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The Reasons Behind Your Cycling Knee Pain

January 4, 2023 by Eric Lister

The two main areas that cause cyclists the most headache are the lower back and the knee. Ride long enough and you are almost guaranteed to experience some sort of pain, discomfort or injury in one or both of these parts of the body. Today we are going to focus on the knee, why cycling knee pain occurs, and what we can do to prevent it from happening.

Halfpoint/Adobe Stock

When a particular sensation is prevalent amongst athletes participating in the same sport, it can be tempting to throw the baby out with the bath water and think that the sport itself is the problem. Take running for example. A large percentage of the population believes running is bad for the human body, when in fact the evidence supports an entirely opposite hypothesis, that human beings are actually the best and most efficient runners in the animal kingdom.

Cycling also carries some of these stereotypes.

Because so many cyclists have knee problems, the conclusion must be that cycling is bad for your knees – right? We don’t think so. In our view, the fact that it’s a commonly experienced problem simply means that most people’s knees are not prepared to do the work that they’re doing on the bike, and/or perhaps are doing that work improperly.

Just like running, everybody thinks riding a bike is just riding a bike. Something you learned when you were a kid and kept with you for the rest of your life. How could you mess it up? But they fail to consider the differences between these two time periods. The truth is cycling as an adult is far different from riding your bike as a kid, and our bodies are quick to remind us of that through the telltale signs of pain and injury.

Let us consider these differences, and take into account everyone from beginners to professionals, by analyzing some of the causes of knee pain from cycling.

Increasing Volume Too Quickly

A classic mistake of anybody entering into a sport or trying to regain their fitness after injury is doing too much too soon. It doesn’t help that many people are recommended or even prescribed cycling as an activity that is low impact that they can do despite their lack of overall strength, health and wellness (this is the case for several elderly people, for example).

Our sport is indeed a great way for people to get their health in check, but that doesn’t mean its unique demands on the body can be disregarded and instantly capitalized upon. You have to earn a healthy body, and the price is not small. Going from zero to 50 miles a week on your new road rig is an approach that is going to humble you very quickly.

The knees are uniquely positioned to cause you agony in this scenario. Because of the tremendous forces produced by our quadriceps (front thigh muscles) while pedaling, and our position on the bike in general, the knee joint is susceptible to the bulk of those loads being constantly transferred across it. If it has not had the time to slowly adapt to such loads, you could be in for a painful awakening.

Cyclist’s knee is a broad term used for conditions such as patellofemoral pain syndrome, patellar compression syndrome, patellar tendinitis, and a host of other names that are describing pain on the front of the knee, just below or above the kneecap, and even inside the knee joint itself. Often increasing with use and subsiding with rest.

It is outside the scope of this article to go into each of these with detail, but it should be noted that they can all be exacerbated by an unprepared knee that the athlete is asking too much of in their training. Like any sport, jumping on the bike is going to have you using your muscles in new ways you’re not used to. You have to give the body time to adapt to these new demands, by slowly and thoughtfully increasing training volume when it is ready to do so.

Axel Kock/Adobe Stock

Weak Hips

A sport can be looked at as a more advanced level of physical activity, just like going to university is a more advanced level of education. To get into university, there are prerequisites; the attainment of certain grades or passing of certain exams, for example. In sports, there are also prerequisites, we just don’t usually consider them before participating.

One of these prerequisites for a new or current cyclist should be having strong hips. Having strong hips not only stabilizes the pelvis and contributes greatly to the overall function of the body, it also helps keep the knees in good alignment. Strong hips are not going to develop on the bike, however, adding to the importance of this particular tip.

Hip abduction (moving the leg away from the midline) and hip extension (moving the leg behind you) are severely limited when cycling. The saddle immobilizes the pelvis, and the degree to which your hips flex and extend is nowhere near their full range of motion. This, played out over a long enough period of time, is likely to get us hurt.

When doing a squat, for example, one of the functions of your glute (butt) muscles is to keep your knees from collapsing inward. In fact, a common cue when having someone squat is telling them, “push your knees out”, this activates the gluteals and helps you maintain balance and activation in the hips when squatting. If you see a person’s knees falling inwards during a light-moderate intensity squat, they likely have weakness in their hips.

