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Never had any knee issues before.
Haven't ridden since Wednesday so don't think it's a riding injury.
Mid-morning yesterday started to get an ache in my left knee - felt a bit like I'd banged it into something and bruised it (I hadn't). Got a bit sorer as the day went on - bending or twisting the joint makes the pain a bit sharper. Feels the same this morning.
Focus of the pain seems to be low down behind the kneecap but no visible swelling. It's tender to the touch and a bit warm. Walking is OK if a bit uncomfortable - worst is walking down the stairs. Was due to ride at Chicksands this morning but thought better of it.
Any armchair diagnoses? Aiming to try a gentle pootle round the local woods later to see how it holds up.
Patellar Tendonitis?
Cat Aids.
MIniscal damage
Surgery needed !!!!!
Alternatively try RICE and see what happens
Silicon spray won't fix this 
I've had similar - I wouldn't ride for a while, take ibuprofen and, as above, RICE.
Have you eaten any pork pies recently?
Hmmmnnn.
Just been out for a gentle spin to test the knee. Lasted a whole 2km before I decided it was a bad job. Pedalling hurt, standing up on the pedals hurt.
Had some more ibuprofen and am now iced and elevated.
No bike for a while seems wise. 🙁
I think I'm broken...
A bit like I've been going through after a seemingly innocuous little "drop and roll" four weeks ago. Almost OK now - and that's just refusing to push it other than a little bit of walking.
Had similar on left knee several years back. Took about 6 months to fully heal. Managed to get some physio after about 4 months (when it was almost OK) and the call to have an MRI scan came through after 6 & 1/2 months (by which time I was already back to normal and on the climbing wall!). All they could say was that I had probably torn something!
I am now sat here with a worse injury from casing a double at Antur Stiniog but can see no point in getting it looked at based on previous experience. 2 weeks in and it is far better and I reckon it will be another week before I get back on the bike.
colournoiseI think I'm broken...
It's just age; and it sucks monkey-balls :/
A riding mate has suggested it might be tight IT bands. Anyone know anything about those?
https://www.painscience.com/tutorials/iliotibial-band-syndrome.php
That is everything you'll ever need to know aboit ITBS. Although pain at the rear of the knee doesn't sound like it.
Good luck.
Sounds a bit like the meniscal tear I got end of last October - degenerative aged 43, nice - did the RICE thing + ibuprofen - it waxed and waned for 6 weeks before physio/doctor etc. Luckily private health kicked in and MRI showed it nicely, surgery been great for me (4 weeks out and back on bike for 2.5h yesterday!) - went to Jonathan Webb in Bristol.
Hope it gets better
I read the op and thought it band. Mine go like that from running. Thankfully physio, a foam roller and it band stretches have sorted it out. Have to keep up with the stretches though. I know the number of a really good physio in Langford if you want her number
Also do you get lower back pain away from the spine? If so then it really sounds like an IT issue.
grahamt1980 - Member
Also do you get lower back pain away from the spine? If so then it really sounds like an IT issue.
Very occasionally yes (maybe once every 3 or 4 months for a day or so). Usually associated with riding - dull ache in lower back off to one side (just above hip).
theboyneeds - Member
Although pain at the rear of the knee doesn't sound like it.
Not at rear of knee - feels like its just behind the lower kneecap at the front of the joint.
Yep that sounds exactly what happens to me. Has only started since i picked up running again.
The it stretches and foam roller have Def helped me. Trouble is with increasing the amount of running i have to do the stretches pretty frequently
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The IT band runs from the hip, down the side of the thigh and inserts into the side of the knee. It is possibly the source of your woes but the way you describe it it sounds more likely to be something to do with either the kneecap or the tendon which joins the kneecap to the lower leg or both. People will get osteoarthritis as they age, it is an unfortunate part of the ageing process and not related to rheumatoud arthritis. One of the most common places to get it is behind the knee cap because it is a joint that is used very often everyday with our body weight on top of it. The best way to keep it in check is frequent, regular, not over-the-top exercise (over-the-top being things like running on tarmac/pavement for hours on end).
However, with all that being said, it is unusual that your pain has come on without any obvious aggravating activity. If it persists then get thee to a physician. Many hospital trusts let you self refer to a physio if that's your preference.
Best cure for IT band = foam roller, lying on your side, rolling it up and down the length of the outside of your thigh from your hip to your knee with it between your thigh and the floor. It if hurts like absolute bloody murder then you're doing it right!!
The two posts above have beaten me to it.
IT band is the less complicated one to sort out so why not start there. Foam rollers are great for all kinds of stuff, it's a relatively cheap way to get a massage from the one person who is least likely to say no
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From that info above (thanks theboyneeds and shermer) looks more like PFPS than IT. A quick Google of PFPS seems to reinforce that, although the onset out of nowhere is still a bit confusing.
At least researching some stretches and exercises will give me something to do while I'm sat here RICEing for a few days...
I've a savage pain on the inside of my knee - twisted it at the back end of decemeber and it keeps flaring up.
Going to have to go to the doctor to see what they say and I'm hobbling around still.
Whats all this with the Rice , I often suffer bad knees 55 so i figure it goes with the age and a hard physical life but whats the rice got to do with knees????
RICE is an acronym for what is now slightly outdated treatment advice for acute injuries that involve swelling. It stands for rest, ice, compression, elevation. The more recent recommendation is POLICE: protect, optimal loading, ice, compression, elevation. The 'loading' has been brought into it because we now know that completely immobilising a joint after injury can do more harm than good and the 'optimal' part refers to the fact that it is best not to go crazy and try to run a marathon or something
What would 'optimal' loading be? Just keeping mobile, recreational walking rather than cycling, low geared static bike (although at the minute that amount of knee bending even without much load would really hurt)?
Grade 4 arthritis and I'm only 42! Still aiming to be pain free.
This link is the best one I've found for explaining what to do.
http://www.mikereinold.com/2009/05/10-principles-of-patellofemoral.html
Some other good links in there too.
As an experiment I've just ordered some 165mm xt cranks (I'm 6ft"6). This was a suggestion by my physio to help reduce the repetitive deep(ish) knee flexion that cycling requires,as this increases the load on your patella (7 times your body weight in a deep squat). Staying seated climbing will help and using lower gears (often a full suspension bike will make this easier too).
I've been doing as much walking as I can and this has definitely helped and fits in with the POLICE principle too.
Well, I'm hoping now it's not as serious as all that.
A couple of days of POLICE and it's easing off. Still a bit stiff and 'twingey' when flexed or twisted, but way better than it was. Reckon (if things carry on as they have done) it'll be fine for everyday stuff by the weekend and back (gently) on a bike middle of next week or so.
Might just have been a weird twist or strain that I didn't notice I'd done? Or do the issues suggested above come and go as quickly as this?