The Pain of Injured Knees



We've all had aches and pains in our bodies at one time or another. While some of these have been minor, others may be severe or become severe if they're not taken care of as they should be. For cyclists, some injuries can quickly become serious if they are ignored or if the problem that caused the knee injuries is not eliminated. The pain of injured knees should never be ignored by cyclists or they risk a more serious knee problem as well as a lost racing season. Three of the main types of knee pain include medial knee pain, lateral knee pain and posterior knee pain.

Medial Knee Pain

Medial knee pain is a pain felt on the inside of the knee. It usually comes from tendonitis in the anserine tendon. The anserine tendon is the main home for the three muscles that hold together the upper part of the shinbone. When the anserine tendon becomes inflamed, pain will occur. Inflammation and pain of this tendon usually occurs when there is too much pain put on the inside of the knee such as what may happen from riding with your shinbone turned in, your knees too far apart or your toes pointed too far out. If you are suffering from pain on the inside of your knee, you can adjust your cycling position in a number of different ways. Treatment for medial knee pain is anti-inflammatory medication, icing and stretching.

Lateral Knee Pain

Lateral knee pain is pain that's on the outside of your knee and will come on very suddenly and will become localized with each pedal you make. Lateral knee pain will occur when the iliotibial band rubs repetitively over the lateral femoral condoyle (part of the thighbone). When this happens, inflammation occurs, which causes the pain. This type of knee pain will occur when there is too much forceful pulling on the outer part of the knee. Other causes may be poorly adjusted cleats, which have your toe pointed inward, riding in too high of a gear, low saddle height and too much hill riding. Adjusting your cleats can help prevent and treat lateral knee pain. Treatment for this pain is stretching, icing and cortisone injections.

Posterior Knee Pain

Pain that's at the back of the knee is known as posterior knee pain and is caused by tendonitis (inflammation) of the femoris biceps, a muscle of the hamstring. The inflammation will occur at the head of the shinbone, where the muscle attaches. Causes of this problem may be sitting too far back in the seat, uses too high gears, too high saddle position or dropping your heel while pedaling. Icing and stretching is usually the medical treatment. It may also be helpful to stretch your hamstring frequently.

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