Why does this matter for cyclists? If you have weak hips, your knee is likely collapsing inward while you pedal. This is a problem, because you are going to further exacerbate this imbalance the more you ride your bike, and this can lead to your muscles developing improperly, pulling structures like your patella (kneecap) out of alignment.

Supplementing your time on the bike with a balanced strength and conditioning program is going to help ensure that you maintain balance throughout your body, and reduce the chances of your cycling causing knee pain down the line.

Rido/Adobe Stock

Saddle Height

Your bike fit can have a tremendous amount of influence over how your body feels and functions while riding. The saddle height in particular can be a culprit when it comes to cycling knee pain, because the loads on, and angles of, your knee are going to be different depending on where your seat is positioned.

Having a seat that is too low is going to be the most detrimental when it comes to developing pain in the front, sides and inside the knee. This is because it’s going to keep your knee in a more bent position throughout the whole pedal stroke, and you’re going to be pushing from a mechanically disadvantaged position that puts huge force right through the knee joint. This also leads to quicker fatigue and overall breakdown of form in the athlete.

Having your seat too high isn’t good either, however, because now you’re going to be at risk of hyperextending the leg, and putting excessive strain on the internal ligaments of the knee (ACL/PCL) as well as the hamstring tendons and calf musculature in the back of your leg. The lower leg will also take more load than necessary, putting tissues like the achilles tendon at risk of developing further problems.

A correct saddle height will leave you with a slightly bent knee at the 6 o’clock pedal position. If you straighten your leg in this position your heel would drop 1-2 cm below the pedal. This position keeps the knee stable, and allows enough extension to properly utilize the force of the quadriceps, hamstrings and lower leg, but not too much to overextend and strain the ligaments of the knee.

Knee Rehab Program for Cyclists

Looking for a program that will help you address the muscle imbalance that is likely causing your knee pain? Dynamic Cyclist is an online training platform designed to help cyclists become stronger and faster while riding pain free for years to come. Complete your regimen with an all-inclusive program that addresses mobility, flexibility, strength and injury prevention, all for a fraction of the cost of one physiotherapy appointment. Try out their 6 Week Functional Rehab Program and experience the results for yourself. Click here to try 7 days free!

What Muscles Does Cycling Work?

November 2, 2022 by Eric Lister

It can be hard to discern just through sensation what muscles we actually used during a ride, and you might find yourself wondering what was really accomplished in terms of muscular activity. What muscles does cycling work? Some people say their lungs are working, but the lungs aren’t a muscle. It’s obvious our legs are working, but the leg is a big thing with many parts. Which of them are doing what? How? And at what time when we’re on the bike?

The science of cycling is unique in several ways because our sport is quite different than most. There’s those sports where you operate on your own two feet, and others (like cycling, rowing and kayaking) that support and move you in a seated position.

Today we want to tell you, and give you a brief overview of the different muscles you use while cycling. Some are far bigger contributors to your cycling performance than others, and some are just completely misunderstood. So let’s start with busting a major myth right off the bat. The idea that cycling builds big glutes.

Source: Rattanasak/Adobe Stock

Glutes

Unfortunately, it does not. Not to any great degree anyways. If you’re cycling to lift things up, make them more round and so on – you’re going to be quite disappointed. That is unless you’re coming from a place of very low fitness and activity (i.e. cycling is your first real form of exercise), in which case you will likely notice a difference, but only the same difference you would notice if starting any form of exercise.

If you’re relatively fit with a healthy body composition, the sport of cycling just doesn’t stimulate the gluteus maximus (your butt) enough for any real development. The gluteus maximus is the body’s primary hip extensor, it’s strong and big, and responds to intense, powerful hip extension like you see in a person sprinting or coming out of the bottom of a full depth squat.

The reason cycling negates its use is due to the range of motion your hip goes through while on the bike. If the hip doesn’t go past a certain degree of flexion, your body will not use the gluteus maximus to extend it. It’s too expensive, and the body is an energy conservation machine. It will instead resort to your secondary hip extensors, which are the hamstrings.

