Knee pain

[OakLeaf]

Even Sports Authority has 6" x 18" foam rollers now. (I know, I know, but they're 10 miles closer than the running store... sorry. ) You'd be more likely to find The Stick at a more specialized store though.

Edit: my favorite bodyweight glute exercise is the Gymnast's Scale: stand on one leg, hinge at the hip while raising the opposite leg behind you so that you're in tabletop position in neutral spine from head to heel, then squat, being sure to hold tabletop. It may not even be more than a quarter squat but you will DEFINITELY feel it in those glutes!


And, search this forum for "foam roller." One of the PTs posted some links to videos that are very instructive.

I miss them. Knot, Wahine, come back and I promise not to ask you any more stupid questions, or even intelligent ones that you're not getting paid to answer. Pretty please. We like your company, not just your knowledge.

[Zen]

You want foam roller info? We'll here ya' go
I was originally thinking arthritis. The OP isn't too young for that. But even if it is arthritis, strengthening the surrounding muscles is a good treatment.

You can get a foam roller at an local PT office.

[gnGracie]

Thanks for the links and replies. I'll be checking out the links. Zen, I am so too young for arthritis!! (Not really, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it). Someone mentioned a good seat - I did purchase a Terry seat shortly after I got my bike, which has helped a lot. I'll definitely look into the clipless pedals (I'm not even sure what those are) and see if maybe that will make a difference. I'll also be looking into these rollers, although they sound kind of scary.

[crazycanuck]

Foam rollers aren't that bad..really!! Just remember to stretch & roll after each ride

[KathiCville]

+1 on the value of using a foam roller! When I use mine consistently---meaning 4x to 5x a week for about 15 minutes each time, it makes an amazing difference in how I feel. The roller works wonders on trigger points that might otherwise be tough to get at using your fist or a tennis ball. My lower back, glutes, IT band, quads all benefit. As others have said, the roller will probably hurt at first, but the tenderness will lessen with regular use.

If you're interested, you might want to take a look at Clair Davies' trigger point self-therapy book. Chockful of good info on referred pain and trigger points. It helped me figure out the source of assorted aches, pains and lack of flexibility.

[Ruby Rider 2]

What is it? Sounds like I need one.

[Kelly728]

http://www.runningwarehouse.com/descpage-OPTP186.html

This is a foam roller. It is used to work out the tension in your muscles. There are links to exercises/how to use throughout this thread.

[lattae]

I have found a new foam roller that is really neat,, by www.tptherapy.com look at their site and it really does work those knots and sore spots out of the legs... I had an older foam roller that worked okay but this one seems to really massage some of the sore areas in the legs.. I'd highly recommend it..

[Onix]

So....really, you should see a doc if the pain keeps up after minor saddle adjustments and such. I could have pretty much written your post. My knees started getting messed up when I started walking strangely/adjusting my walking due to a neuroma (angry nerve) in the ball of my foot. From there, something happened, and basically my knee cap isn't tracking correctly, and has too much movement...so it slides around and hurts. I just started seeing a physical therapist for this. Apparently (based on her tests), I have really strong muscles in some places (the biking ones), and some major deficits in other places (hopefully stretches will be able to fix my problem). GOOD LUCK!

[Kris]

I've had knee pain for years. I had physical therapy a few years ago, and it has helped some; the PT said biking was excellent. The doc said I'd just have to put up with it until it was bad enough for a knee replacement. (yikes!) Losing weight helped some, but it still hurt to be on my feet more than a few minutes, and there was minor pain while bikeing. Then about a month ago, I started yoga classes twice a week, and trying some of the moves at home. The knee pain is gone! Or darned near. I don't know which of the many moves caused the miracle, but I'm grateful