I strained my knee racing. I need a little input. I am 5'9" (average build) and have been racing on 175 length cranks for the past year. I think I should shorten my crank length. Now besides getting a professional bike fit or working with a coach and refining my position, is shortening my crank length to 170 a logical option. Any coaches or opinionated bike guys have any opinions about the effect of longer and shorter cranks on knees? The pain is on the top and front of my knee, just behind the knee cap. I do NOT grind big gears though I do alot of hills. I spin lots, keeping my cadence at 104rpm most of the time. I am doing knee abduction excersises and getting massage for it. Well?
Your cranks are a little long but they aren't the cause of a strained knee I think. I suggest you listen mor eclosely to your body while you're riding. If it hurts you're trying too hard.
"molly" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
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I strained my knee racing. I need a little input. I am 5'9" (average build) and have been racing on 175 length cranks for the past year. I think I should shorten my crank length. Now besides getting a professional bike fit or working with a coach and refining my position, is shortening my crank length to 170 a logical option. Any coaches or opinionated bike guys have any opinions about the effect of longer and shorter cranks on knees? The pain is on the top and front of my knee, just behind the knee
cap.
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I do NOT grind big gears though I do alot of hills. I spin lots, keeping my cadence at 104rpm most of the time. I am doing knee abduction excersises and getting massage for it. Well?
Your cranks are a little long but they aren't the cause of a strained knee I think. I suggest you listen mor eclosely to your body while you're riding. If it hurts you're trying too hard.
More likely there is a mechanical problem. My first guess is that your saddle is too low.
-WG
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"molly" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
I strained my knee racing. I need a little input. I am 5'9" (average build) and have been racing on 175 length cranks for the past year. I think I should shorten my crank length. Now besides getting a professional bike fit or working with a coach and refining my position, is shortening my crank length to 170 a logical option. Any coaches or opinionated bike guys have any opinions about the effect of longer and shorter cranks on knees? The pain is on the top and front of my knee, just behind the knee
cap.
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I do NOT grind big gears though I do alot of hills. I spin lots, keeping my cadence at 104rpm most of the time. I am doing knee abduction excersises and getting massage for it. Well?
Even though I know some"one" who is your height (although male) And races/trains on 175's. You would be much better off health/performance wise to reduce to 170's.
I tried 175's for a few months. They (longer cranks) require more "power" and less "form" causing fatigue to set in sooner.
Steve
molly said:
I strained my knee racing. I need a little input. I am 5'9" (average build) and have been racing on 175 length cranks for the past year. I think I should shorten my crank length. Now besides getting a professional bike fit or working with a coach and refining my position, is shortening my crank length to 170 a logical option. Any coaches or opinionated bike guys have any opinions about the effect of longer and shorter cranks on knees? The pain is on the top and front of my knee, just behind the knee cap. I do NOT grind big gears though I do alot of hills. I spin lots, keeping my cadence at 104rpm most of the time. I am doing knee abduction excersises and getting massage for it. Well?
I had the exact same symptoms after and while riding my mtn bike, even when not pushing big gears. Read the FAQ and it will explain it. This may be your problem. I always heard that lowering my seatpost would fix knee injuries.. I did so, but then read the FAQ and found out I actually needed to raise mine. So I raised my seat roughly 1.5 inches and it has definitely helped the pain go away. I noticed a big improvement while riding the very first time after the adjustment. I've been riding pain free for about 6 months, but even now my knee will still fill a bit tight at anytime during the day.
Good luck!
molly said:
I strained my knee racing. I need a little input. I am 5'9" (average build) and have been racing on 175 length cranks for the past year. I think I should shorten my crank length. Now besides getting a professional bike fit or working with a coach and refining my position, is shortening my crank length to 170 a logical option. Any coaches or opinionated bike guys have any opinions about the effect of longer and shorter cranks on knees? The pain is on the top and front of my knee, just behind the knee cap. I do NOT grind big gears though I do alot of hills. I spin lots, keeping my cadence at 104rpm most of the time. I am doing knee abduction excersises and getting massage for it. Well?
Try raising your seat, that fixed my knee pain. It was exactly like yours.
molly said:
I strained my knee racing. I need a little input. I am 5'9" (average build) and have been racing on 175 length cranks for the past year. I think I should shorten my crank length. Now besides getting a professional bike fit or working with a coach and refining my position, is shortening my crank length to 170 a logical option. Any coaches or opinionated bike guys have any opinions about the effect of longer and shorter cranks on knees? The pain is on the top and front of my knee, just behind the knee cap. I do NOT grind big gears though I do alot of hills. I spin lots, keeping my cadence at 104rpm most of the time. I am doing knee abduction excersises and getting massage for it. Well?
so many possible sources. you need to start a process of elimination.
have you change your position lately? have you added new equipment lately? saddle, cranks, post, stem???? have you increased your mileage by more than 20% overall from last week? have you increased your long ride distance/time by more than 40% from last week? have you lifted a heavier amount of weights with your hamstrings this week then before? hopefully you only did one or two of these things. if not then your problem becomes more complex.
i chased a knee problem at the exact same location of yours and found it to be hypextension. then the IT band compensates, then the knee doesnt track well. all in all the problem took three weeks to repair. i dig not however have to quit riding like alot of people will tell you. you just need to know when you can hit it hard and when not to by listening to your IT bands and knee tracking.
start your own process of elimination and then go and see a physical theripist that knows cycling after you have concluded what the source is. they will make your IT band tightness go away quicker and the knee cap tracking normal again.
