Cycling is gentle on the joints yet, according to studies, 65% of cyclists experience knee pain. Knee pain can occur when the cyclist rides longer and/or harder than he is prepared for, straining connective tissue and causing inflammation and pain. A cyclist can also have spontaneous sharp pain from improper equipment or bike position.
How To Prevent Knee Pain
1. Stretch after every ride and stretch daily. It keeps the muscles and joints supple and prevents knee pain.
2. Correct your posture when you walk, cycle or even sit. Make an appointment to see a physiotherapist who will show you how to walk, cycle and sit with correct knee and feet positions.
3. Strengthen relevant muscles. Cyclists tend to have weak hip flexor muscles. Make an appointment with a trainer who will show you exercises to strengthen particular muscles in order to prevent knee pain.
4. Wear the right shoes for cycling. They must have a rigid sole and they must grip the pedal well. Whether the shoes clip into your pedals or not is up to you.
5. Make sure your bike fits you. There must be no leg-length discrepancy and the saddle must not be too high or too low, too forward or too far back. It is wise to pay for professional bike fitting to make sure you get it right and you prevent knee pain.
6. Be gentle with yourself. Avoid rapid increase in training intensity or distance and excessive hill work and other strenuous training practices.
7. Do not spend too much time on fixed gear bikes. They put too much strain on the hamstrings. Give your legs a break with a bit of freewheeling every now and then.
Though knee pain is common among cyclists, you do not have to suffer from it. You can prevent it by following the above tips.
How To Prevent Knee Pain
1. Stretch after every ride and stretch daily. It keeps the muscles and joints supple and prevents knee pain.
2. Correct your posture when you walk, cycle or even sit. Make an appointment to see a physiotherapist who will show you how to walk, cycle and sit with correct knee and feet positions.
3. Strengthen relevant muscles. Cyclists tend to have weak hip flexor muscles. Make an appointment with a trainer who will show you exercises to strengthen particular muscles in order to prevent knee pain.
4. Wear the right shoes for cycling. They must have a rigid sole and they must grip the pedal well. Whether the shoes clip into your pedals or not is up to you.
5. Make sure your bike fits you. There must be no leg-length discrepancy and the saddle must not be too high or too low, too forward or too far back. It is wise to pay for professional bike fitting to make sure you get it right and you prevent knee pain.
6. Be gentle with yourself. Avoid rapid increase in training intensity or distance and excessive hill work and other strenuous training practices.
7. Do not spend too much time on fixed gear bikes. They put too much strain on the hamstrings. Give your legs a break with a bit of freewheeling every now and then.
Though knee pain is common among cyclists, you do not have to suffer from it. You can prevent it by following the above tips.
