Soreness above knees

[Genius Josh]

Hi all,

I have been getting some soreness in the muscle above the knee towards the end of longer rides. The muscle from about 1/2 way down my thigh to the top of my kneecap gets a little stiff then just starts spasmming/ twitching. Just wondering if this is normal and if I keep riding to this point it will move further and further away or if there is something going wrong that I should seek treatment for?

 

[my02]

Sounds like the start of cramping.

Try taking some electrolytes before and during your ride as well as increasing your water intake.

 

[Norco Maniac]

doing some quad stretches before a ride may help too.

 

[BlakZ]

+1 , stretch up before hand and see if it helps.

I'm not expert, but perhaps your riding position may be too upright and hence you are pushing downward instead of circular, or something like that...So stem length, and seat height/angle may be worth looking at

 

[Art Vanderlay]

Sounds like your dick is to big to ride a bike

 

[harlequinn]

Sounds like the start of cramping.

Try taking some electrolytes before and during your ride as well as increasing your water intake.

+1 on cramping. The body has limits. As above, checking your hydration levels and adding electrolytes in your water may help.

Additionally it may be a lack of calcium or magnesium. If it keeps happening see a physiotherapist.

 

[driftking]

It could be a diet thing like people mention but ti sounds like you are either over working the muscle or not recovering properly and it is getting tight.
I think stretching before and after your ride may help but also get a foam log, aka a foam roller, they are basically a log of foam and you can use them to really loosen up the muscles and i can tell you they work damn well. It is amazing how well they work the muscle and you will know how well they work when you start feeling so much pain you need to stop, I didn't realize how tight I was until this thing dominated my muscles.
They are used all the time in Pilates and they are great for loosening up muscles, they can be used to help correct posture from tight muscles as well.

 

[Genius Josh]

Thanks Guys,

Driftking, will see if I can get one of the roller things. Is that a before the ride or after ride thing?

Think my diet and hydration is pretty good. It seems to come on regardless of the amount of liquid I drink. I occasionally ride with a sports drink but they all seem to make my spit all thick and stringy. Tried magnesium but was having really weird dreams which I heard was a common side effect.

I have heard conflicting things about stretching prior to exercise. Pretzelling up in the Suzuki pre and post ride probably doesn't helps much either.

Art I have heard its too big for a number of things riding a mountain bike is not one of them.

 

[mr_h._simpson]

A friend had a similar problem and a road rider told him to move his cleats a few mm forward. Fixed the problem for him.

Any chance you have changed cleats or shoes recently?

 

[Trickymac]

latest research suggests stretching post exercise is beneficial, stretching before is not necessary, was a big piece of research done on the sydney swans few years ago, they stopped stretching the team before the game, injuries(muscle tears/muscle soreness/tenodon injuries/joint strains/cramping) reduced by 40%
if pain persits seek help, and remember there are other option other than physio...try an osteopath

 

[driftking]

In regards to the foam roller I have only seen it used as a recovery method or part of training, so like stretching should be in a routine the roller can be used in the same way. I used it primarily when I was doing Pilates before starting the exercises. I don't know what research says on doing it before or after a workout so you might need to do some quick research into time periods etc if you do decide to start using a foam roller for yourself.

If your riders are long work out a hydration schedule and a eating schedule that cover your fluid needs and nutrient needs.

 

[psychosis7au]

I find that area of my legs gets sore/uncomfortable when my seat is to low. For example when i pedal up a hill a few times on my downhill bike. I never get this feeling on my road bike though and i ride much further on it. Also because the downhill bike is flats im obviously not pedalling in full circles, just pushing. If its on your roadie or cross country bike maybe work on the push/pull technique and get someone you consider knowledgable to have a look at your riding position. My local bike shop fitted my road bike and i have a lot of trust in them for example.
So i guess im just expanding on what Blakz said about riding position and pedalling technique.
Also on stretching, i've met lots of awesome riders who barely stretch at all, then others who say you should stretch for as long as you can stand the boredem. I reckon, it cant hurt, i do it and it definately helps my recovery. I've never stretched prior to riding though personally. Maybe when i get older ill need too!

 

[mella060]

Just on the subject of knees, ive had what i would call chronic knee pain since its been going on for a while now. I assume it's due to a riding issue of some sort but it is hard to pinpoint exactly what's going on and how to fix it. Haven't ridden much in the last few months, been trying to rest up and allow it to heal but i think it's one of those things that will take time to get better.

Went to the doctor a little while back, who said is it probably a bit of wear and tear arthritis. Could be a bit of Osteoarthritis. According to the web it is a condition once thought to be due simply to wear and tear on the cartilage of a joint. Been googling around and come up with what could be something known as movie goers knee or Patellofemoral pain syndrome. Basically whenever i go to get up of a chair or my bed if is uncomfortable, as well as climbing stairs. Basically ive had a lot of trouble with my feet (had stress fractures a few years back). Had to have an op back in 2009 to remove some bone fragments from by ankle.

I was taking Voltaren for a while, and that was the only thing stopping by body from basically aching all over. If i missed one tablet boy would i know about it lol. Lately my doctor has been trying other anti-inflammatory tablets to try and get it under control but not much success so far.

Maybe i had my seat on my mtb bike a bit too low. Its a bit hard to gauge the exact correct seat height with duel suspension as when you sit on the bike obviously it goes down a bit. Its probably an overuse injury due to incorrect technique. Could also be a muscular imbalance from not stretching enough.

So frustrating as i was keen on doing some races such as the Capital Punishment, Rocky Trail GP races and the Beechworth 6 hr, but there will be no chance of that. Just got to try and get this all fixed up somehow.

im just expanding on what Blakz said about riding position and pedalling technique.
Also on stretching, i've met lots of awesome riders who barely stretch at all, then others who say you should stretch for as long as you can stand the boredem. I reckon, it cant hurt, i do it and it definately helps my recovery. I've never stretched prior to riding though personally. Maybe when i get older ill need too!

Yeh i think the best bet is to spin for 5 minutes or so before you go riding and do a few stretches after you finish. There's a section about stretching called 'tight on the bike' in an issue of AMB from a while back which goes through some stretches you should do, ideally after exercise. Takes around 15-20min or so.

 

[Ridenparadise]

Static stretching before exercise reduces muscle strength and does not reduce injury significantly. Dynamic stretching may help, but only the way a gentle warm-up specific to activity does - ie a slow and easy few minutes of riding prior to going for broke. Electrolytes are not a cure-all for cramp as most cramp does not involve all muscle groups, rather the ones being used most or overworked. The OP probably should experiment with seat height, front/back and cleat positiions before spending money on physios or other treatments.

 

[Rafferty]

Hope its not ITBS. Its probable not but there is plenty of info about it on the net. Might be worth a look.