What causes knee pain?
See what happens when your knee starts to hurt. The joint and joint capsule are covered with a special fabric, and for better gliding, the kneecap is filled with physiological lubricant, which is constantly produced in a healthy person, provided there is a sufficient supply of fluid to the body.
And so, for example, when a cyclist rides with the wrong cadence or the amount of lubrication decreases due to constant dehydration, the joint begins to move in its bag with more friction than intended. In areas of contact, pockets of inflammation occur, which intensify if the knee is exposed to cold.
This is the very initial stage, nothing terrible has happened yet. The problem is that at this stage the knees do not hurt yet, so the person skates for a long time in his wrong style, not suspecting anything. Pain appears when the inflammation has become extensive, almost all the intercartilaginous tissue has swollen, which makes the production of physiological lubrication difficult.
By the way, it is precisely because of swelling that it is very dangerous to continue driving after falling on your knee. Firstly, swelling prevents the joint from producing fluid normally, and secondly, due to the general pain, you will not understand that the pain began inside the knee. Therefore, if you fall, first aid is ice or something cold to prevent swelling from developing. And peace for a while, of course.
So, if you do not stop riding when pain appears, then due to a lack of fluid in the joint and inflammation, the intercartilaginous tissue begins to wear out and peel off. This is already the beginning of arthrosis, urgent measures need to be taken. About them - below.
Incorrect selection and adjustment of the bicycle
If your knees hurt after cycling, you should find out the reasons first. It is important to consider that many “healing” remedies for joints, which are actively advertised, do not get rid of the problem. Although creams and ointments can relieve symptoms, treatment is not carried out. The drugs act only as an anesthetic, and meanwhile the disease progresses to a severe stage.
The knee bone hurts for various reasons. This is often evidence of:
- acute purulent arthritis;
- osteomyelitis – inflammation of the bone;
- sepsis – blood poisoning;
- contractures – restrictions on joint mobility;
- pathological dislocation - the release of the head of the joint from the articular fossa.
It is necessary to purchase transport only in sports stores. The assortment should be large so that you can try several options and choose the most suitable one. A comfortable saddle is important, but you need to adjust its height correctly to suit you.
When landing, you should keep your back straight, and your legs should bend slightly while pressing the pedal. You should not lower the saddle too low, as your knees will bend too much and receive a significant load. The angle at the joint must be at least 90 degrees when riding. The inclination of the seat to the floor is zero.
It is important to pay attention to the pedals. They are usually installed unevenly during production, so adjustments are necessary. If this nuance is missed, an asymmetrical load is applied to the leg, and the discomfort in the knee will only progress.
Your knee starts to hurt - take a break from skating
The first thing I recommend for pain in the knee joint is to eliminate the load. It happens that discomfort comes right while driving, and you need to take action right away: do not continue driving through the pain. Stop and try to understand what happened. As a rule, if it hurts under the knee, above, below or on the side, then the “binding” of the joint is to blame: muscles, tendons and ligaments. You just sprained your knee.
This does not mean that you can ignore it, but at least it is not too scary. If the pain is definitely inside the kneecap, then the situation is worse. Try to sit down carefully, this way you can accurately localize the source of the pain.
Either way, start massaging your knee. Rub it until you feel heat inside and your skin turns red. Walk a little, massage again. Often only this exercise can relieve acute pain.
If the pain remains, then you should not continue the ride, turn home. This is where contact pedals come in handy: with them, you can put your bad leg on the frame and spin with your healthy one.
Then, of course, you need to forget about cycling and other sports activities for a while. Drink plenty of mineral water to restore the balance of salts and trace elements - its disruption often leads to a decrease in the volume of physiological lubrication.
Of course, the most correct thing would be to go to the doctor, where you would have an MRI of the knee joint. But most likely, the doctor will just shrug his shoulders and prescribe some medicine.
Is pain normal?
Although pain is considered a symptom of problems in the body, sometimes it is a normal consequence of playing sports. After loading certain muscle groups, pain is considered confirmation that the goal of the exercise has been achieved - the necessary parts of the body have been perfectly worked out.
But you need to distinguish natural pain from pain in the knee joint, which confirms the presence of a problem. Muscle fatigue, which occurs with proper training, is alleviated by proper stretching. Knee pain may indicate an injury.
Warm up your joints before physical activity
Go to the pharmacy and buy a warming gel for joints. There is such a good thing called horse ointment. Read the instructions and lubricate your knee every day. Take small walks; joints need natural blood circulation to cope with inflammation.
If this is your first case of knee pain, then most likely everything will go away in a week or two. It will be possible to get back on the bike and, without allowing your sore knee to become hypothermic, ride in a relaxed manner.
If painful sensations recur, you need to take a course of chondroprotectors. These drugs are designed to be taken for a long time, and you should not stop drinking them once the symptoms disappear. As a rule, chondroprotectors are taken for at least three months.
But if the pain does not go away or, even worse, gets worse, then be sure to go to the doctor. Doctors are very fond of brushing aside such complaints, prescribing Fastum Gel and rest. We must insist on an MRI.
So what if the diagnosis of arthrosis deformans is confirmed? It's sad, but it's not the end of the world. Of course, it is unlikely that 400-kilometer marathons will be available to you, but after treatment you will be quite capable of going on simple bike rides. Of course, there will still be trouble with the knees, but everything can be solved.