Electromyography analysis of the lower extremity during pedaling.
What muscles does cycling work

Source: Electromyographic Analysis of the Lower Extremity during Pedaling

Hamstrings

The graph above details this situation perfectly. This study placed individuals on a bicycle ergometer and had them pedal against changes in workload, pedal rates and other variables in seated and standing positions. The graph shows measures in electrical activity of different muscle groups throughout the test. Notice the difference between gluteus maximus and biceps femoris (your outer hamstring).

Your hamstrings have a primary function of flexing the knee, and a secondary function of extending the hip. When circumstances ask for hip extension, but the intensity requirement of that extension is low, your body resorts to a principle called synergistic dominance. This principle states that when a prime mover is inhibited (gluteus maximus), your body will use secondary movers (biceps femoris) to save energy and properly perform the function.

Conclusively, the hamstrings are far more responsible for hip extension while cycling than the glutes. On every downstroke your hamstrings are working to extend the hip down. Further, they also use their knee flexing function to start the upstroke. All of this work presents itself in the hamstring stiffness often seen globally among cyclists.

Source: fizkes/Adobe Stock

Quadriceps

Let’s move on to the real workhorse muscles used while cycling, the quadriceps. Particularly the rectus femoris, also seen in the electromyography graph above. There is extreme and vigorous activity of the quadriceps on every pedal downstroke you perform. That’s because the range of the movement and your ability to produce force is operated primarily via your ability to extend the knee, which is, you guessed it, the main function of your quads.

Particularly when standing on the bike you are going to get more of a pump in your thighs due to the fact that you’re contracting them with the addition of a huge percentage of your bodyweight that would otherwise be supported by the saddle. The quadriceps are big, powerful muscles and that burning feeling you get climbing a hill or doing a sprint is because of the lactic acid that gets accumulated as a result of all their contractions.

Knee pain, IT band tightness and even hamstring injuries can be the result of overworked, stiff quadriceps muscles. Using foam rolling, mobility and stretching exercises to help release some of the tension they’re liable to hold on a cyclist can do a lot to increase blood flow and allow other muscles to do their jobs properly while riding.

Lower Leg Muscles

The all too forgotten muscles of the lower leg serve important roles while cycling. If they’re thought of at all we tend to only focus on the back of the lower leg, your gastrocnemius and soleus (calf muscles). These muscles work to flex the foot or point the toes down, which is a huge part of transitioning through the bottom of your pedal stroke.

It may surprise you to learn that there is also a whole other side to your lower leg! The tibialis anterior is a large muscle that runs along the front outer part of your shin with its tendons actually wrapping down into the arch of your foot. It’s responsible for picking your foot off the ground and lifting your toes. Which happens every time you transition to the upstroke and is accentuated drastically through the use of cycling shoes.

Cyclists with achilles tendon problems, knee issues and foot pain often have dysfunction somewhere in the lower leg muscles as well. We can mitigate a lot of those problems, however, by ensuring our lower legs are strong, supple and getting some focused attention in our training programs.

Source: pavel1964/Adobe Stock

Hip Flexors

Especially if you’re wearing cycling shoes, the hip flexors (primarily the psoas muscle) can help produce a more powerful upstroke while pedaling. Their function is in the name, hip flexion, but that’s not all they do. Because of their attachment to all five lumbar vertebrae, they are major stabilizers of the lower back.

Low back pain is one of the most common complaints amongst cyclists at all ages and skill levels. A good chunk of that responsibility has to fall on your poor psoas muscle, which can really get crushed if you’re putting in long hours on the bike. This is because the hip is always in a semi-flexed position, which for the psoas means a semi-shortened position.

If you constantly put a muscle in a shortened position you’re basically teaching it to stay there, and by chronically shortening a muscle it will eventually start to lose sarcomeres (base units of muscle), becoming permanently shorter. We want to avoid this at all costs, and implement stretching and mobility measures to return the psoas to its normal range.

Strengthen the Muscles Used in Biking

Our partner, Dynamic Cyclist, has intelligently designed programs to address all the stiffness, injury and common muscle weaknesses seen in cyclists! They have hundreds of follow along video routines that have been organized into balanced training programs for you to try, all for a low monthly cost! See for yourself by signing up for a 7-day free trial!

