Knee problems...what helps most?

I was having knee trouble during Summer. My knees are now a lot better but I have to keep an eye on what I'm doing.
I still take glucosamine both orally as well as the (glucosamine) gel that I rub into my knees. Some medics claim glucosamine really does help repair cartilage while other experts deny such is the case. I don't know if it's helped me or not but our dog had miraculous results on glucosamine. Our house dog is a border collie and he badly injured his hind leg last year. Despite cortisone shots and steroid he seemed to get worse. I suggested glucosamine and he's like a new dog after 8 months. The hind leg is 100 per cent and, for an old dog, he can sure run (chased a fox in the garden last week like a bullet). At the time, the vet said he's have a permanent limp but that's not turned out to be the case.
Don't take it if you're diabetic, though.
You can also try codliver oil which might help a bit.
Don't despair, dozens of cyclists have arthritis and joint pain and most continue to be active.

RobinfromBoston said:

I've been riding for 25 years and have recently been diagnosed with arthritis in my right knee. Just curious how many other cyclists have had knee problems and what 'therapy' has helped them the most.

I went through a period of bad knee problems, but I haven't had any trouble in over a year. The best things I've found, in priority order, are:

1. Get a full blown professional bike fit. Spare no expense on this, it's worth it!
2. Buy Speedplay pedals (I use zeros). Also worth the $$.
3. When riding, ease up a little if you feel a twinge.
4. Stop riding completely until any "bad" pain is gone. There is a good chance you will never have to take this step if you do steps 1-3!

zakman said:

2. Buy Speedplay pedals (I use zeros). Also worth the $$.

Why Speedplay? Ever since I had Look, I never had knee problems...

tanggoman said:

Why Speedplay? Ever since I had Look, I never had knee problems...

Good point - Speedplays work great for me, but I'm sure it's more about finding the right pedal for your own body. That said, I think the large amount of free float with Speedplay can help knees a lot.

zakman said:

Good point - Speedplays work great for me, but I'm sure it's more about finding the right pedal for your own body. That said, I think the large amount of free float with Speedplay can help knees a lot.

Some Look pedals' float can be adjusted to 3, 6, 9 degrees.

Not minding.

Ahhh...I love this answer!!! I just finished a 90 minute workout, popped a few aspirins and am icing my knee. Ride on!

Robin

I've had arthritis problems with both knees for many years. Some of it is genetic, some due to youthful sports injuries. Doing my best to put off surgery and stay in shape, I recently started cycling again. Looking to find some "non-impact" excercise, and I'm man am I hooked, wish I had done this 10 - 20 years ago. Anyway, prior to this, I had (and still have to a lesser degree) great success with Glucosimine Sulfate (and it has to be the sulfate..... there are cheaper and less effective derivatives... I know, I've tried them, don't know why they don't work as well. Maybe the sulfate is absorbed better or some other bio reason). MSM in conjunction works well too, but I notice only a marginal improvement (but any improvement is more than welcome!). However, for me, Chonondroiton was a huge waste of money, most expensive placebo on the planet. And my best over the counter friend....... Aleve. Two of those and a glass of wine.... pain? what pain? 😄 And don't forget Ice and compression..... after icing the knees, I use plain elastic knee braces.... local drug store stuff, works fine.

I also find it much easier on my the knees if I pedal more by pulling up rather than pushing down. It's that "scraping the mud off your shoe" theory of pedaling.... I feel less pressure on my knees when I pedal this way. Just finished 37.4 miles today (usually 40 miles, but the head winds were brutal!! So I head home when I got close). With the head wind gusts at approx 20 mph, it would hit suddenly, and I would find myself pushing as a reaction to the blast of air. I could really tell the difference between pushing down on the pedals as opposed to pulling. I also try to keep a fairly high cadence (for me anyway) around 90 rpm. Any higher and I start bouncing.... still working on that. 🙂 These thing really work for me, hope this helps.

RobinfromBoston said:

Ahhh...I love this answer!!! I just finished a 90 minute workout, popped a few aspirins and am icing my knee. Ride on!

Robin

For me, the rotor crank helped the most. It seems to be a more natural pedaling stroke for the knees. Many others have also claimed that the rotors did wonders for the knees.

I've dealt with a number of people with degenerative joint conditions due to age or injury and these are the things I've found that work consistently.

