Thread: Mtn. biking and post surgery knee pain

So, I just scored a new ride (Cannondale Prophet 1000)

and I am 5 weeks post meniscectomy. Today, for the first time, I took it out on the trail for about 45mins., and I started to feel pressure (pain) on the knee on every downstroke. Not real sharp, but a quick jolt nonetheless. There is no way that I want to shut it down, but I am a bit concerned. Everyday, I do motion and strengthening exercises. I am a firm believer in "no pain, no gain". AG, how are you feeling? Are you back to 100% on the bike? Anyone else, have you experienced similar sensations? Now, I'm going to ice my knee

Cool bike. But FYI, standard sprocket rockets 2006 protocol required you to purchase a 575. Unfortunately, we're gonna have to let you go - you're fired.

Have you been riding a stationary and getting the same pains?

Yeah, I know. It was a toss-up. Came down to availability, and $$. AG didn't offer me her's.
I ride the stationary bike 5-7 miles (20-30mins) everyday. The therapist kept me on very low resistance, and I don't push hard on my airdyne. Totally different sitting position. There is only sporadic pain on the stationary bike...it does frequently click though.

I want to be in better condition, so that when I spend the month of August in Utah, I won't embarrass my old ass when I ride with you guys.

I'm just talking out of my ass, but maybe compression in the shock is increasing the flex on the knee beyond what you're used to right now? Could you lock out the rear and go for some mellow rides to see how it all feels?

My sugestion would be to try and smooth out your pedal stroke and spin. I'm bad myself, and like to pound down with the pedal strokes, but it really helps the knees if you make circles. It's way hard for me to do on a rough trail, but on smoother trails/sections I can do it pretty well now.

You may already know this, in which case ignore me like most people...

Try to think about moving your feet in a constant circle with no extra force in any one place. It's super subtle, but if you are doing it right, that little extra force in all the other directions means that you don't need as hard of a downstroke. Also, the rear tire will have better traction. Just don't think about pulling up, but rather even pressure around the circle.

This is a tip that the pro cyclists I work with have been having me focus on. It's hard because if I ride flats on the downhill bike I constantly pull my feet off the pedals now

Originally Posted by stump832

I'm just talking out of my ass, but maybe compression in the shock is increasing the flex on the knee beyond what you're used to right now? Could you lock out the rear and go for some mellow rides to see how it all feels?

Right now, I'm toying with the compression and rebound. Today, it was set at about 160/50. Maybe, I will increase compression to about 175, and see how that feels.

Ph..f...h: That seems like a good suggestion, but whether skiing or riding, I never actively think too much about technique. Instead, I always seem to think about lines, and how to get from one place to the next. I'm a pretty well-balanced person, and things come pretty naturally. You know the old saying, "...it's like riding a bike..."

My knee feels great riding, but hurts immensely when I swivel in my desk chair at my office. Go figure. I'd ask your PT to evaluate it - maybe they can ID where the pain is and help you figure out if you should adjust saddle height, pedals, something? Maybe it just needs more strengthening in some area? Or it could be some scar tissue that you should be doing patellar mobs, etc. for?