3 Core Exercises To Make You A Better Cyclist

July 13, 2022 by Eric Lister

When the cycling world gathers around to discuss what might be the best core exercise for cyclists, there tends to be an all too predictable bee-line for the plank. Most sports, most gyms and most parts of the world have this same problem. Trainers, physios and even your family doctor might suggest this exercise from time to time. But what is it actually doing for us?

Cycling is not a stationary movement (even if you’re on a stationary bike!), yet we train this stand-still exercise to death hoping for some sort of miraculous return on investment. They’re a great beginner exercise, but once a certain level of proficiency is achieved (two-minute hold), it’s time to put the focus onto something more functional.

A core workout for cyclists should be dynamic, multi-faceted and tailored to each individual’s strengths, weaknesses and other physical activities. In this article we are going to teach you three unique exercises to make you a better cyclist. We’ll show you how to do them, what they’re working and why they’ll improve your performance.

First, the muscles.

Core Musculature

All movement emanates from the core. It’s tempting to think that cycling is all about your lower body, but your legs are not isolated entities. They are attached to that huge housing of organs, muscle and power that, if working properly, will be the starting point for any force eventually exerted through the legs and into the bike.

“Does your body have 650 muscles or does it have *one**?” – Paul Chek*

This is a quote that is all too relevant when it comes to the core. There is not a single cell in the body that is oblivious to what the rest of your cells are up to. Fascial casings, innervations, origins, insertions, ligaments, tendons, muscle and bone make for one unbelievably complex and sophisticated movement web. A universal organism, and that organism: is you.

For these reasons, defining the core can be a herculean task all on its own. Today’s exercises will focus on tissues in the trunk and torso, as well as some auxiliary influence from the hips.

Specifically the following:

Core Workout For Cyclists

These exercises are from one of our Dynamic Cyclist strength training routines. Week one, day two of our 3-month intermediate strength training program focuses on Core & Stability. You’ll be able to watch our certified personal trainer and coach of Dynamic Cyclist, Alisha demonstrate each exercise in the links below!

Hip Hinge Reverse Fly

Standing with your feet hip width apart, push your hips back and bend forward at the same time while maintaining a neutral neck and spine. Keep a slight bend in the knees and elbows. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and lift the arms out wide until in line with your body. Slowly release back down. Repeat. Try this exercise with Alisha!

Why It Works

This is an amazing full-body and core exercise for cyclists.

First, you’ll hear Alisha cue to draw the belly button in while maintaining the hinged forward position. This activates the transversus abdominis (our deepest abdominal muscle), which wraps around your body like a corset and is crucial to lower back stability. It’s your body’s own built in weight belt. Training this muscle has shown to significantly reduce lower back pain in cyclists.

Second, your erector spinae muscles are working hard to hold up your torso in the bent position. Having the ability to produce stiffness in these large, powerful back muscles will transmit force more efficiently to and from your legs every time you pedal. It will also aid in injury prevention of the low back and better posture (two things a cyclist desperately needs!).

Third, actually performing the reverse fly movement with dumbbells gives the posterior (back) part of your shoulders some much needed love. The hunched over position we find ourselves in while cycling tends to stretch the shoulders and upper back into a forward, rounded position. This exercise reverses that by strengthening and tightening those same areas.

Plank Hip Dips

Starting in a forearm plank position with your tail tucked (glutes squeezed) and belly button drawn in, drop your hips down to one side, then return to the start position. Rotate to the other side, return to the start position. Repeat. Try this exercise with Alisha!

Why It Works

This is how you turn the plank into a good core bike exercise! The strength of a person’s abdominal muscles is a reliable predictor of cycling performance, and this exercise (if done correctly) works all of them.

You’ll hear Alisha say to tuck your hips down at the beginning; this not only engages the glutes, but also the lower and upper abdominal muscles. You’ll again be cued to draw your belly button in, activating the transversus abdominis. And finally, by twisting and dropping your hips side to side, you’re working the inner and external obliques.

By working your abdominals, hips, back and upper body in conjunction with one another, you’re teaching the body to work as an integrated unit. One thing you’ll see in cyclists that lack this ability is excessive movement and swaying in the hips and torso when they start pedaling hard. This bleeds force into unnecessary areas and increases the risk of injury. So let’s not do that!

