Cycling "knock knees"??

[aicabsolut]

If the knee issue is stemming from the foot being allowed to toe-in or out due to bad cleat alignment, then yeah, it would help.

If the problem is in the way the foot is making contact with the pedal (a varus or valgus abnormality), then moving the clips won't make much difference. In that case, you'd need a forefoot wedge to help align the leg. From what I've read, it's those kind of issues that can generate knee pain under load. Wedges and arch support can also help people whose tibia curve slightly (usually outward from the ankle--like my right side).

Then there are issues with the hips and pelvis: flexibility, muscle imbalances, alignment etc.

[Melstar]

Ok ok.. so from what i gather after reading everyones posts, is that knees inwards to bike frame isn't necessarily a bad thing in fact its good for racing... as long as the knee tracks a uniform path during its course of pedaling? Right? Wrong? No?

To knotted_yet: My knee doesn't wobble erratically through the pedal motion. The knee does however angle inwards for segments during a ride where i'll pedal with that form for some distance.

Perhaps weak muscles? I'm not exactly very strong so i'm not sure. hmm

Okie.. thanks for the feedback tho.

[CycleChic06]

I went out for a short ride yesterday and was thinking about knee position. I noticed a huge difference when I made a consience effort to keep my knees in, and even rub against the bike frame like you were all discussing. It was a good thing, I felt a lot more comfortable (no knee pain like I've been experiencing lately) and felt like I also had a lot more power in my pedal stroke.

[Bad JuJu]

Be careful about trying to correct knee movement through pedal cleat position--when I tried to do that to correct the way my knees (and consequently my feet) want to point outboard, the result was knee injury and 6 weeks of physical therapy.

Also, read this thread, about dealing with knee issues:
Looping Knees

[SouthernBelle]

After reading this and Mimitabby's post, I realize that I tend toward the knock-kneed. This dawned on me after realizing when I have tried to attach something to the top tube for storage, it's in the way.

So, in weight training, should I work my adductors more because they need the strength, or my abductors in an attempt to compensate?

[DebW]

I'm also knock-kneed on the bike. My feet point outwards, so forcing them straight (to avoid bashing ankles on the crank) results in knock-knees. I've had problems with fixed cleats, but do well with mega-float Speedplays. I was told that the splay-footedness originated from sitting the wrong way as a kid - starting in a kneeling position and then putting my butt on the ground between my legs.

[SouthernBelle]

I was told that the splay-footedness originated from sitting the wrong way as a kid - starting in a kneeling position and then putting my butt on the ground between my legs.

I never could do that. At least not without great discomfort.

[KnottedYet]

The dreaded "W" sit.

There is some debate over whether that causes the hip/leg angles to be funny, or whether kids with funny hip angles find that a comfy way to sit.

Regardless, when SKnot started doing that, I was all over him to stop it.

As far as strengthening, go after the hip external rotators. They are the stabilizers for the whole kinetic chain of the leg. Throw in the abductors (pelvic/hip stabilizers), and you've got a lovely combo.

[Tuckervill]

The dreaded "W" sit.

There is some debate over whether that causes the hip/leg angles to be funny, or whether kids with funny hip angles find that a comfy way to sit.

I think the latter option is more like it. My 6'7" husband has extreme knock-knees. If he puts his knees together, there are 5 inches between his ankles. The doctors told him in his teens it was because he grew so fast between his junior and senior years. However, our son is developing many of the same body traits as my husband (long bones in the limbs, which have just become apparent since the onset of puberty). His knees are growing in the same direction as DH's. Son is only 5'4" at 13-next-month and is not growing very fast at all. So I think the doctors were just clueless.

Karen

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Let's not forget that a lot of new riders are on bikes that don't fit them well. They often have their seat way too low- so they can put both feet firmly on the ground while stopped and still seated. This tends to keep your legs bent and likely to stick out at the knees.