warm-up exercises before you begin to stretch. Even more effective, stretch at the conclusion of a ride, while muscles are warm and more malleable.