Clamshells w/Mini Band

Place a mini band just above the knees and lie down on your side with your forearm beneath your shoulder. Your heels, butt and shoulders should be in one line. Open up your top leg, squeezing your glute, and then slowly lower back to the start position. Repeat. Try this exercise with Alisha!

Why It Works

Our gluteal muscles serve an important role in cycling. They share an intimate connection with the core musculature via their attachment to the pelvis. This exercise works all the gluteal muscles and also activates tissues in the lower back.

The largest and most powerful glute muscle is the gluteus maximus, and it initiates the power phase in our pedal stroke. Being able to forcibly extend the hip is key to any sort of speed or climbing work on the bike. Well developed glutes will align your pelvis for better posture, and training them helps to counter modern activities such as sitting or driving.

The multifidus runs along the whole vertebral column and has its main bulk in the lower back. Many people have a weak multifidus due to inactivity or improper training which leads to instability. The clamshell exercise stimulates the multifidus and makes a connection between the core and hip muscles for a strong back and efficient power transfer while riding.

More Core Workouts For Cyclists

By incorporating cycling core exercises into your program, you’ll be proactive in the prevention of injury and contribute to better overall performance on the bike. Our comprehensive Dynamic Cycling core strength training routines have helped countless people ride pain and injury free.

These were just a few exercises from the hundreds you will have to choose from in our extensive video library. Dynamic Cyclist offers instructional, follow-along workouts and routines led by world class instructors, and even 1-on-1 coaching for a more personalized approach.

Remember, everything emanates from the core. So it’s important to train it to stay healthy and strong for many more years to come!

How To Prevent Injury Cycling

July 15, 2020 by Sarah Lauzé

We all know the wonderful feeling of cycling, but unfortunately it’s not always sun on the face and wind in the hair. Pedalling is a low-impact motion, making cycling one of the best ways to stay fit without putting stress on your joints. However, poorly set up bikes, wipe outs, or simply the activity of cycling itself can take its toll on our bodies. Injury is a part of almost every sport, and cycling is no exception, but it’s also what makes it a challenge worth taking on. Although some injury is impossible to avoid, there are things you can do as a cyclist to minimize the risks and stay in your saddle for years to come. Here are some of the common risks and what you can do to prevent injury cycling.

Safety First

As cyclists we share the road with vehicles, and we have to do all we can to ensure the two can co-exist safely.

Maximize visibility – Assume that you are invisible to motorists. Do whatever you can can to enhance your chances of being seen to avoid accidents. Ride where people and cars see you, wear bright clothing, use lights and reflectors. Whenever possible, make eye contact with other cyclists and pedestrians. The article “Bikes Versus Cars, How to Ride in Traffic” can give more insight into safely riding with traffic.
Obey the rules of the road – Road bikes are subject to the same laws as motorists, follow them. You have the same rights and duties as drivers. Your safety, and the well-being of those around you depends on you interpreting the law in a predictable manner. Obey traffic signals and stop signs, and use hand signals to communicate any changes in speed or direction.
Be alert – Always pay attention to your surroundings and the road ahead. Look out for any obstacle or pot holes on the road to avoid any unexpected bumps. These can catch you off guard and cause a wipe out.

How To Prevent Injury Cycling

Broken Bones

The two most common broken bones for a cyclist are the clavicle (collarbone) and the scaphoid (a thumb bone). These are the bones that absorb the most force when you brace yourself in a fall. The obvious thing would be to avoid crashing altogether, but sometimes that is simply impossible. As you can’t really control whether or not you crash on your bike, you should at least know how to fall properly. It depends on what kind of crash is happening, for instance if you are going over the handle bars, try and get your hands out in front of you to brace your fall, tuck your head in and allow yourself to roll over the shoulder that has the leading arm out.

Road Rash

Sooner or later everyone will experience road rash, it’s a part of cycling, and almost a rite of passage into the cycling world. How you first handle your wounds will make all the difference in the amount of time it takes to recover. Treating the wounds correctly will save you a lot of pain and suffering if done the right way. Check out this detailed article on treating road rash to help make the process less painful and get you back on the road quicker.

