Pain BEHIND the knees!

[env1romelza]

Howdy All,

Just wondering if anyone out there might be able to give me some advice...
For the last four months or so I have been experiencing pain behind my knees. On some rides the pain almost becomes unbearable and I stop enjoying my ride! But then other times I don't feel it at all until after I stop riding. It's bad when I sit for a period of time then get up to move. It doesn't hurt whilst I'm not moving.
I've been riding for only a year, nothing too drastic, and I run a little also. I've tried thinking back to see if I had changed my bike set-up in anyway before the pain started but really I haven't changed a thing since being fit to it when I bought it.
I'm female and 28 and not really any exeriencing pain elsewhere.

Any advice is appreciated - I can't seem to find anyone who has experienced the same thing!


Thanks
Mel

[Marty Moose]

Seat too high ??

MM

[LM324]

Seat too high ??

MM

Pain behind knees is often a symptom of a too high saddle

[winstonw]

OK, here's a troubleshooting algorithm:
-> hurts sometimes during a ride and with sit to stand, but not always -> unlikely to be a muscle strain or bursitis which should hurt all the time
-> doesn't hurt at rest -> unlikely to be acute inflammation.

intense intermittent symptoms are consistent with a knee meniscal insult (tear, contusion) or loose cartilage.

[env1romelza]

Thanks guys I'll drop my seat a little and see if anything changes.

Hopefully not

a knee meniscal insult (tear, contusion) or loose cartilage

Sounds serious??

[vander]

Howdy All,

Just wondering if anyone out there might be able to give me some advice...
For the last four months or so I have been experiencing pain behind my knees. On some rides the pain almost becomes unbearable and I stop enjoying my ride! But then other times I don't feel it at all until after I stop riding. It's bad when I sit for a period of time then get up to move. It doesn't hurt whilst I'm not moving.
I've been riding for only a year, nothing too drastic, and I run a little also. I've tried thinking back to see if I had changed my bike set-up in anyway before the pain started but really I haven't changed a thing since being fit to it when I bought it.

You may have started sitting differently or increased the amount of riding you did also that could cause the problem. I wouldnt just straight to a meniscal injury as Winston has indicated, though it is a good possiblity, there are many other things it could be. A big question is does it get better or worse as you continue to ride (in the one session)?

Try dropping the seat is always a good option.

It could be a tendonitis/tendonopathy in the hamstring tendons (hard to tell though from your account), it could also be posterior capsule damage both can be due to hyperextending every pedal stroke because the seat is too high.

Go see a Doc/Physio etc get them to have a proper look at it, hard to tell over the internet.

I completely disagree with winston it does sound inflammatory, it doesnt hurt when your doing nothing but after doing something it does hurt that is inflammatory.

[toolonglegs]

Behind your knee cap or behind your knee totally ( like at the back of your leg ) ?.

[twizzle]

Sounds like "theatre sign" to me. Had that when I first got serious, eventually it went away. Anti-inflams and reduced K's.


Sent from my iThingy...

[Dr_Mutley]

Sounds like "theatre sign" to me. Had that when I first got serious, eventually it went away. Anti-inflams and reduced K's.


Sent from my iThingy...

"theatre sign"? Is that the same as "moviegoers" sign?

[twizzle]

Sounds like "theatre sign" to me. Had that when I first got serious, eventually it went away. Anti-inflams and reduced K's.


Sent from my iThingy...

"theatre sign"? Is that the same as "moviegoers" sign?

Yes. My IPad sucks at correcting my spelling of the actual condition, hence my avoidance last night.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chondromalacia_patellae" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;




Sent from my iThingy...

[vander]

The real question is it pain behind the knee or behind the knee cap.

[twizzle]

The real question is it pain behind the knee or behind the knee cap.

True. And where is the OP? PM has been sent.

[env1romelza]

sorry guys went offline for a bit...
The pain is at the back of my knee/leg, not behind the knee cap.
I cannot cycle a lot of kms aas I work away and can only manage a to squeeze in a few rides the week im home. The other two weeks I do some running which im not sure is making it worse or just enabling the pain to stick around for longer!!

[toolonglegs]

I get it behind the knee ... I have chronically tight hammies... No amount of stretching seems to make any difference.

[twizzle]

sorry guys went offline for a bit...
The pain is at the back of my knee/leg, not behind the knee cap.
I cannot cycle a lot of kms aas I work away and can only manage a to squeeze in a few rides the week im home. The other two weeks I do some running which im not sure is making it worse or just enabling the pain to stick around for longer!!

Ah, running, there's the problem. Cyclists shouldn't run - otherwise they are called duathletes or triathletes.

But in all seriousness... best to chase up a sports doctor for that one, what you are describing is not a common cycling injury. Unlike patella issues.


Sent from my iThingy...

[env1romelza]

Thanks for all the help, doc it is. Or i might just give up running... didn't really like it anyway!

[sumgy]

Another vote for too high a saddle, but it could also be that your saddle is too far back causing you to over-engage your hammies.

[AP81]

Does it go away after a couple days of no cycling? If so, I had the exact same thing. Took me a while to get to the bottom of it.

[Saturnstarzz]

Had the same with my left leg.

Pain behind my knee but near my hammies.

Dropped my saddle a little bit and issue now solved.

[cippo]

could be plantaris muscle. one long muscle that joins in at the back of your calf up to your hip. definately has to do with flexibilty, bike fit, and possibly overtaining. id see a phyhsio though and get proper help.

[durianrider]

invest in a good bike fit. Bring a liquid paper pen with you and mark everything before you leave the shop. That way if anything slips you have a reference point to reset to.

[Dr_Mutley]

invest in a good bike fit. Bring a liquid paper pen with you and mark everything before you leave the shop. That way if anything slips you have a reference point to reset to.

Good advice...
And to take it one step further, if u find the fit works for u, measure everything to the nearest mm so u have it for future bike purchases, or to transfer into other bikes in your stable...

[AP81]

Check your pedal stroke...looking at the cranks from the side, pretend it is a clock face. Make sure your pedal stroke is applying pressure all the way to 5'oclock (or as close as possible).

Releasing too early, i.e. at 3 o'clock causes a lot of compression through the knee. Releasing late (at 5 o'clock) allows to quad to be dominant and the pressure in knee to unload at the bottom of the stroke.

I had the exact same problem you describe, and it took me a long time (about 7 months) to work it out. I basically got "lazy" with my pedal stroke, even though I was still doing good speed and times. Try and it and see if it works for you.

[env1romelza]

Check your pedal stroke...looking at the cranks from the side, pretend it is a clock face. Make sure your pedal stroke is applying pressure all the way to 5'oclock (or as close as possible).

I'll do this. .. I noticed the other day when I was training riding with one leg then the other that I had more power and tended to increase in speed than I did when using both legs. Maybe I am being a bit lazy and this is the source of my problem. Its not gotten any better but bothers me more when getting up from my work desk than riding. I raised my saddle and this did help for a while.

[jbanh]

I've had this issue of late as well and found that moving my seat forward and tilting it further up helped considerably