Knee pain, repetitive stress injury?

[Kathi]

Yes, and don't ignore it! Possible cause could be coming from the foot or hip.

Mine started in the fall of 07, knee pain only on the bike. Also some pain in my foot. Thinking it was too much cycling I didn't worry about it. I had no problems with skiing (71 days) that season and thought the issue went away. As soon as I started biking the pain in my knee came back. I thought it was something wrong with my bike fit. The guy at the bike shop noticed that my femur angled toward the tt of my bike and my foot rotated out. We tried shims in my shoe which helped but didn't cure the pain.

The problem eventually graduated into lower back, hip and glute pain. I saw an ortho, had an MRI and spent 4 months in PT, got a brace for my knee but didn't get better and didn't understand what was happening.

I came across this book at Borders, "Athletic body in Balance" by Gray Cook. It's written for the general public to help one understand how to exercise efficiently and effectively and hopefully prevent injuries.
http://www.performbetter.com/detail....667_A_rnd_E_13
I kept thinking that all my issues were connected and his book proved it. Last week I got this video "Secrets of the Hip and Knee" http://www.performbetter.com/detail....196_A_rnd_E_23
Even though the video is directed toward trainers and PT's it is simple enough that I could understand it and it definitely shows the connections between the foot, knee and hip. Exercises are simple and progressive.

In retrospect I'm glad I got an evaluation from the Dr., had the MRI to rule out anything serious and got the brace. PT wasn't useful, except to help understand my body better, I could have skipped most of the sessions I had.

I'm riding my bike without pain, low miles at this point and bracing the knee. However, my position on the bike is so much better, my injured hip feels strong and functioning and have little lower back or hip pain.

Good luck!

[indysteel]

My IT band issues were caused by my triple crank. The q factor is too wide for me and I was really "toed in" while riding. The sad irony is that while many women prefer triples, most of the triples currently on the market have a wide q factor that's especially problematic for women. I went with a compact crank when I built my new bike. My IT ban issues are almost gone.

[Tuckervill]

Don't forget to roll it with a rolling pin or a foam roller when it's hurting. It does a world of good in making the pain go away.

Karen

[lattae]

Do you feel that the video was worth it? I too suffer with ITB issues,, and am interested in Gray Cook's book. I've been doing stretches, and working with therabands to strengthen the hip muscles. I've had improvement but not 100% yet. I do ride a triple so that was an interesting comment with regards to the bike. I've had professional bike fit so there was no mention of the Q factor. It seems like its been a slow process of healing but I'm always looking for more info to help understand and learn more about this.

[indysteel]

Lattae, I tend to think that a lot of fitters don't take q factor into consideration. You might ask one of your riding partners if you look toed/kneed in while riding. In my experience, if the crank is the issue and you don't change it, no amount of stretching will really take care of the problem.

[lattae]

Thanks Indysteel.. do you mean that while riding your toes and knees have a tendency to be turned in greatly towards the TT with regards to the Q factor?

I do have the triple crank and eventually would like to purchase a new bike (maybe in a year) I'm going to keep the Q factor in mind. Maybe I should go back to my fitter and have him look this over now. I do still have some pain in the knee but has been reduced since stretching, but not totally gone. I also use the foam roller.

[indysteel]

Thanks Indysteel.. do you mean that while riding your toes and knees have a tendency to be turned in greatly towards the TT with regards to the Q factor?

You got it. Mine was really exaggerated, even with my cleats moved as far in as possible.

My fitter did a lot of research for me when I began the custom bike process. SRAM, Shimano and Campy's current triples essentially all have the same q factor. If I recall correctly, the only good choice I had was a TA Carmina crank, which was out of my price range. So, I went with the Campy 50-34 compact (13-26 in the rear). With that combo, I lost my smallest gear and my two biggest gears. So far, I haven't missed them too much. Every once in a while, I'll spin out, but that's okay. My knee is much improved. It hurt after my last ride, but I think that's because I went for a long ride with a fair amount of climbing after two weeks off of the bike.

[Kathi]

You got it. Mine was really exaggerated, even with my cleats moved as far in as possible.

My fitter did a lot of research for me when I began the custom bike process. SRAM, Shimano and Campy's current triples essentially all have the same q factor. If I recall correctly, the only good choice I had was a TA Carmina crank, which was out of my price range. So, I went with the Campy 50-34 compact (13-26 in the rear). With that combo, I lost my smallest gear and my two biggest gears. So far, I haven't missed them too much. Every once in a while, I'll spin out, but that's okay. My knee is much improved. It hurt after my last ride, but I think that's because I went for a long ride with a fair amount of climbing after two weeks off of the bike.

I have the TA Carmina crankset on my bike. I love it but didn't improve my toe out issues.

[Kathi]

Do you feel that the video was worth it? I too suffer with ITB issues,, and am interested in Gray Cook's book. I've been doing stretches, and working with therabands to strengthen the hip muscles. I've had improvement but not 100% yet. I do ride a triple so that was an interesting comment with regards to the bike. I've had professional bike fit so there was no mention of the Q factor. It seems like its been a slow process of healing but I'm always looking for more info to help understand and learn more about this.

Yes, it gave me a good understanding of how the lower body works. But start with the book first, both to understand Gray's philosophy and to work out any general issues you have then if you haven't seen an improvement spend the money on the video. There is a companion video of the book that Borders didn't have but I was able to download it online for $9.99. You can get the set from PerformBetter. I wouldn't spend a lot on that video unless you have questions about the movement screen or exercises.

One thing I missed from the book that I got from the knee and hip video is how important the toe touch is. Since I have been doing the "Toe Touch Progression" (book and video) it is working wonders for me that none of the regular stretching has done. Because I'm closer to touching my toes I definitely seen a difference in how I'm sitting on my saddle.

My bike is a custom build and I use a compact crankset with Speedplay pedals but my toe out was much more extreme on my right side than the left. I also toe out when I walk and stand so to me that is an indication that my problems went far beyond the bike.

Perform Better has podcasts that include thoughts by Gray at the end of each segment. Lots of good information there.
http://www.performbetter.com/catalog...thCoachPodcast

I could go on and on about the changes I've seen in my movement patterns and issues that I've been struggling with that Gray's techniques have cleared up rather quickly.