Knee injuries

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I just watched this video on YouTube where an experienced cyclist explains how gearing on bikes work and he mentioned that riding a bike inappropriately in the wrong gear can cause knee injuries.. I'm wondering if that's how I damaged my knee as I rode my bike very highly geared in single gear and never used the shift.

Has anyone else suffered knee injuries and if so, did they heal by themselves or did you require medical intervention?

I've had my knee injury for 3 years almost now and whilst I think I got it from running or weight lifting, riding my bike may have made it worse.. right now I have a huge lump at the back of the knee (which is called a Baker's cyst I'm told) and massive swelling above the knee...the whole joint is very stiff (I can't bend to tie my shoe laces) with an burning pain appearing whenever I do anything physical like running or cycling (even light/moderate).

The doctor diagnosed osteoarthritis (just by hearing the symptoms without even examining movement etc properly) I'm supposed to be having a proper examination and some x-rays done on my next visit. I don't think it's osteoarthritis, I think it's more an injury that just hasn't healed and has got worse due to strain on the knee from cycling and carrying my heavy bike.

Just interested to hear anyone elses experiences of knee problems!

Edited November 10, 201213 yr by morphix

You can book an appointment with your GP any time and ask him to refer you to a specialist for a private consultation, which costs about £100. The private specialist will treat you much better and won't be so arrogant as they normally are. You can talk to him openly about possibilities because you've paid for his time, and you won't get fobbed off. Any treatment or further tests you need to get your knee fixed, he can arrange to be done on the NHS, but will be done straight away instead of having to wait months.

I've used this dodge a couple of times since somebody told me about it, and it saves months of suffering and you normally get properly sorted. Well worth the £100.

You can book an appointment with your GP any time and ask him to refer you to a specialist for a private consultation, which costs about £100. The private specialist will treat you much better and won't be so arrogant as they normally are. You can talk to him openly about possibilities because you've paid for his time, and you won't get fobbed off. Any treatment or further tests you need to get your knee fixed, he can arrange to be done on the NHS, but will be done straight away instead of having to wait months.

 

I've used this dodge a couple of times since somebody told me about it, and it saves months of suffering and you normally get properly sorted. Well worth the £100.

I've actually got private medical insurance which under normal circumstances would allow me to see a private consultant but they have a 2-year "watch and see" clause which means any pre-existing illness that occurred or showed symptoms in the 2 years prior to the policy beginning aren't covered!

I don't have a regular GP at moment so I'm waiting for one to be assigned to me before my next appointment (I'm sick of seeing temps!).. I'm hoping it isn't osteoarthritis and some steroid injections and/or draining the cyst will see me return to normal health... I miss my morning jog and cycling like crazy!

I had knee problems remaining from an accident long before I got an ebike. Basically I bashed the side of my left knee on a tree whilst on my way to a heavy impact with the ground. Ever since, any attempt to cycle more than half a mile made the knee swell up. It felt as though it needed oiling. I rode very little until I got an ebike.

I have found that if I push hard in a high gear I get problems within a few minutes. However, using as low a gear as practical and with electric assistance I find I can ride for hours with little discomfort.

Almost miraculously, after 1800 miles on an ebike, my knee appears almost completely cured. It is as though the long periods of light pedalling have reactivated the lubrication in my knee. Its not just cycling either, the improvement has been so good that I can now trot downstairs without holding the bannister, something I could not do 18 months ago. I think having the saddle too low is also very bad for knees, which is asking for problems.

I think it might be very easy to damage your knees by overstressing them in a high gear, but in my case ebiking appears to have cured what the medical profession told me was a permanent injury.Its a bloody miracle!!

Edited November 10, 201213 yr by Eaglerider

Ignoring your specific injury, cycling will help with most knee issues but you need to spin, I have a work injury plus arthritis and all the Doctors I saw recommended cycling.

In my case pushing a low cadence will make my knee worse, spinning makes it better for all uses, and seat height is critical, to low and the knee complains, to high knee and hip complain.

Without cycling every step up a flight of stairs feels like a knife going into my knee and carrying extra weight make it worse.

Just extra motivation to ride more:)

I had knee problems remaining from an accident long before I got an ebike. Basically I bashed the side of my left knee on a tree whilst on my way to a heavy impact with the ground. Ever since, any attempt to cycle more than half a mile made the knee swell up. It felt as though it needed oiling. I rode very little until I got an ebike.

 

I have found that if I push hard in a high gear I get problems within a few minutes. However, using as low a gear as practical and with electric assistance I find I can ride for hours with little discomfort.

 

Almost miraculously, after 1800 miles on an ebike, my knee appears almost completely cured. It is as though the long periods of light pedalling have reactivated the lubrication in my knee. Its not just cycling either, the improvement has been so good that I can now trot downstairs without holding the bannister, something I could not do 18 months ago. I think having the saddle too low is also very bad for knees, which is asking for problems.

 

I think it might be very easy to damage your knees by overstressing them in a high gear, but in my case ebiking appears to have cured what the medical profession told me was a permanent injury.Its a bloody miracle!!