Saddle Sores

Avid cyclists know this injury well. Saddle sores are caused by the friction between your skin and the bike seat during long bike rides. A bike seat that is too high and bike shorts that are too old with minimal protection are the most common secondary causes of saddle sores. You can avoid saddle sores by using chamois cream while you ride, especially if you’re a cyclist that moves around a lot. If you do develop saddle sores, you’ll likely have to take a break and treat with skin creams to ease the pain.

Lower Back Pain

Another very common cycling overuse injury is lower back pain. First, you have to understand why this occurs before taking action to fix it. While pedaling, the quadriceps pull the pelvis forward. To keep your body on the bike, your lower back resists that pull. It is an action that is not inherent to the design of your lower back muscles. The result is overworked lower back muscles that may cross into pain.

The best way to both prevent and treat lower back pain from cycling is to work on strengthening your core (transverse abdominal muscles) and glutes. A strong core will activate before any movement takes place in the limbs (like pedaling), and therefore takes the stress away from lower back and works to stabilize the motion.

Neck Pain

Neck pain can be caused by fatigue (just like lower back pain) or a poor bike fit and can be alleviated by strengthening exercises, stretching and a proper bike fit. Also, relax during your ride. A tight grip and tense posture will cause more pain in your neck than with a relaxed posture.

Numb Hands

Your hands go numb when nerves are being pinched, generally due to a poor position on the bike causing your hands to support too much of your weight or your hand position or wrist position is incorrect. To alleviate this common cycling injury tilt the nose of your saddle up a degree, make sure that your wrists and hands are flush with your forearms (no bends), and buy some gloves and better handle bar tape to spread out the pressure.

Foot Numbness or Tingling

Foot numbness usually occurs when the nerves between the bones under the ball of the foot become compressed. Besides numbness, symptoms can show up as cycling foot pain, tingling, bruising, or even a burning sensation. The likely culprit here is shoe fit, cleat position or socks. Particularly if the cleat is too far forward it can cause numbness, as it places pressure on the ball of your foot. Take the time to dial in your cleat placement, shoe fit and sock choice whether on your own, or with a professional bike fit.

Knee Pain

There are different types of knee pain that can point to different causes and, therefore, different solutions. The four main types of knee pain are anterior (front of the knee), posterior (behind the knee), medial and lateral pain (sides of the knee), and IT band syndrome. Some knee pain is a sign of an improper bike fit, whether it be cleat or saddle position, while some is caused by simple overuse or going too hard too soon. Regular and targeted stretching can be an easy solution.

Achilles and Patella Tendinitis

Another common injury that comes from overuse. However, this can also be caused by a poor bike fit and shoe cleats that are not properly positioned. Achilles tendinitis causes inflammation which in turn will cause you pain in your ankle. If you think this is developing, go easy on your training for a few days. After any exercise make sure you apply ice to the tendon to fight any inflammation you may have.

General Treatment and Prevention

Stretching

The most important thing for cyclists, and athletes in general, is to have a healthy range of motion and flexibility to move freely and efficiently. Stretching routines for cyclists can aid in aligning the thick and thin muscles back into their ordered state after movement, as well as remove the lactic acid buildup that causes soreness. Flexibility, or rather inflexibility, can lead to unbalance in the body and even cause the body’s structure to move out of alignment. Failing to properly stretch and maintain flexibility can not only affect you performance, but it will inevitably lead to injury and discomfort.

Strength Training

A common problem with cyclists is muscular imbalance. Some muscles become strong, while others are too weak to keep things balanced. By strengthening your muscles and connective tissues with strength training, you can keep your body balanced and even avoid some overuse injuries altogether. It can also help you maintain proper posture on the bike, as a strong core can keep your back nice and straight.

Bike Fit

Getting a proper bike fit is well worth the investment, or at least taking the time to fine tune things yourself. Getting everything adjusted just right for you will ensure you will be comfortable on the bike. You will be more efficient and have a higher degree of power and endurance. It can be overwhelming when you think about saddle height and angle, cleat position, handlebars, and so on, but it is worth taking it one piece at a time. It will lower the risk of developing any injuries associated with an improper bike position.