I have been preparing for race season and for the last few weeks I have had alot of discomfort in my left knee. There is no pain, but I can assure you that there is something wrong. It is as if my knee cap is being pulled to the out side of my leg and that there is some pulling on my tendons. I am not sure if it is a muscle inbalance for maybe a tendon issue.
I am just wondering if any one has had this problem or may have an idea as to what the problem may be, and how to fix the problem?
I have been suffering for about two years with on again / off again pain in my left knee. I finally went to see the doc, and because all I do is ride a bike, my IT Bands are very tight and are the primary cause of the pain. I have started to stretch and the hamstring, gluts, hip flexers, and IT, things are starting to get a little better. Might be worth looking into.
Costar05....can you be more specific re: description of the pain? Where on your knee exactly....you say it feels as if your knee cap is being pulled outside and it feels like the tendons are to blame...but is the pulling on the top of the kneecap, side, bottom? Is it a dull pain, soreness, inflammation, or in others case, not yours.....stabbing pain. When does the discomfort occur...when climbing, stairs, regular walking, pedaling hard, squats in gym, etc? Being more specific as to occurrence and location will help folks help you. Outside of that....all anyone can recommend is 800mg of ibuprofen 3x/day, stretching and ice on the affected area.
I've got knee issues too I was going to start a thread on but decided to add to this one.
Although I've had a bike for ever, last year I upgraded from department store junk to a Giant (love it by the way) and started riding regularly. Shortly after starting a ride, both knees felt like they wanted to "pop" (like people do with their knuckles) and if/when I rode for more than about 35-40 minutes, my left knee would start hurting. Specifically, it pained right around the knee cap if I pressed down on the pedal (if I stopped using that leg, no pain). Whenever it would get to that point, for the rest of the day and night it would hurt IF I moved or used that join (especially for example, walking up stairs). By the next day, or day after at the very longest, I'd be 100%.
I went to my doctor who muttered something about arthritis, sent me for x-rays (which came back all perfect), and said "try physio therapy" which to me just sounded like a pawn off.
I just finished my first good right for this year....and its the OTHER (right) knee that did the exact same thing the left was doing at the end of last season!
Trouble is, biking is the one and only physical activity I enjoy so "do something else" is not an option.
If the pain is on the outside of your knee, chances are that it's a combination of a tight IT band vastus lateralis muscle (the most outer portion of your quads). There are three very crucial things you need to do. #1, stretch after every ride, #2, you need to see a massage therapist to strip out your muscles, otherwise it can become a tendon issue, and #3, provided there isn't any inflammation, you can apply heat to your quads to loosen them up. As a therapist, I see this all the time, not only in cyclists, but runners, swimmers, you name it! Does that help?
My ITB drove me crazy, when tight will actually pull you kneecap to the outside which prevents a smooth glide. Once you start on this you will think no way in hell, the pain is amazing. Go slow a few seconds at a time, after a week you will be able to roll for a few minutes. It's great for all muscle groups, you can even sit on it and roll out the sciatic
. Check out this site, roll every morning and nite for a few minutes. http://www.northshoreathletics.com/articles/sportmed-itb-jun06.html
Do a google search, lots of info on this.
Sounds like an over use issue of one side of your body. The reason you didn't have it that bad on your opposite leg is you hurt it at the end of the season and had time to rest it. I'm not a doc and you should get his opinion.
I've been having similar issues for weeks now.. I will do like an 11 mile loop.. and then start having pain in my right knee on the next leg of my journey.. always sort of on the outside of the knee. And it will take like a week to heal.. and then the next ride will bring it right back. What are the suggested stretches to do pre and post ride?
Thank you for your suggestions. A few people asked for more details, so I'll do my best as it has been a month or so since I posted my question and the problem still exists.
It's as if my left knee cap is being pulled up and to the left (outward). Not only that but I feel that there is a lot of pulling and stretching around my lateral collateral ligaments between my femur and fibula (located above the knee but in the inner thigh). I am not a doctor and not up to date on my anatomy, so I did my best and hope it helps. Oh, it is not painful, but very uncomfortable and makes training hard. When I push it really hard it has even made walking difficult, as my leg/ knee becomes stiff.
Thanks
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