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Knee pain
I found this site about 'knee pain' (http://www.bicyclefit.com/forefoot.htm) while googling about something else. Has anyone any thoughts about knee pain caused by foot/pedal misalignment while b*king crossing over to unicyling? I know that -most- of us don’t use clip-less pedals but it could still affect the comfort level of a ride – I know that my right foot has a hard time staying in position on the pedal while the left almost never moves – and could have an effect on “Q”. I know there was a lot of interest in the downhill ski industry about a similar thing. If you wanted to adjust for this, how might you do it? Wedges on the pedals? -- brian.slater - Nellfurtiti, the Wonder Cat Brian C. Slater AKA: Snoopy Ok, I am now officially in my normal state of -advanced- confusion. Don't try to confuse me, it won't make any difference. "To not decide is to decide" - undecided ------------------------------------------------------------------------ brian.slater's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/3902 View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/42377 |
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#2
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Knee pain
I have a lot to say on this subject. Much based on the experiences I have had with my own sore knees and in dealing with foot bone problems. But first, I know there are lot's of things that can go wrong with knees, so don't assume the problems I have or those shown on a web page are the ones causing your pain. The only answer I have found is to find really good doctors, bike fitters, and perhaps shoe-fitters, who can help you find the solution to your unique situation. In case you don't feel like reading the rest of what I have to say, the short answer to your question about modifying the foot-pedal interface is that you either modify some shoes (e.g. add a wedge on top or underneath the sole, or just grind the sole to the shape you want), or add an orthotic/custom footbed. Custom sports footbeds are pretty easy to find here in Colorado, offered by ski boot fitters, sports footbed shops, podiatriasts, and others. That said, my knee pain is caused by the sort of sideways bending shown on the web page you linked. When your knees move together when bending under load, the kneecap is pulled towards the outside of the joint which can result in damage to the cartilage tongue and groove that holds it in place, and even dragging the cartilage over a very sharp edge of bone on the outside of the ball that it rides on. If that doesn't make perfect sense, suffice to say that imperfect biomechanics can result in painful injury. The sports medicine knee specialist who finally figured this out thinks my problem is much more the result of hip joint limitations than foot physiology. He did not recommend any sort of mechanical solution. Instead, my goal has been to increase the relative strength and recruitment of the vastus medius muscles (VMO), part of the quadriceps on the inside of the leg. Flexing the VMO resists the tendency for my knees to wobble inward when bending. I have also seen more than my share of podiatrists, bootfitters, and foot doctors. When I was about 12 years old, the tarsal bones in both of my feet started to fuse so that I had a lot of pain and hobbled around. After surgery, I needed to put orthotics in my shoes in order to walk. Much to the surprise of the doctors, I recovered a large degree of foot functionand nowadays love to walk barefoot. More recently, I have had a couple of pairs of custom ski boots made up. The first thing bootfitters want to sell you are custom footbeds. It turns out I find very little difference with custom footbeds, and great fitting boots (stock shell with ZipFit liner + misc tweaks) keep my knees aligned and have all but eliminated skiing-related knee pain. The point of mentioning this is that every podiatrist and bootfitter I have dealt with has told me what a huge difference orthotics will make, but in my reality the difference can be quite small. Still, I am a big believer in bike fitting. The trick is finding someone who is really good. I finally found one I like, and the changes he made to my bikes were spectacular improvements, despite having consulted a handful of other sefl-professed bike fitters in the past (on the other hand, I spent a lot more on new components than I had in the past). Guess what? He put those wedges designed to compensate for forefoot varus on the cleats of my bicycle shoes. Sorry if I have rambled. What I hope to have conveyed is the recommendation to seek the best advice you can from expert sports doctors, shoe fitters, etc. Don't believe everything you are told. And don't assume a solution for someone else's problem will help yours. Ken |
#3
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Knee pain
Here's a posible quick fix. No guarantees. My knees are bad from playing sports and rock climbing for ages. If I keep my seat too low my knees ache. Raise it a tiny bit and the pain largely subsides. JL -- vivalargo - Santa Barbara Unicycle Club ------------------------------------------------------------------------ vivalargo's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/5625 View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/42377 |
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