If you have knee pain while riding your exercise bike, you may need to make some adjustments to your seat and form in order to take stress off the joints. Speak to your doctor if the pain persists. You may have injured the knee and require medical treatment before you can continue riding the exercise bike.
Features
When the seat of your exercise bike is too low, you may feel pain in the front of the knee, just below the patella. The pain can be caused by placing tension on the knees from the quads. When you have the seat of the exercise bike too high, you may feel discomfort in the back of the knees. Seats that are placed too far from the pedals can also attribute to knee pain.
Solution
Adjusting your seat to the proper height can relieve knee pain symptoms by taking pressure off the area. Adjust the saddle of the bike so that it remains level with the floor. Move the seat up and down until you have a small bend in the knee when your feet rest on the pedals. When you pedal, your hips should not rock back and forth. If you are using a recumbent exercise bike, slide the seat back and forth until you achieve a slight bend in your knees.
Prevention
If you have pain while riding an exercise bike, you may actually be overusing the joint. To stop knee pain, gradually build up your endurance. Ride at a comfortable pace for at least five minutes three times per day. Once pain symptoms diminish, increase the time of your workouts on the bike to seven minutes. Keep increasing time until you can ride pain-free for 20 minutes three times a day, recommends the Arthritis Foundation.
Considerations
Exercise bikes can be used to prevent knee problems since it takes stress off your weight-bearing joints. Your knees are likely to absorb more impact when participating in other forms of cardio activity, such as running and tennis. Stretch the legs gently before you begin riding to warm up the muscles and prevent post-workout knee aches.
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