1. Glucosamine - As a chemist I am very wary of supplement claims but all the people I know who have tried this have sworn by it.

2. Movement - You need to move your joints, research has shown that its better for people with arthritis to do moderate exercise as opposed to sitting around resting all the time. Of course if the pain is severe, rest for a day or two. Light cycling or simple joint mobility exercises are probably best.

3. Bike fit, proper running shoes etc - get your equipment sorted out, even the wrong type of casual shoes can have a big effect on your knees and ankles. Get a physiotherapist to look at your shoes and see what they think.

Now the other stuff, obviously i'm againast total rest unless you have acute pain. Anti inflamatories are ok but you have to careful that you aren't doing more damage while the drugs mask the problem.

Physical therapy covers a lot of possible modes of treatment, some may work for you others won't. I'd track down a sports doctor or physio and explain your problem. Don't just go to a normal doctor as many of them will just tell you to rest and take drugs then scratch their heads when you insist on exercising

I have some knee problems linked to spinning I think.

Oddly enough, the first thing the physio looked at were my shoes...which were very worn at the heel. I have flat feet and he advised me to change them.

I get knee problems with any sports that require heavy foot impacts where the foot is unsupported, so running (> 1 hr or so) and even walking for say 4 hours or so leave my left knee in real pain.

If the foot is supported it is OK, so I can ski for 6 hours a day no problem as the boot supports the foot. Cycling was alright, but since the summer I have been spinning in trainers (my cycling shoes have rigid carbon soles and quite a good arch support) and that seems to be causing me problems. I'll move back to the trainer with my cycling shoes.

All that to say, it is true that if you are prone to knee problems, look carefully at your footwear, on the bike, off the bike and just casual footwear...it is surprising the additional wear and tear different footwear can cause.

I use ice packs on timed intervals for a couple of hours depending on how bad it gets.

Going too hard after too long of a break will give me trouble. Warming up helps, as does not doing any hard rides when I've not ridden in several weeks. Usually takes several days to get back in the rhythm.

What brand of glucosamine do you guys suggest? Thanks.

Just look for a reliable brand. Some brands may be watered down.

Meek One said:

What brand of glucosamine do you guys suggest? Thanks.

Picked up some GS (Green Swan). Is this stuff respectable?

This is my battle plan against knee pain there alot of ways to fight it but this seems to work for my body chemistry.

1)Calcium Citrate about 200mg to keep calcium intake above phosphorus

2)Clean water to keep synovial fluid in joints clear (high levels of iron and calcium carbonate in water can build up in joints) avoid hard water

3)About one egg a day or 200mg MSM for sulfur (building block for cartilage).Plus an apple a day for just a trace of boron (makes bonds between calcium and magnesium stronger)

4)Balanced multi no more than 100 percent of anything except vitamin C (helps create cartilage) Shaklee (iron free for men or people with liver trouble) might be a good choice.

5)Never drink black tea flouride levels cacify tendons and ligaments.

6)If pain is left sided phosphorus is ussually low in ratio to calcium have some almonds. If calcification is right sided magnesium could be low in ratio to calcium have some green veggies like brocolli. If both knees hurt it could be low stomach acid is involved a small increase in sodium chloride (chloride is used to make hydrochloric acid) will raise stomach acid if you have no problems with blood pressure. Also note if suplementing calcium, calcium carbonate lowers stomach acid levels calcium citrate will not.

I think it is very important to be systematic and patient. Keep a cycling log and take note of days your knees felt good and days they could have felt better. What was different? Did you warm up more on good days? Try some glucosamine. Give it six months and look back at the log to see if things got better. Try some resistance training to reduce any imbalances in the strength of your leg muscles. Work at it for three months. Did it help? Working around and through injuries is like conducting an experiment with a population of one -- you. Good luck.

Anybody have any ideas what to do in the case of my own knees.
I find I now have my knees more or less under control but I notice that if I ride a lot and climb a lot, I get some pain and crepitus.
The majority of riders usually advise adjusting saddle height and, at this stage, I have my seat pretty high. Moreover, I try to climb standing as much as possible.
As things stand I can get some training in on the bike and my knees will remain O.K. but if I really start to hammer the hills or ride every day, my knees will start to complain.
The other day I tried climbing with knee wraps and I feel O.K. today (apart from a lousy cold). I'm still on glucosamine as well.
Is it common for us older riders to have knee aches?