| For many cycling enthusiasts, knee pain is | | | | you're purchasing your bicycle.The cleats are |
| something that they regularly experience. This | | | | another component that need to be checked. |
| pain is caused by iliotibial tissue, and in medical | | | | Their position needs to be neutral, so that they |
| jargon is usually referred to as IT band syndrome. | | | | don't float too much internally or externally. A bike |
| This tissue is thick and fibrous, and runs between | | | | shop can check the shoe position using the 'fit kit' |
| the hip and the knee. Because of the constant up | | | | method.Another type of knee pain sometimes |
| and down movement of the legs in cycling, it | | | | experienced during cycling is chondromalacia. This |
| starts to get stretched. Soon the stretched tissue | | | | occurs because the cartilage behind the patella is |
| starts to rub against the bony areas of the hip or | | | | subjected to constant pressure during cycling. |
| knees - and that's when the pain starts.Quite | | | | Stretching and strengthening the quadriceps |
| often beginners are more likely to suffer from | | | | muscle, which runs along the front of the thigh, |
| this type of pain. That's because they get over | | | | can help reduce this discomfort. You can sit on a |
| excited and ride for hours without paying | | | | chair to stretch the leg. Try to keep your legs |
| attention to their knees or feet. There are some | | | | straight while pedaling and avoid sideward |
| other possible causes too, including wrong sitting | | | | movement.Sometimes just resting the knee or |
| position, faulty saddle, cleat alignment, hard riding, | | | | applying ice packs can reduce the pain. It's also |
| and individual body anatomy. There's not much | | | | sensible to reduce your cycling time until the pain |
| you can do to reduce the pain apart from cycle | | | | in your knee or hip subsides. Avoid riding at high |
| more slowly. Doing this gives the body a chance | | | | speeds and along bumpy roads for a while, even |
| to get used to the physical stress caused by | | | | after the pain has gone. It can also be helpful to |
| cycling. Stretching exercises and minimal hard | | | | do some mild stretching exercises and ice the |
| riding can also help lessen the pain.It's a good idea | | | | knee both before and after your ride, to help |
| to check the adjustment of your seat. When it's | | | | keep the muscles loose. Make sure you keep |
| exactly right, there's a lot less pressure on the | | | | your legs warm if it's cold, too.If you find that the |
| knees. Pain tends to develop behind the knee if | | | | pain keeps occurring, it's important that you visit |
| the seat is too high, and in the patella if the seat | | | | your doctor or sports clinic for an accurate |
| is too low. Ask the salesperson at the cycle store | | | | diagnosis of the cause of the pain and appropriate |
| to help fix the seat at the correct height when | | | | treatment. |