Regarding joints, it is probably best to contact sports doctors, who often encounter similar symptoms and understand perfectly well that this is serious. When arthrosis develops, first of all, inflammation is blocked and medications based on hyaluronic acid are prescribed, which restores the natural balance of intra-articular fluid. I cannot give any special comments here, because this is the area of specialists.
Lack of water
If your knees hurt after cycling, the reason may be a lack of fluid. The smooth movement of the legs is carried out thanks to the lubricant present in the joints. To produce it in the required volume and protect the knees, fluid is required. Therefore, it is advisable to take drinking water with you. It is better to consume it every 20 minutes, and not when a noticeable feeling of thirst appears. You should drink in small sips.
Isotonic drinks are suitable for consumption; they quickly normalize the water-salt balance. The brands used are Allsport and Gatorade. In addition to water, they contain carbohydrates and electrolytes - potassium, sodium. You should not choose carbonated drinks, even if it is mineral water.
You can get disabled
As a rule, cyclists do not reach the last stages of arthrosis, when a person is no longer able to climb stairs on his own. But there are no limits to perfection: a horror story is circulating on the Internet of a superrandoner (a person who completed 200, 300, 400 and 600 km official marathons in one season) who finally killed his knee joints.
To do this, from year to year he stubbornly rode all marathon distances up to 1000 km through pain. I think you don’t need to be an academic to understand that your knees hurt, forget about bicycles for a while.
Don't make stupid mistakes, approach cycling with common sense, friends. Do not fall for offers of long distances until you have passed the rolling-in stage , and every spring you need to roll in a new one, even if you played some kind of sport in the winter. Curb your excitement, because often health is spoiled precisely when they cannot stop in time.
Marathons are a wonderful way to test yourself in unusual conditions, but don't get carried away with them if you periodically experience pain in your knee joints. Sometimes it’s better to miss an event than to go through pain .
During normal riding, which is what most ordinary normal cycling enthusiasts do, the knee problem will not bother you - just follow the simple rules given in the previous article.
Bike trips, weekend hikes - all this will not harm your joints at all, because the pace and load on such trips, as a rule, are not too high. If you don’t overload yourself, you can ride a bike every day for several years in a row; the experience of circumnavigators is an example of this.
Be healthy!
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Arthrosis
This disease is considered a disease of older people. Cartilage wears off over time due to wear and tear of the body. Symptoms of the disease include:
- aching pain that increases after physical activity;
- the appearance of pain outside of a state of rest;
- crunching in joints;
- change in the shape of the kneecap;
- dysfunction of the joint.
The pain of arthrosis can be eliminated through a course of treatment, but this disease cannot be cured. This is due to the fact that no means have yet been created that regenerate articular cartilage.
Arthritis
This is an inflammatory lesion of the joints. Arthritis can be detected in both adults and children or adolescents. The catalyst for the disease is considered to be hypothermia, injuries, diseases - tuberculosis and tick-borne borreliosis.
Arthritis manifests itself as:
- heat at the knee;
- swelling;
- redness of the skin over the joints;
- prolonged pain;
- difficulty bending the leg;
- asymmetry of the lesion.
If arthritis is detected, it is necessary to temporarily exclude cycling and other physical activities that can injure the joint.
Correct ride
If your knees hurt after riding a bike, then you need to learn how to ride it properly. There is a concept called “cadence”. It assumes a pedaling speed that is sufficient to move the vehicle.
According to experts, a person needs 100 revolutions per minute to prevent harm to health and at the same time move normally. But in practice this figure is 80-210 rpm. You should keep your knees close to the bike frame, not apart. Then the load will be uniform.
Correct gear shifting
If everything is in order with the cadence and position in the saddle, then it is very important to choose the right gear so that the bike does not hurt your knees. You are not riding singlespeed; a bicycle has twenty, or even thirty, gears.
For example, I constantly change my speed: the slope of the road has changed slightly or there is a headwind. It has become a habit for me; I don’t think about switching, just like in a car. Achieve this too, so the effort on the pedals will always be approximately the same (light).
One note about the gears. Usually, when stopping at a traffic light, novice cyclists do not bother to set the speed lower in advance. For example, we were driving 25 km/h, stopped, and then you can’t immediately change the gear down - you’ll have to start at a high one.
You will have a huge load for several tens of meters, even if you stand on the pedals. So, also make it a habit: stop - three clicks down.
Physiotherapy
If your knees hurt after cycling, special physiotherapy procedures may be prescribed, which with medications can have the maximum effect. As a rule, when arthrosis and injuries of the knee joint are detected, the following is used:
- UHF therapy;
- magnetic therapy;
- hydrotherapy;
- phono- and electrophoresis;
- laser treatment;
- mud and paraffin treatment.
Physiotherapy is recommended for acute or chronic pathology. The sessions are gentle but effective.
Medicines
If your knees hurt, your doctor may prescribe treatment with medications. Typically used in these cases:
- chondroprotectors – “Dona”, “Teraflex”, “Structum”;
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – “Xefocam”, “Ortofen”;
- special microelements and vitamin complexes.
Ointments, creams, and gels are also used to heat the application areas. Popular products are “Finalgon”, “Nikoflex”, “Apizartron”.