How Cyclists Can Manage Knee Pain

Cycling is a low-impact exercise often recommended as part of a physical routine to ensure good health or as a part of a workout to rehabilitate injured muscles. However, it may also cause knee pain. But, even when the bicycle has the ideal setup, cyclists are still vulnerable to experiencing pain in the knees. There are various factors that contribute to knee injury. In similar fashion, there are several ways to ease knee pain to avoid more serious problems down the road.

Causes of cycling knee pain

Among cyclists, there are different reasons for the occurrence of knee pain. The main one is that they are too determined with their training and do too much too soon. Overtraining is common, especially in competitive cycling, where it is typical for a cyclist to challenge himself to do better and to beat his previous performance. As such, he goes through his training and put in excessive hours, subsequently resulting to injured muscles and joints.

Another reason has something to do with the characteristics of the bicycle itself, specifically the interaction between man and machine. When the bike is ridden, it becomes an extension of the human body. As the rider exerts force on the bike, the machine exerts force on the body as well. While any misalignment can cause damage on both, only the human body experiences and develops pain. Aside from these, another chief reason for knee pain is poor riding technique.

Types of knee pain

The following are the different types of knee pain that cyclists experience and their probable causes:

Anterior pain – Pain on the front of the knee

Possible causes:

• Bicycle saddle is too low or too far forward
• Crank arms are too long
• Leg length discrepancy, such as when the seat is designed for a rider with shorter legs

Posterior pain (back of knee)

Possible causes:

• Saddle is not appropriately positioned for the rider
• Excessive pedal float
• Leg length discrepancy with no amendment for the rider with shorter legs

Medial pain (inner side of knee)

Possible causes:

• Cleat position is too wide
• Inadequate pedal float
• Too much knee frontal plane activity

Lateral pain (outside of knee)

Possible causes:

• Cleat position is too restricted
• Insufficient pedal float
• Extreme movement of the knee frontal plane

Managing knee pain

These procedures will help to lessen cycling knee pain and enable recovery:

1. Stop the activity that makes the knee pain worse.

Doctors recommend that when knee pain occurs, it is best to give the body time to heal and repair the damage. Have a doctor check the condition. He will recommend the ideal medical procedure for knee pain. He will also recommend the right time when the body can start enduring training again.

2. Have a professional check the bike fitting.

It is worthy to have an expert examine bike fit to see if the setup is ideal for the cyclist’s ability. The bicycle must be fitted appropriately to ensure that the body is able to endure the level of effort that the cyclist puts it through.

3. Massage the knee area.

When knee pain strikes, it is helpful to massage the tender area. Massage is an alternative form of treatment that has been proven effective. Its effects can be improved by massaging the sore spot with a pain cream such as MAXX Relief All Natural Pain Relief Cream, a natural pain relief cream that alleviates pain immediately and wards off pain for hours.

Knee pain does not have to hamper a cyclist. With the right pain management technique and by not subjecting the body to too much exertion, cycling can be a pursuit that can be enjoyed for years.

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