If you bicycle routinely and for long periods of time, the fit of your bike to your body is critical. Exercise on bikes can cause nagging injuries in the joints when they are forced into undue stress because of improperly sized frames or saddle heights. These injuries can make riding uncomfortable and even force you off the bike to allow your body to heal properly. Understanding what causes this pain can help you avoid it.
Symptoms
Knee pain usually comes in one of two forms: sharp and sudden or dull and nagging. Pains that are sharp tend to be more serious, since they can indicate a tear or other structural damage, while nagging pains usually relate to sprains, strains or other minor injuries. Inflammation and swelling can also develop in the knee, and you might find it hard to use the full range of motion in your knee. Pain when riding is common, but you can also experience this pain when off your bike.
Possible Causes
There is a long list of possible causes for your knee pain when bicycling, but some are more common than others. Medial knee stress and pain can occur when you are straining too hard when pedaling or have preexisting foot problems such as pronation or poorly fitting cleats. The iliotibial band -- a ligament that runs from the knee up the thigh to the hip -- can become irritated when the seat saddle is not properly fitted, and stress and pain in the patella can arise from saddles being positioned too low. You can also stress the tendons running through the knee if the bike seat is situated too far forward or backward.
Treatment
In most cases, it helps to ice the knee after exercising and to warm up with walking, jogging and/or heat packs for 10 to 15 minutes prior to riding the bike. You shouldn't bike if the pain is bothersome, and it may be advisable to take a few days off and let the knee heal on its own. If the pain is severe or persists after a few days of at-home treatment, visit a doctor or knee specialist to have the injury examined. You may need corrective equipment and may also need to learn special stretching exercises to facilitate your knee's proper healing.
Bike Adjustments
Bikes need to be fitted according to your height and inseam. The best way to do this is to visit a bike specialty shop and use a bike frame fitting chart to make sure your bike suits you. A bike expert can also help you adjust the seat so that it is properly positioned. In general, the bike frame should rest 1 inch below your crotch when straddling the crossbar with your feet flat on the ground. When seated on the bike, you should be able to just barely touch the balls of your feet to the ground on both sides at the same time.
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