Knee pain from bicycling

I've been riding about thirty miles a day, four or five days a week for a little bit now.

I was riding half this distance, and I just upped it almost two weeks ago now (If I remember right).

The past three rides, I have noticed pain in my left knee. Not bad pain, but a definite discomfort. Today, after my ride, I noticed the pain was still there even just walking around (I was carrying my 35lb son, too).

Is there anyway to prevent the pain from getting worse? Any exercises that anyone may know of? Or, would it be best to just ride through the pain and see if it diminishes after my body gets use to this distance?

Any advice is welcomed, and I thank you in advance :)

 

Btw...I did switch out my seat and it made all the difference in the world, my bottom doesn't hurt anymore!

I just went through the same thing.  Is your seat on your bike high enough?  You may need to raise it up a bit.  You want to make sure your legs extend all the way when you peddle, but you don't want to reach so far when you leg is extended that your hips rock back and fourth.

Hope this helps.

 

Sorry, can't really help with the question but I have one of my own. How long does it take you to ride 30 miles? I'm trying to ride my bike more often and farther. I only do about 10 miles right now.

Don't worry too much about the distance.  A shorter distance at a higher resistance will help you far more than a longer distance at a low resistance.  Very few people can ride 30 miles at a high resistance without passing out so I assume this is a low resistance ride.  Its essentially the difference between running and walking.

To the OP, make sure your legs fully extend each time you pedal.  If you let your legs dangle off the side of the bike, your toes should just barely touch the floor.  If your knees stay too bent, it will cause the pain you describe.  Also, you should cut back on the distance a bit.  Do a shorter, higher resistance ride.  It will give you a far better workout, will make you do less repititions of pedaling (better for your knees) and will tone your legs far better, plus it will save you time.

It takes me about 2 hours to ride 30 miles.

T

Thanks for the advice, I will try adjusting my seat a bit.

iareisme, I ride 28.6 miles and it takes me between 1:45 and 1:50...I really like the route I take, and I am just trying to shave minutes off my time.

dakatz wrote:

Don't worry too much about the distance. A shorter distance at a higher resistance will help you far more than a longer distance at a low resistance.

In a limited dose, sure. Over the long haul, it will make the knees hurt more. Lower resistance and higher cadence, together with proper bike fit, is the recipe for a lifetime of pain-free cycling. To get higher intensity, sure, gear up, but keep the cadence above 70rpm (above 80 is better) unless you are specifically doing strengthening drills.

To the OP, make sure your legs fully extend each time you pedal. If you let your legs dangle off the side of the bike, your toes should just barely touch the floor. If your knees stay too bent, it will cause the pain you describe.

Refinement: with the ball of your foot on the pedal, your leg should be bent between 28 and 32 degrees at the bottom of the pedal stroke (per Greg LeMond's fitting system). This helps you to make the best power during the pedal stroke while avoiding injury. More than 32 degrees leads to knee pain. Less than 28 degrees leads to hamstring and buttock pain, as well as "rocking" in the hips while you pedal.

A rough fit can be obtained as follows: put the bike in the doorway. Set the saddle so that the heel of your foot can just barely reach the pedal at maximum extension, with your leg completely straight. That will get you in the ballpark. Make small, incremental refinements from there. If your hips are rocking when you pedal (you can pedal backwards with your feet in their normal positions on the pedals to check), lower the saddle. If your knees hurt, raise the saddle. When you find your sweet spot, mark the seatpost with a piece of electrical tape.

I had a similar problem too. My seat ended up being way to low. Once I changed the height my knees haven't bothered me any more. I think when I first started I was intimidated by being to high off the ground, but you get used it. Good luck and keep on riding!

Just an idea but I get the same pain when my IT band and hamstrings are too tight.  I road bike and mtn bike A LOT and have to constantly stretch my legs out on a foam roller.  Do you ever go to physiotherapy, they give you great exercises and stretches for biking and running.