That's really interesting and supports what Geebee just said..that cycling lightly without too much strain can help the knee movement and strengthen the muscles around it.. I hadn't thought of it like that, but it makes sense.. and all the more reason to ride electric and pedal ;-)

I think when you have a bad knee injury the inclination is to stop exercising and minimise what you do (I've been walking with a stick) which probably just makes the problem worse.. really you should keep exercising in a way that doesn't put extra strain on the knee joint but helps to strength the muscles around it eh.

Edited November 10, 201213 yr by morphix

Osteoarthritis can strike at any age, usually being triggered by excessive knee loadings but sometimes by injury. The latest thinking is that it can be self-healing condition rather than the permanent condition once thought to be. There was an interesting program about this on the BBC 4's "Inside Health" program not long ago, with contributions from some of the country's leading experts in the field, but sadly it's no longer available on the i-player.

What a pity would have liked to have seen it.. I don't watch much TV these days (no licence) but like to watch the documentaries and dramas on the playback sites when I get chance

When I saw the doc about my knee he asked my age and pulled a face when I said 40 and more or less said, you're getting on a bit now and it's to be expected joints will wear! He said if it is osteoarthritis there's probably not a lot we can do except manage the symptoms and you have to accept that it most likely will get worse..said sorry, I appreciate it's not what you want to hear!

Edited November 10, 201213 yr by morphix

Two things. I have a degree of age related osteoarthritis in my knees, mainly in the left one, but it's not troublesome in any way, only known because it's detectable on articulating the knee joint while holding it.

In 2008 I suffered a mysterious condition on getting up when I collapsed in left knee pain the moment I put pressure on the left leg, and from then on I couldn't walk more than about a hundred yards without the leg giving way. My doctor airily dismissed it as arthritis, saying it was inevitable at 72 years old, but that was obviously rubbish since osteoarthritis doesn't change from very minor to a near terminal condition during a single night of sleep!

After enduring this near immobility for a few weeks, I returned and suggested he prescribed diclofenac which can be extremely effective against inflammation conditions, far more so than ibuprofen and the like. He refused on the grounds that it can be dangerous, possibly accounting for the odd death, but referred me for specialist examination. Subsequently on that specialist examination X-rays showed no cause for this condition, but the specialist arranged for an operation to wash out the knee joint, a full anaesthetic procedure.

I wasn't very keen on such an operation when no reason was shown for it to be necessary so I bought diclofenac online and using it over a six week period cleared up the problem completely, so I cancelled the operation booking. The problem has occurred twice since, but each time with reducing severity and an increasingly short use of diclofenec necessary, and it now seems to have been permanently cured. The dosages I used were 50 mg tablets three times a day until the pain disappeared, followed by a week of twice a day and a week of once a day, the phase-down to prevent a relapse.

Of course I've kept the doctor abreast with what I've been doing and he hates me (but in the nicest possible way) for proving him wrong!

PLEASE NOTE: I am NOT recommending anyone uses diclofenac, it can be dangerous and can possibly cause death. There is a documented case of death in 2006. Some UK doctors do prescribe it but for carefully monitored periods of restricted length only.

.

Edited November 10, 201213 yr by flecc

You can book an appointment with your GP any time and ask him to refer you to a specialist for a private consultation, which costs about £100. The private specialist will treat you much better and won't be so arrogant as they normally are.

Hah. As part of an investigation following an RTA to me, I went to see a consultant. At first, he thought I was a public patient and was a bit arrogant, dismissive and offhand. When he read the notes properly, the penny suddenly dropped and he realised the insurance companies were taking on all of his costs. From that moment on, he couldn't have been nicer...

That's really interesting and supports what Geebee just said..that cycling lightly without too much strain can help the knee movement and strengthen the muscles around it.. I hadn't thought of it like that, but it makes sense.. and all the more reason to ride electric and pedal ;-)

I third the above points Exactly what happened to me - knee was troublesome for ages until I started leccy biking and the spinning really helped.

I third the above points Exactly what happened to me - knee was troublesome for ages until I started leccy biking and the spinning really helped.

Fourthed!!!

My 79 year old brother has very severe osteoarthritis in his right knee with no cartilage left at all, the outcome of years of very heavy lifting in farming and sport cycling. His knee can lock up completely and be intensely painful, but regular exercise keeps him mobile and keeps the pain at bay. He had to stop cycling since the knee lockup could result in him falling off the bike at halts and unable to get up again, but now walking does the trick. He has an energetic dog that he walks briskly for a minimum of an hour every morning and an hour every afternoon, plus a short burst late evening, and that keeps him mobile with good pain limitation.

He is more than qualified for a replacement knee joint but prefers to avoid that while exercise can keep him active.

Lots of different injuries and ideas. Key to my own knee injury was equipment. 10 or so years ago I was having to wear knee support bandages on a walk or ride of any distance. I was around 40 at the time and having consulted doctor got much the same message as others "you're getting older". I was at the time riding clipless shimano pedals. By chance I forgot my shoes one day and fitted some flat pedals with no clips. I never got round to swapping them back and after a few months my knee problems were cured. So for me it was all down to lack of flexibility and positioning on the Pedals. I get some aches after a long ride but no more than I would expect. A long ebike ride causes no aches at all!

