BIKING KNEE PAIN SOLUTIONS
Inside the 1980's when Greg Lemond was a household word because of his
success in the Tour de France and widespread publicity, recreational
cycling shot to popularity in popularity. Our SCOR Cardiac Cycling Club
began offering public participation bike rides in Solvang as well as
other areas of Southern California that quickly grew to add 1000s of
riders.
Biking Knee Pain
As a result of my physiotherapist status, I started receiving requests
to complete "bike fittings" for pain syndromes cyclists were having
after riding. Some were only for a couple of miles of riding yet others
were after Century rides or longer. This cause my creating a specific
protocol of evaluating the cyclist on and off his/her bike that
attempted to put all the biomechanical pieces together to optimize
cycling biomechanics as well as reducing biking knee pain syndromes.
Of all the pain syndromes you can develop from cycling, biking knee pain
solutions are simply as varied. Some are as easy as raising or lowering
the saddle a tiny amount. Other knee pain complaints are more complex
and involve correcting foot biomechanics ( usually excessive pronation),
adjusting the cleat toe-in or toe-out/ and/or fore-aft position.
A too small Q factor is a reasonably common supply of knee pain as well
as a means of widening the stance around the pedals. This cause my
creating pedal extenders in 1987 to match a wider pedal stance.
Therefore can allow for further toe-out on the bike along with help
align the foot, tibia and femur in a straight line when observing the
cyclist from an anterior-posterior (front-back) view. This alignment is
critical to comfortable cycling that can prevent/relieve pain emanating
in the foot, ankle, knee or hip.
Biking Knee Pain
I trademarked the 20 mm wide pedal extenders as "Kneesavers", whilst
they happen to be called "Foot Savers" and "Cycling Savers" by a lot of
of my customers who found immediate pain alleviation once attached to
their bike. In a short time I started making larger sized Kneesavers of
25 and 30 mm widths because there are a many those who need an even
wider Q factor stance. Some huge people have had extra long custom made
Kneesavers fabricated as their biking knee pain solution. That lead to
the making of "Pedal Adapters" which have a 1/2" threaded male end plus a
9/16" female end in order that serious cyclists, or those who live
where it snows or rains a great deal can train indoor on a spin trainer
or stationary bike utilizing their own pedals and shoes. Clipless pedals
that maximize free float will also be a frequent need to relieve knee
pain.