See a doctor and get yourself checked for chondromalacia
John Bickmore www.BicycleCam.com www.Feed-Zone.com
"JTN" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
so many possible sources. you need to start a process of elimination.
have you change your position lately? have you added new equipment lately? saddle, cranks, post, stem???? have you increased your mileage by more than 20% overall from last week? have you increased your long ride distance/time by more than 40% from last week? have you lifted a heavier amount of weights with your hamstrings this week then before? hopefully you only did one or two of these things. if not then your
problem
Quoted message said:
becomes more complex.
i chased a knee problem at the exact same location of yours and found it
to
Quoted message said:
be hypextension. then the IT band compensates, then the knee doesnt track well. all in all the problem took three weeks to repair. i dig not however have to quit riding like alot of people will tell you. you just need to
know
Quoted message said:
when you can hit it hard and when not to by listening to your IT bands and knee tracking.
start your own process of elimination and then go and see a physical theripist that knows cycling after you have concluded what the source is. they will make your IT band tightness go away quicker and the knee cap tracking normal again.
Sounds like chondromalacia. Get thee to a physical therapist extremely knowlegdable in cycling. Skip the orthopedic docs.
"molly" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
I strained my knee racing. I need a little input. I am 5'9" (average build) and have been racing on 175 length cranks for the past year. I think I should shorten my crank length. Now besides getting a professional bike fit or working with a coach and refining my position, is shortening my crank length to 170 a logical option. Any coaches or opinionated bike guys have any opinions about the effect of longer and shorter cranks on knees? The pain is on the top and front of my knee, just behind the knee cap. I do NOT grind big gears though I do alot of hills. I spin lots, keeping my cadence at 104rpm most of the time. I am doing knee abduction excersises and getting massage for it. Well?
How the hell does it sound like CM? How could you POSSIBLY tell anything from what she posted?
"GPS" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
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Sounds like chondromalacia. Get thee to a physical therapist
extremely
Quoted message said:
knowlegdable in cycling. Skip the orthopedic docs.
"molly" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
I strained my knee racing. I need a little input. I am 5'9" (average build) and have been racing on 175 length
cranks
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
for the past year. I think I should shorten my crank length. Now besides getting a professional bike fit or working with a
coach
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
and refining my position, is shortening my crank length to 170 a logical option. Any coaches or opinionated bike guys have any opinions about the effect of longer and shorter cranks on knees? The pain is on the top and front of my knee, just behind the knee
cap.
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
I do NOT grind big gears though I do alot of hills. I spin lots, keeping my cadence at 104rpm most of the time. I am doing knee abduction excersises and getting massage for it. Well?
"Tom Kunich" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...
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How the hell does it sound like CM? How could you POSSIBLY tell anything from what she posted?
As someone who has been treated for CM I'd say she described the condition pretty well. It's usually associated with an improper tracking of the patella and can be helped somewhat with orthotics and a higher seat adjustment. Hills deffinitely aggitate the condition but your high cadence should help you.
Just know that you may never be able to train as you once did once this condition becomes problematic. I've had to learn to train around it as what help there is for the condition does have its limits.
First off she said she wasn't pulling big gears. Secondly she said that the pain was at the top center of the knee. That usually means the seat is set about 1/4" too low. She already suspects that her long cranks may be a source of the problem. Chances are that it is just too early in the season for her to be riding hard. If she lifts the seat just that 1/4" and rides like it's still early season she will be in great shape in a couple of weeks.
She didn't say anything else and the main symptoms of chondromalacia are pain under the patella usually after a large increase in intensity and generally from riding large gears at low rpm's.
"Kevin G." <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
"Tom Kunich" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
How the hell does it sound like CM? How could you POSSIBLY tell anything from what she posted?
As someone who has been treated for CM I'd say she described the condition pretty well. It's usually associated with an improper tracking of the patella and can be helped somewhat with orthotics
and
Quoted message said:
a higher seat adjustment. Hills deffinitely aggitate the condition but your high cadence should help you.
Just know that you may never be able to train as you once did once this condition becomes problematic. I've had to learn to train
around
Quoted message said:
it as what help there is for the condition does have its limits.
