# Knee Pain



## that1girl (Jul 12, 2012)

I started riding a road bike this past July.. got a Specialized Dolce Sport for my birthday. I love her, she's an awesome bike. But ever since I started riding a road bike, I have encountered knee pain. It first started in my left leg.. the pain is in the back and to the left where the tendons are located. The pain would go away after a ride, then come back when I would ride again. Then recently, the pain became more intense and I now have the same pain in the same exact location on my right knee. I've raised my seat, thinking that was the problem, but it's not helping either. And now the pain is consistent with my daily routine, not just biking. Any thoughts, tips or advice? It's very discouraging as I turned to biking when running wasn't an option for me.. just don't like it. Thank you in advance!


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

Have you had a bike fitting? If not you should.

Your seat may need to move up/down/front/back.
Do you use clipless pedals? Your cleats could be adjusted wrong. 
Your Q factor could be wrong, pushing your knees too close or far away from each other.


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## Nickk (Oct 24, 2011)

I'm sorry to hear that, I have tendonosis in my left knee and it kills but cycling helps in moderation. Skateboarding causes sever flareups though(I'm about 1.5 weeks into a rather profound one right now)


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## that1girl (Jul 12, 2012)

I was "fitted" by the bike shop where I purchased my bike. Then at my LBS, I got "fitted".. so I'm not sure which one is the correct way. Thought about going to a bike shop in another town and giving that a try. Yes, I use clipless pedals, within the last month. How will I know if my cleats are adjusted wrong? Will a fitting help with my Q factor? (I've never heard of this before, so it's new to me)



tlg said:


> Have you had a bike fitting? If not you should.
> 
> Your seat may need to move up/down/front/back.
> Do you use clipless pedals? Your cleats could be adjusted wrong.
> Your Q factor could be wrong, pushing your knees too close or far away from each other.


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

that1girl said:


> I was "fitted" by the bike shop where I purchased my bike. Then at my LBS, I got "fitted".. so I'm not sure which one is the correct way. Thought about going to a bike shop in another town and giving that a try.


What did the fitting consist of? Raising the seat and adjusting handlebars?
A proper fitting would be very involved and take a few hours. Especially if you're having pain. 
Fitting - Indian Valley Bikeworks
Cyclefit » Steve Hogg's Bike Fitting Website



> Yes, I use clipless pedals, within the last month. How will I know if my cleats are adjusted wrong? Will a fitting help with my Q factor? (I've never heard of this before, so it's new to me)


Did the pain start before or after you started with clipless?

Yes, a proper fitting should look at your Q factor.


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## hamsey (Aug 16, 2010)

tlg,

Would Q-Factor change moving your cranks from one bike to another? They are the same cranks, not sure if that would change. Just curious.


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## Witzer (Sep 15, 2012)

The Q-Factor can be adjusted somewhat by moving your cleats left/right on your shoes. Everyone has different hip widths after all.


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## that1girl (Jul 12, 2012)

The pain started in my left knee right after starting to ride my bike.. it's just within the last month that the right has started with pain. Either "fitting" I had didn't last more than 30 mins. The seat was the only thing that was adjusted during the fitting. My husband was the one that changed out the stem on my handlebars to make my reach not so far for me. That is it...



tlg said:


> What did the fitting consist of? Raising the seat and adjusting handlebars?
> A proper fitting would be very involved and take a few hours. Especially if you're having pain.
> 
> 
> ...


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## Maxpilot (Jul 18, 2010)

OP: Using too high a gear. Use lower gears and increase cadence.


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## loona (Sep 28, 2012)

back of knee hurts. seat too high

front of knee hurts seat too low

side of knee hurts. your cleat needs a shim or spacer 
or bottom bracket / cranks need to be centered under rider.

example. triple front rings make left knee-side of knee hurt


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## andirocks (Mar 24, 2007)

When you had your fitting how did they determine your seat height? did they measure knee angle at bottom of pedal stroke?


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## dcb (Jul 21, 2008)

loona said:


> back of knee hurts. seat too high


This. If you don't have a really good fitter available, try dropping the saddle just a bit.


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## Clyde250 (Feb 24, 2007)

There are several kinds of fittings and you may have to do more than one. I have had 4 in the last 5 years to try and fix some nagging knee issues. All have used slightly different techniques. Here is what I have learned. Finding your correct saddle height and set back is pretty standard. All of the fitters put me in about the same place. Same with placing the cleat in relation to the knee (forward/Aft). 

What made the last one different is he set up freakin lazer beams so I could track my knee as I pedaled. To the naked eye, my left leg looked like it was tracking well, but once we put up the lazer I could see that it was flaring out at the top of the stroke. Several shims later and we had it almost straight.

If you have a persistent knee issue and it only happens when you bike than it is logical to assume that it is because of your fit. Fix the fit, fix the problem. Good luck and keep trying.


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