As many of you probably know, the vast majority of pedaling when riding a bicycle is done with your feet. Those who were especially inquisitive could even notice that the legs were intensely bent and unbent at the knees. But not everyone is aware of potential problems, namely pain and arthritis/arthrosis, which can easily overtake an inexperienced biker and stay with him for life , depriving him not only of his bicycle, but also of his normal life.
It is about the maximum preservation and extension of combat readiness of these very important places of the biker that we would like to talk today, so that it would not be excruciatingly painful for the parts of the body of oneself, one’s loved one, killed by a reckless attitude towards them. In this article we will mainly consider only the problems of pain in the lower extremities associated with their joints (we will only mention ligaments/muscles in passing - but this does not mean that they are not important).
And don't say we didn't warn you. Praemonitus praemonitus .
For the purposes of our article, it is enough to imagine that, to a first approximation, a joint is a flexible articulation of two bones separated by a lubricating fluid cleverly named “synovial”, which ensures the sliding of the articular surfaces. Accordingly, problems begin when the amount of this fluid decreases or its density increases - friction increases, pain appears, bones may even come into contact, injuring the cartilage, which ultimately leads to arthrosis.
Every sport has its own occupational diseases. In cycling, this is, in particular, injuries to the knee (and, to a lesser extent, hip) joints, because the cyclist’s knees experience prolonged and unnatural (from the point of view of human physiology) load. If this impact on the knees is not very long and alternates with sufficient rest, it does not lead to problems. But in the case of joints working for wear without a recovery period, quantitative changes lead to a qualitative leap.
What happens when a dude who bought a bike yesterday (or even a year ago), having learned about marathons, rides a long distance? Physical training - okay, tired - rest, but - ignorance of pedaling frequency, passion for sports, large gears - and that’s it, a person’s joints are injured for life.
The fact is that the “weakest link” in the musculoskeletal system is the joints and ligaments. Bones and muscles are a profitable business :)). Muscles hurt from exertion, but then go away without consequences, joints are easy to get cold or overload, and ligaments are “torn” (which is what representatives of “severe” sports suffer from, such as volleyball - basketball - tennis). That’s why you need to be careful when choosing a gear when driving (read: pedaling frequency and, accordingly, load). And if an increased frequency does not threaten anything other than excessive fatigue, then excessive load at a low cadence without proper preparation (I repeat - WITHOUT preparation!) already leads to complications, which can then be remembered for a very long time. Yes, and with preparation...
Joints, unlike muscles, do not move or exercise , and cannot be protected. And in case of injury, they are practically not restored, except perhaps by surgery. Torn ligaments also do not heal; restoration of a torn ligament is only possible by sewing in a prosthesis. Yes, even stretched ligaments are not fully restored. So joints and ligaments should not be overloaded, but protected from stress and hypothermia. (Although, to complete the picture, it is worth mentioning that in some places we came across references to the existence of joint training methods - but we have not yet been able to find it.)
It has already been said that when riding a bicycle, the knee joints are in an unnatural position. And the loads are correspondingly different. It’s even worse to ride with incorrectly established contacts, with the wrong seating, with the wrong cadence, with the wrong technique... Previously, at cycling schools, trainers were very careful about this, says Alexey Nikandrov, a cycling school coach, Asbest: “There are no problems with knees at a cycling school, because From the first days we teach pedaling frequency, approximately 100 and at least 80. Classes - 6 days a week. Warm-up, including flexibility and general physical training. Jumps, 200–300–400 times, depending on the athlete’s readiness. The correct installation of contact pedals is very important. If you put it crookedly, the joint works asymmetrically, and you can ruin it very quickly, literally in just a few workouts.
There can be two main causes of knee pain - ligaments/muscles or poor lubrication of the joint capsules (this greatly depends on nutrition) and other joint problems. It is absolutely not a fact that both knees will hurt at once - only one can hurt.
If these pains appear at the beginning of the season, then the reason may be that you have not yet skated.
