Knee Pain
Do you ever have knee pain during or after your ride? That is not good, especially since many folks switch from running to cycling in order to “save their knees”. There are several causes that come to mind.
1. Bike Fit
If you are sitting too low and not getting adequate knee extension on the push phase of stroke then your kneecap is spending too much time under tension and on stretch. Check with your favorite bike mechanic. Changing the seat height can be a quick, easy fix.
2. Knee Valgus
This is when your knee drifts toward the bike frame while pedaling and changes the alignment of your knee. Then when you add muscle, on the push phase, to bad alignment you will get knee pain. This is simple biomechanics. You want to check with a certified specialist (Coach K) and investigate whether it is a problem of weak hip rotators that are unable to control the leg position or tight ITB complex that is pulling on the kneecap or some combination. Once the true cause is pinpointed, then you can make a training plan to correct the muscle imbalance or alignment problem. A temporary fix is to shim the pedal to help change the foot/leg alignment much like putting orthotics in your running shoes. Remember- this is temporary fix for the symptom and not addressing the cause.