Cycling Knee Pain

Cycling Knee Pain

Causes and SolutionsBy http://www.fix-knee-pain.com/

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3Common causes

for cycling knee pain

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Cycling Knee Pain cause #1:

Bad Bicycle Fit

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Cycling Knee Pain cause #1: Bad Bicycle Fit

Saddle height and Knee Pain:

If the saddle is too high:• Pain in the back of the knee

(posterior knee pain)• Irritated IT band• Patellofemoral loading• Hips suffer from rocking side to side

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Cycling Knee Pain cause #1: Bad Bicycle Fit

Saddle height and Knee Pain:

If the saddle is too low:• Pain in front of the knee (anterior

knee pain)• Patellar tendinosis (pain below knee

cap)• Quadriceps tendinosis (pain above

knee cap)

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Cycling Knee Pain cause #1: Bad Bicycle Fit

Saddle Aft/Forward Position:

If the saddle is too far forward:• Pain in front of the knee (anterior

knee pain)

If the saddle is too far backward:• IT Band Syndrome• Pain in the back of the knee

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Cycling Knee Pain cause #1: Bad Bicycle Fit

Cleat Rotation:

Externally rotated cleats (foot points outward) can cause:

• Medial Knee Pain (pain on the inner side of the knee)

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Cycling Knee Pain cause #1: Bad Bicycle Fit

Crank Arm Length:

If the saddle is too long:• Pain in front of the knee (anterior

knee pain)• Patellar Tendinosis• Quadriceps Tendinosis

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Cycling Knee Pain cause #1: Bad Bicycle Fit

Solution:

Professional bike fit.

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Cycling Knee Pain cause #2:

Bad Posture

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Cycling Knee Pain cause #2: Bad Posture

Poor movement patterns and bad posture

cause

poor tissue quality and muscle length

which strengthens

poor movement patterns and bad posture.

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Cycling Knee Pain cause #2: Bad Posture

... and ultimately

cause pain!

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Cycling Knee Pain cause #2: Bad Posture

To break the cycle:

• Improve tissue qualityo By foamrollingo By getting an ART-massage (active release technique

)

• Improve movement patterns & postureo Conscious movemento Check your posture every now and theno Get help from a Functional Movement Practicioner

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Cycling Knee Pain cause #3:

Overtraining

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Cycling Knee Pain cause #3: Overtraining

What is overtraining?

• Training with too much intensity too often

• You exceed your body‘s ability to recover

• Your body starts breaking down:o Tendon degeneration (tendinosis)o Cartilage breakdown (arthritis)o Bone density decreases (osteoporosis)o Weaker immune system

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Cycling Knee Pain cause #3: Overtraining

Signs of overtraining:

• Feeling overly fatigued and sluggish• Joints start hurting• Nagging injuries pile up• You get sick more often (decreased

immune system)• Bodyfat gain• Regular inability to complete

workouts• Lack of motivation for training• Loss of appetite

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Cycling Knee Pain cause #3: Overtraining

Preventing overtraining:

• Get to bed around 10 PM and get 8 hours of sleep

• Avoid chronic stress

• Eat healthy foods (i.e. everything not man made or in other words: if it comes in a box, don‘t eat it)

• Have ample recovery time between your workouts

• Listen to your body and dial down your workouts accordingly

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Cycling Knee Pain• For more information:

cycling and knee pain