No one can say 100 percent about the reasons. A sports doctor specializing in this topic can clarify a lot about knees during a personal examination (we hope you are aware that sports doctors and ordinary doctors are two big differences and four small ones).
It could be anything from a bruise to salt deposits. If the pain becomes regular, then it is probably better to see a doctor - joints are too serious a thing.
We will not intimidate our reader with the terrible details of arthritis-arthrosis and other ankylosis (who doesn’t know - complete fusion of articular surfaces with a complete absence of movement in the joint) - those interested can find the details on their own (for example, in the article by Alexey Kavelin “The problem of the knees” and how to solve it) to avoid ). We will only mention pain, limited mobility, and an increase in the size of the knees due to swelling of the joints. Ask yourself: do you need it? Moreover, to prevent this from occurring, you need to know and follow the very simple rules listed below.
Reason : Dehydration. Not drinking enough on the road - lack of fluid in the body again leads to a decrease in the amount of lubricant secreted in the knee. Moreover, water leaves the joints before the body begins to feel thirsty. Solution Drink every 20 minutes, even if it’s cold or you don’t feel like it, it’s better to drink isotonic drinks to maintain salt balance and replenish carbohydrate losses.
By the way. and drink less soda, as they say it washes out that very calcium from the body.
Non-carbonated mineral water is best, and it is advisable to change it constantly.
We must also remember about desalting the body. It occurs precisely as a result of prolonged and profuse sweating, which is facilitated by heat and heavy drinking. Therefore, even in hot weather, you need to drink less, preferably some kind of mineral water (even better, a special mixture - an isotonic solution), which at least partially replenishes the salts in the body. You can add a little regular salt to the water, if it doesn’t taste good - on the contrary, sugar (although the effectiveness of this is questionable) and acid...
If you don’t drink, your knee joints will become damaged, it’s all very simple. Of course, if you’re not driving at a comfortable pace, you’re working. And again, everything is very individual.
Reason - Low cadence The lower the rotation speed, the more effort on the pedal, and therefore on the knee joints. Joints and ligaments are injured not by speed, but by force. It's better to do it often and easily than hard and slowly. Pedaling slowly with a heavy load is slowly killing your knee joints.
Some people believe that when driving in high gears, the legs “swing steeply.” We want to disappoint them - they don’t “sway”, but “get stuck.” That is, muscle mobility is lost and increased stress on the joints occurs. First there was delight: “Wow!” I’m spinning slowly, but I’m going fast!”, and then it hurts excruciatingly... but nothing can be done - the joints are “beyond repair.”
It's not just that low cadence is bad. A low cadence is harmful when a high gear is selected and it is simply impossible to pedal more often. Those. pedaling turns out to be forceful. If you pedal like this for a long time, it is harmful for your knee joints. In this case, it is necessary to lower the gear and maintain the desired speed at the expense of a higher cadence.
Solution The solution is to drive in EASY gears, pedaling quickly; in the first gear you may feel as if you are idling). A healthy cadence is more than 60-70. Racers sometimes spin 160-180. The old road rule: cadence within 80-100 (110 is certainly cool, but you shouldn’t stupidly chase it!), plus the saying: lung hurts - shift down, legs hurt - shift up. Alternatively, don’t turn it at all. That is, spin, but in “short bursts.” Remember another saying: “It’s better to talk than to break.”
The optimal mode, both in terms of efficiency and load on the knees, is considered to be 100–110 rpm. True, without warming up you won’t be able to rotate so quickly.
It's better for your legs to spin faster. Without, of course, taking this to the point of absurdity. Depending on the load, the cadence should be kept in the range of 80 - 120 rpm (the greater the load, the higher the cadence). More - this is for athletes because it’s still difficult to turn so quickly.
It should be added that an excessively high cadence is also harmful. Each has its own limits: one has a maximum of 80, while the other holds 100.
