[Closed] Can knee pads cause knee pain?

I can see how they could cause problems with rubbing/overcompression/restriction if they fitted really badly, that sort of thing but you'd think it'd be obvious at the time really?

Hmm. Interesting.
I suffer with aching knees in the cold anyway, due in part, I'm sure to patella dislocations in years gone by.
However. I first began using kneepads about 4 years ago. Frankly found them sweaty and uncomfy for the first few rides , until I became used to them, but no pain.
What I did notice was that I began getting a bit of 'pad rub' on my top tube, slightly more on one side than the other.
Taped up the paintwork to help it not worsen and carried on using them.
A year later, I peeled off the now tatty tape , which appeared not to have worn thin.
Haven't replaced it and don't have any worse wear to the top tube.
My guess is, that subconsciously , I have very slightly altered the way I pedal ( I.e with my knees very slightly further from the frame) probably due to being aware of the issue.
What I'm getting at, is that ever so slightly, you might be pedalling differently too and that tiny alteration, after years of not wearing pads, could be causing aches as you adjust to a very tiny difference in pedal stroke ?

WARNING : No professional medical knowledge is used to arrive at this suggestion !

Sitting on the couch a bit funny can cause me knee pain!! Can def see how some might find their peddling changed subtly enough to cause a bit of discomfort.

Thanks folks. My hypothesis is that the pads put pressure on the kneecap and pull it a bit out of line, which changes how it tracks while you pedal and causes the pain. But it's a tricky one to test as I think it's something that builds up slowly over time and is affected by lots of things. So, I could dump the pads for a while and see how it goes over the next month or two, but we're moving into Spring so trails, clothing etc will all change too.

It was getting severe before Christmas when I was mostly riding my Solaris. I switched to the Five (for a variety of reasons) and it has got a lot better over the last few months, but not totally gone away.

I get that - the little bit (Bareley noticeable) of pressure on the kneecap seems to hurt after a bit.

Find the Leatt 3df pads good, as they kind of sit with a bit of space between pad and knee (which some folks dislike) which means I get no pain

They definately can, I had a pair slip once so that the elsasticated upper cuff was pressing down on the top of the kneecap, I then went to "kneel down invoulenteraly" and felt the knee lock then as my weight built up on it give, it was agony for days!

So make sure they're securely in position and don't slip!

I'm actualy tempted to sew the kneepads into an old pair of cut off Ronhills and pick out some of the elastic.

Having had a couple of crashes that caused broken bones (both arms as it happens, but I'm sure the legs are next) I've taken to wearing knee pads. I've been using some Endura MT500s over the winter and now find them comfortable enough for general xc/trail riding. However, I've developed some knee pain. It doesn't actually bother me while riding but I'll often get a sharp pain (sort of inside the joint) climbing or descending stairs for a day or two after a ride.

Of course, it could be caused by all sorts of things, but I wondered whether anybody else had developed knee pain after starting to use knee pads.

Not sure, I wear pads more than I did and have knee pains after riding. BUT Im also riding harder, doing larger drops and jumps than I did before.

I gave myself knee pain after wearing tights that were too small and not stretchy enough.

The kneecap and tendon are made to run in a groove on the end of the femur. If your muscles are not balanced the kneecap can run to one side of this groove and the bone rubs against the inside of the kneecap - causing pain. It's called patello-femoral syndrome. I don't see any reason why poorly fitting tights or kneepads couldn't also nudge the kneecap out of position.

Certainly it felt exactly the same to me.