Knee pain when riding long distance

[98Deathmage]

So, as the title says, I have knee pain when riding 1+ hours on my bike along with butt pain. I am getting my seats done by Dirt Roads during the winter but I cant seem to think of a way to help my knees from hurting so much. I took a 3 hour ride to a local twisty and at one point on my way home I had to pull off the highway because the pain was causing me to lose focus on the road ahead. Any thoughts? (If you are going to suggest Advil or such, it only helps me a tiny bit)

 

[Bert-Aus]

I used to suffer chronic joint pain in both my knees from skateboarding injuries. Best advice I ever had was cross train with cycling (MB or road) & stretching.
Nowdays (have done for past 19yrs) only cycle about 5kms a week,
walk about 10kms a week,
but I stretch everyday (mostly to do with my back in the last 7months)

In regards to your knees do stretches that focus on lateral movements of the knee.
Do include your hamstrings & quads, but your lateral leg muscles (sorry dont know name) need to be of equal length otherwise your knees will not 'sit straight'.

Would def be worthwhile seeing a physiotherapist a couple times for professional opinion & direction.

Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk 2

 

[buzzbomb]

I've had hip problems since I was a child, and you can bet, whenever I get on my bike (which is every day, if I have my 'druthers) my hips are going to cramp. Hard. I stick a leg out and wiggle it while riding, and it usually helps.

Sometimes I have to wait for a stop and putting my legs down helps. Once in a while, I just have to deal with it until it goes away, shifting and wiggling all the time.

It's not the same issue you are experiencing, I'm just putting it out there to say that I understand your pain and need to ride, regardless.

Try some triple-strength glucosamine-chondrointin. It's a supplement, so is not federally regulated. Whatever the claims are cannot be proven. I've experienced positive results with it though, after a shoulder surgery I had. It really did help.

Take it as directed for about a month, and see if it helps. It did help my shoulder. You definitely want the triple-strength (it's a marketing gimmick, but that's the stuff you want).

A month's supply might cost you fifteen bucks at Walmart, and if it helps then WooHoo! If not... I've got nothing to offer that hasn't been said. Give it a try. Unless you're allergic to shellfish there's not much to lose.

 

[98Deathmage]

I used to suffer chronic joint pain in both my knees from skateboarding injuries. Best advice I ever had was cross train with cycling (MB or road) & stretching.
Nowdays (have done for past 19yrs) only cycle about 5kms a week,
walk about 10kms a week,
but I stretch everyday (mostly to do with my back in the last 7months)

In regards to your knees do stretches that focus on lateral movements of the knee.
Do include your hamstrings & quads, but your lateral leg muscles (sorry dont know name) need to be of equal length otherwise your knees will not 'sit straight'.

Would def be worthwhile seeing a physiotherapist a couple times for professional opinion & direction.

Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk 2

I will definitely try the bike exercise idea when I can. Currently under doc orders to not do excessive exercises. In the mean time the supplements and stretches will hopefully do the trick

 

[98Deathmage]

I forgot to mention a friend mentioned to me to adjust my seat to the higher setting to see if the tiny bit extra height helps me not bend my knees as much.

 

[dart1963]

I forgot to mention a friend mentioned to me to adjust my seat to the higher setting to see if the tiny bit extra height helps me not bend my knees as much.

it helped me a lot... of course, that was five years ago when I made that change! lol

only about 3/4" higher, but noticeable

 

[Maadi]

I agree with Bert-Aus and Buzzbomb, try to strengthen the muscles in your legs and take the supplements.

You can usually do straight leg lifts even with restrictions (check with your doctor first). Start with an ankle weight with which you can easily do 3x10 reps and increase from there.

For supplements, what works for me is the "Move Free Ultra" instead of a generic glucosamine/chondroitin supplement. Try a couple of different kinds if something doesn't work for you.

 

[engineered2win]

Where exactly is your knee pain located? There are so many different knee problems, it's impossible to recommend any countermeasures. I have patellar tendonitis (tendinosis at this point) in my left knee and have trouble riding more than a couple hours without significant discomfort. I even have the same issue on the Super Tenere I rented, which has a more relaxed riding position. The only short term solution I can think of is highway pegs, but I'm unwilling to defile a full fairing sport bike with them.

Part is the knee getting cold (heat helps tendon and muscle injuries), part is the acute knee angle for extended periods of time, and part is pressure on the inside off the knee from gripping the tank. I recently discovered eccentric squats using a slant board and got into a routine of doing them every morning. I have improved more in the last month doing the eccentric squats, than in a couple years of trying everything from PT to ultrasonic therapy. I'm at the point where my knees outlast the comfort of the stock seat.

I have a knee focused leg workout I do at the gym:
Stationary bike or elliptical warmup - 10minutes
Leg extensions - isolated 3set x 10
Leg curls - isolated 3x10
Calf raises - 3x10
Squats - 3x10
Leg Press - 3x10

The isolated extensions and curls help you measure each leg independently. The quads do most of the knee stabilization, and you can run into issues when your quads overpower your underdeveloped hamstrings, so by exercising each leg individually nothing is masked by one leg compensating for the other.