Developed some anterior knee pain during this base season, thought I’d share in case anyone has experienced something similar:
- Usually comes on after 15-30 minutes or riding. Not really painful, but uncomfortable. Can “come and go” throughout a ride, but never really increase.
- Does not increase with intensity - in fact, intensity often makes it less noticeably. Seems like high intensity activates the muscles differently, causing better / less painful tracking of the knee?
- I have dialled back the volume for a few weeks now, but it doesnt seem to get worse or improve with rest.
- Nothing is tender to touch - does not seem like an inflammatory injury and I barely feel the symptoms of the bike. Occassionally a slight and dull ache, but not for more than a few minutes at a time. No pain squatting, walking stairs etc.
- Have been doing more mountain running as a substitute - long uphills (>10 minutes) where some knee flexion is involved can provoke similar discomfort, but to a smaller extent. Disappears as soon as the terrain flattens out again.
I changed to shorter cranks last week and have moved my cleats back a bit, hoping this will reduce the pressure on the front of the knee. I’m thinking this is related to knee tracking, but I can’t really see anything wrong with my setup. I usually ride 10-20 hours a week when I’m injury free, and have been doing so for a long time.