UPDATE: Reviews section refreshed, redesigned, searchable: Go take a look
I was cycling up a fairly steep hill a few weeks ago and stupidly took a phone call. I wasn’t really concentrating and was in too high a gear, so was using a lot of forced rather than spinning up and also holding the phone with one hand and wasn’t really in an ideal position.
I had knee pain which came on suddenly in my left knee, I limped home and generally been fine walking but I have to be super careful climbing stairs or I get a bad pain in my knee.
Any ideas what I’ve likely done and how long to recover. Should I try riding again or just keep resting it?
Sounds like spring knee (patellar tendinitis) to me (but IANAD). I've had something similar in the past (caused, err, funnily enough by overdoing it on my first ride in a dry spring after putting summer tyres on and enjoying the speed!). I remedied it by a combination of strength exercises (lunges, squats), better bike fit, knee compression supports and avoiding the activities that really triggered it (so going up stairs one step at a time rather than two, for example).
Edit: I kept riding everything I would normally though (a better saddle height and the compression support really helped). My saddle height wasn't terrible, but I use a leather saddle that needs tensioning from time to time and does sag a little as it ages (even with tensioning), which was a contributing factor.
Double edit: funnily enough I had a conversation with my son today about things you shouldn't do whilst using your phone... 🙂
Thanks, I’ll try a compression bandage and maybe some gentle exercises. Even more annoying is the phone call was from a cold calling spammer😤
Not to steal anyone's chips here but, despite not being a medical professional, may I urge caution.
The description "I had knee pain which came on suddenly in my left knee" is not precise enough to diagnose patellar tendinitis. The description given does not describe whether the pain is at the front or back of the knee, above or below the patella or towards the inside or outside of the knee, hence I would suggest at this point that no diagnosis should be offered.
I would also draw to note that no mention has been made of the RICE treatment protocol for muscle/tendon/ligament damage: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.
Since we are now some weeks past the point of initial injury I would suggest that ice is exchanged for heat in that protocol.
in too high a gear
Hmm sounds familiar and sorry to hear that you're still suffering.
I did the same on my bike in September 2023, and I still have the pain in my left leg, it's been a right sorry saga of MRIs, physio, meds, and no improvement, but finally the physio I saw recently spotted I don't have an ankle reflex for my left leg which apparently points to nerve compression, and lo, reading sciatica and leg pain all the symptoms match, trouble is two and a half years later I'm no better. Who knows if I ever will be 😕
The moral of this story is get to a GP soon and get it properly checked out!
And good luck 🤞
Not to steal anyone's chips here but, despite not being a medical professional, may I urge caution.
The description "I had knee pain which came on suddenly in my left knee" is not precise enough to diagnose patellar tendinitis. The description given does not describe whether the pain is at the front or back of the knee, above or below the patella or towards the inside or outside of the knee, hence I would suggest at this point that no diagnosis should be offered.
I would also draw to note that no mention has been made of the RICE treatment protocol for muscle/tendon/ligament damage: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.
Since we are now some weeks past the point of initial injury I would suggest that ice is exchanged for heat in that protocol.
Pain is in the front of the knee, feels fairly central just behind the patella.
in too high a gear
Hmm sounds familiar and sorry to hear that you're still suffering.
I did the same on my bike in September 2023, and I still have the pain in my left leg, it's been a right sorry saga of MRIs, physio, meds, and no improvement, but finally the physio I saw recently spotted I don't have an ankle reflex for my left leg which apparently points to nerve compression, and lo, reading sciatica and leg pain all the symptoms match, trouble is two and a half years later I'm no better. Who knows if I ever will be 😕
The moral of this story is get to a GP soon and get it properly checked out!
And good luck 🤞
Oh no! And here is me getting impatient it’s not gone after two weeks😬
Sounds like I should probably get it checked out.
should probably get it checked out.
Definitely worth it, I regret not being more on it at the time, and should have gone to the GP rather than the self referral physio who thought I had tendonopathy or something, though when I did finally get a GP appointment she said it was idiopathic pain 😕 persistence is key, but it's a long road. Walking is worse than cycling for me so at least I can still get out on the bike. I'm 58 now and want to keep riding.
To add to the voices suggesting that you get it properly checked out...
Pain is in the front of the knee, feels fairly central just behind the patella.
This leads me to comment that the knee is a pretty complex joint and the locality of this description leads me to suspect that there may be more at play here than a comparatively simple tendonitis: ligament damage for example.
Hope you get it sorted soon.
I made a right mess of replacing my left shoe cleat in '19 iirc and my left knee was not very happy once I came back from a ride that included intervals, that felt ok during the ride. After adjusting the cleat rotation, I had to take it very easy for ~5 weeks, focusing on cadence and ensuring I kept power low, both outdoors and on Zwift.
..I'm getting tired and I need something to rely on