With my experience I would always advise people getting any pain from cycling to experiment with set up, yo may just find a cure!

Talk about tempting providence! There's me out for a gentle ride along the banks of the Tyne when I espy two cyclists approaching. Being a decent chap I decide to give them a wide berth and ride over over the muddy slope to the side instead of the tarmac. Back end lost - bike swings rounds and as my foot goes to ground the whole lot, including me, rotate about my knee. OUCH!!! Now it is really stiff and painful. Time for some RICE and TLC (in the form of a good malt).

I am hoping it will settle down in a day or two but the last time I did my knee it took six months, with physiotherapy, before the pain was gone. Bike may be consigned to the garage for some time unfortunately.

Evening morphix,

Sounds to me like you need to consult a GOOD Sport Injury Physio.

The one at our local rugby club has a brilliant reputation for miracle cures & I believe she charges about 25 quid for a consultation.

Talk about tempting providence! There's me out for a gentle ride along the banks of the Tyne when I espy two cyclists approaching. Being a decent chap I decide to give them a wide berth and ride over over the muddy slope to the side instead of the tarmac. Back end lost - bike swings rounds and as my foot goes to ground the whole lot, including me, rotate about my knee. OUCH!!! Now it is really stiff and painful. Time for some RICE and TLC (in the form of a good malt).

 

I am hoping it will settle down in a day or two but the last time I did my knee it took six months, with physiotherapy, before the pain was gone. Bike may be consigned to the garage for some time unfortunately.

Sorry to hear that Willin' pull up a chair and join the injured knee club ;-) Mine has not been so painful lately, it was so bad that even lying in bed was uncomfortable a few weeks ago.

All this talk of knees has made my recent injury twinge. Nearly a month ago I was clearing out the workshop when a loop of heavy plastic pipe grabbed my ankle and wouldn't let go. I had one of those moments where I knew what was going to hit the ground first and had a choice to sacrifice my knee or my face - the knee got it. This is the start of a new series of injuries to my right side - previous injuries (including knee) were all the left, funnily enough.

It's only been today I've been able to get back in the workshop and resume clearing duties.

I had a miniscus op 20 months ago and diclofenac is the anti pain/inflammitory pill that works all the others just did not work, you can also take them with parecetamol,i just use them when I have pain 75mg with omeprazel for the stomach

plus a couple of parecetamol twice a day just works,-

Getting an E-bike was the best thing I ever did its done wonders for my condition and my knees,I have noticed I sweat less now after a ride, I still sweat but my merino wool dont need wringing out.

On friday night riding home from work I hit the 5000km mark thats in about 10 months of riding had the bike just over a year a month off when we had a freeze and recovering from a bang on the head and a month off on holiday in Thailand.

One thing about diclofenac there was a report it can cause serious heart problems in some people, I love it because it gets me through the really bad times with my knee and shoulder

and back but i only use it when i really hurt.

Edited November 11, 201213 yr by yselmike

It seems I'm not alone from all the posts this thread has generated. Knee injuries seem to be much more common than I thought. It's good to know that cycling can be a helpful thing rather than making a condition worse though..you learn something new everyday here. Electric bikes have another niche market then, people with osteoarthritis of the knee and knee injuries!

Hope you're feeling better Willin' and on the road to recovery..

Thought I'd add my 2 penn'orth.

Did my right knee in 20 years ago doing yoga () and after about 3 years I couldn't crouch or kneel. Sports physio diagnosed torn cartilage; had it done, everything ok again for 3 or 4 years, when it had to be redone, and so on, until I'd had 4 ops in 10 years. Then, 9 years ago, I was in an accident in which I nearly lost my right leg altogether, and in which knee problems were the least of the bother.

Finally got rid of rods, plates etc after years of ops and aggro, and now have permanent limp with one leg shorter than the other. The dodgy knee has stood up to all this very well however, and cycling is still easier than walking, by a long way.

I reckon 2 key things to preserving knees are what others have already said:

1. High cadence in a lowish gear, rather than pushing away on a higher gear in the feeling that it's harder work so must be doing you good. I know everyone has their own natural pedalling cadence just as they have a natural walking pace - the trick is to match cadence and gear so it's reasonably effortless (other than hill-climbing of course ).

2. Use pedals that allow you to twist your feet around on the pedals a bit. I've always had a tendency to turn one foot in more than the other when pedalling, it;'s just what feels most comfortable. I've used Shimano double-sided pedals for ages. They're good because you can ride in civvy shoes as well as cycling ones, and the SPD clip system allows enough adjustment to provide a reasonable range of float without being too loose.

The final, crucial point is to have the saddle at the correct height and in the correct relation to the bars and pedals - i.e. not too far back or forwards and at a height that allows almost full extension of the leg. Anything less and you end up putting far too much strain through the knee joint. I reckon at least half the people I see on bikes have the saddle too low. I can understand it for kids - feeling of safety, but its bad news for adults.

Here endeth the lesson...........