I’ve looked at the knee pain threads but haven’t seen this specific issue addressed.
About a year ago I started experiencing pain at the very top of my patellas, the left one being worst. I figured it would just go away but has increased in severity such that both my patellas hurt today and I haven’t ridden for two days. I tend to ride muni/trials/street with the seat fairly low which exacerbates the pain, but it happens riding the 36" inch and my freestyle as well, albeit not as soon into the ride.
Is this common, is there a way to fix it, etc? I’d hate to say it’s just because I’m over 50, I want to be riding a lot longer.
I’ve got the exact same problem… except it’s my right knee that gives me the most problems. Same deal, the lower seat makes the problem show up sooner, higher seat - it will still show up.
I took most of the summer off because of this problem, doing that didn’t help all that much. The pain has gone down a bit lately but if it flares back up I’ll plan on going to a specialist.
Open this link, scroll down, and read the article, watch the videos…ignore all the ads and hype, just chck out what the guy has to say about knee pain. It helped me.
That web site looks good. The emphasis on strengthening things appeals. (Had achilles probs a few years ago and learned the way to solve that was to strengthen the calf muscles ( I was doing a lot of running at the time so it didn’t seem right… but it is ), that’s what the heel drop exercises are all about.
The bit at the bottom to reduce volume is also good. But definitely stop when/before things start to hurt.
Being 50, 40 or whatever doesn’t have anything to do with anything…
Wow, lots of good stuff mmorton. Thanks. I can use that.
For the last ten years I have noticed that so many people around my age have been having knee problems and knee surgery. I have been trying to watch what I have been doing but mostly I think I have been lucky. The unicycle has generally been good for my knees, which is why I have been riding more and running/walking less. But there are still some days when my knees give me lots of warnings.
Good luck with your pain, blueharmony. I hope that website from mmorton helps you!
My 2 cents…
Consider raising your seat hight. A low seat puts a lot of extra strain on the knee joint. Also, Lunges are an excellent exercise to strengthen the quads- which will help stabilize the joint.
Hope your back to tip-top soon.
I ride a 36" and my knee pain used to come at around the hour mark of riding. I say used to, because I was able to almost completely get rid of the pain by doing a few knee muscle building exercises and stretches about 3 days a week. If I don’t keep up with the exercises and stretches, the knee pain eventually returns. I purchased a DVD called “Strong Knees.” In addition, I purchased a foam roller which I use from time to time to roll out the tension in my muscles. Good luck!!!
I have one of those foam rollers and I use the heck out of it - good for rolling out your quads and the IT band on the outside of your legs - doesn’t always feel good but it feels good later -
I got really bad pain in my knees when training for Ride the Lobster, to the point where I could not walk without pain. It was bad for about a month until I the 7th doctor I saw actually knew something about sports medicine and simply told me to sit in a chair and straiten my legs (one at a time) repeatedly, working up to 3 sets of 10 three times a day. 3 days later I could walk without pain, one week later I could ride short distances and a month later my knees were great.
Apparently I had developed a muscle imbalance that caused my kneecap to be pulled to far to the outside when active. I was amazed how quickly the exercise fixed it and still do at least one set of ten every week for maintenance.
I started with patella problems in my right knee about 10 years ago.
I had been street running for many years but had not been running for a few months. I was powering up a steep hill with no ill effects, until the next day when I could hardly walk. I could not walk up steps and it showed no signs of improvement.
After researching, I found that high strength “Glucosomine + Condroitin” supplement was an effective natural supplement. It took about 2 months, after which I was running again. I still take it and will continue to do so.
Many family doctors in the UK recommend this.
Not to be a negative Nellie here (and I am glad that G/C seems to be working for you, Joggerdude), but so far the only two large double blind studies on the effect of Glucosamine/Condroitin on knee pain have come up showing that it has no effect.
I really would like it to work (and I’m following this thread with interest as my knees are doing the same thing reported here), but I’ll be looking in different directions based on the medical/scientific literature.
I got similar patella pain after I crashed my knee two years ago. It hurt after uni rides, but with time I needed to ride harder and harder to feel the pain. Now it is gone since spring, but I’m avoiding being hard on my knees e.g. I’m using my brake more than before the crash as it is the braking that causes most of the pain in my case.
I like the saskatchewanian’s exercise. Easy and possible to do while working, so I will try to strenghten my knees even more to avoid the pain.
I can only go on the experiences of myself and friends and family.
For example:-
My wife’s father is a guy who will NEVER take a pill or medicine. He started with serious knee pain, and was hobbling around like a cripple. I managed to convince him (through his wife) to at least try Glocosomine/condroitin.
To cut a long story short, he started taking it and within three month had got rid of 90% of his pain and walked quite normally. He swears he will never stop taking it.
Whether it works will also depend on the precise nature of the knee/joint problem. Only trying it will decide.
Because it is a generic natural and un-patented solution, the drug companies will do everything to rubbish it as a treatment.
For the sake of a few pounds (dollars), I would suggest that people with these problems at least give it a try, and if it doesn’t work for them fine. As I said, many of our doctors recommend their patients try it.
FWIW, I used to give the Glucosamine/Condroitin pills to my dog when her arthritis flared up. She would noticeably improve within a day or two. After a while I started giving it to her on a regular basis, and her mobility was good up until she died of a heart ailment. Since she had no idea I was giving them to her, I think we can discount the “placebo” effect. Still, dogs are different than humans, so I’m not going to make any claims. I haven’t tried it myself, but I may if my joints start giving me trouble.
