I'm fairly new to road cycling and I have had no problems but in the last few weeks, I've developed a slight (but sharp) pain in the inner (left) side of my right knee joint. I'm not sure what the problem is. I've been set up properly on my bike by the my bike-shop man. I'm guessing that it might either be that my cleats (I use Look pedals) may have shifted on my shoes (after a few falls early on :P) or I'm introducing some sort of side-to-side movement while I'm pedalling which may be straining the inside of my knee. Things also get a bit complicated bec I play field hockey so I won't really know the true cause until the season ends next month.
Nevertheless, I'm no expert. Does this sort of pain occur frequently in cycling and what measures should I take to prevent it? Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks heaps!
Nevertheless, I'm no expert. Does this sort of pain occur frequently in cycling and what measures should I take to prevent it? Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks heaps!
cheers, pras
You may need a ChoPat knee strap to keep the kneecap tracking correctly. At any rate, they only cost around $15 US and you can get one without a prescription and try it out.
If the pain keeps up, though, you really should see a doctor. Ask your hockey trainer. Maybe he/she knows some ideas about what could help. I once had this kind of pain because I had the cleats turned 'way too far inward, too. Look down at your foot as you ride and see if your toes are pointing too far inboard. I kept "fixing" the cleats, but I didn't realize that it needed to be done in a mirror-reverse fashion in order to make my foot straighter fore and aft. Look cleats have 6-8 degrees of free float and usually don't cause knee problems, though--unless they are screwed on incorrectly, of course.