If you are riding easy (for example, with a tailwind), you can, of course, lower the cadence to 75 (lower is simply pointless, IMHO), but pushing at such a cadence is really extremely tiring for the joints.
When to switch? When it becomes uncomfortable, then switch. Discomfort is either “wobbly” (too small a gear) or “breaking” (too big). The first is preferable - you won’t overload your joints. Try to adhere to the “less is more” rule - when you’re just riding, of course. That is, keep the gear on the verge of “chattering” - about 39x19 for 28 km/h or 39x17 for 30–32. “Dummies” can do it simpler: as soon as it becomes difficult (or quickly) - switch.
Contact pedals (or, in extreme cases, toe clips) allow you to really unload the knee and raise the cadence - it is much easier to maintain a high cadence in them. First of all, the contacts allow you to better distribute the load on the legs: work occurs along the entire stroke of the connecting rod. This increases efficiency and relieves stress on the knees.
Another opinion is that contacts and toe clips have nothing to do with it. Only the nature of the load on the muscles depends on the toe clips and contact pedals. And the maximum cadence depends solely on training. By the way, a computer with a cadence sensor is very useful for this - it allows you to monitor your cadence and maintain it even when extremely tired. Of course, it’s quite difficult to bring your cadence to the level of a professional messenger, and, in general, it’s not really necessary, but to bring it to a normal level of 75–80 is easy if you just monitor your cadence and switch not when it gets hard, but when the cadence will drop.
Pay attention to the technique - strictly speaking, you should not “press”, but “twist”. That is, press in the front, pull up in the back, and in the “dead spots” - above and below - “bring.” It’s easy to say... But training is long and tedious - on the machine, on long winter evenings :). Or in the mountains, where every movement counts and whether you like it or not, you have to turn it correctly.
To develop cadence, there is an exercise - you put in a gear with a ratio of 2.1-2.4 in the morning and ride like that all day, uphill, downhill, fast and slow. It is very useful. We recommend doing this in gear 44-18.
IMHO, something like general physical training should help - doing pull-ups on a horizontal bar, doing push-ups, etc. - it strengthens bones, joints, tendons. After a couple of months of light training with a barbell, all the consequences of old injuries completely disappeared - my shoulder joints hurt.
You can try increasing the cadence and accustoming your joints to the load by rolling a little, but as often as possible. Ideally, go home every day, as soon as your knee hurts.
Train your joint not only with a bicycle. Gymnastics, swimming pool, exercise equipment (carefully!) - the best.
The point about high cadence and low load on the legs and knees also has a downside, because in addition to the joint, the ligaments of the joint can also hurt. If you ride a bike a lot and hardly walk, the knee ligaments partially atrophy and it becomes easy to get injured in normal life or from any accidental jerk while riding. I think in this case it is worth sometimes training the knee ligaments, for example with a small amount of squats. Enough without additional load.
Cause : Unheated and/or cold knees/joints. When pedaling, the knees are heavily loaded, and on bad roads and uphill they work in extreme mode. Knee joints are easy to damage if they are “cold”, not warmed up, and it is easy to get cold in the fall and winter - in this case, a sufficient amount of lubricant is not produced in the joint (its viscosity is too high), the load and friction increase.
More about how you can kill your knees - riding in ventilated cycling pants. It is VERY easy to get frostbite on the knee joint. Relevant in winter.
Solution: Before leaving, do (at home) 15–20 squats.
The first few kilometers go at a very calm pace.
Apply warming ointments and put on warm knee pads; at temperatures below +20, knee insulation is mandatory, even if you ride in shorts, your knees must be insulated!
Warming agents (sports rubs, pepper patches) serve to provide more favorable conditions for the functioning of synovial fluid when pedaling in difficult weather conditions: low air temperature, rain, etc. Some cyclists in road races use woolen fasteners to “warm” the knee joints sleeves from cycling shirts. It is not recommended to use knee pads made of elastic fabrics, which are widely used in sports.
You can also mark an extremely soft skein with an elastic bandage, 2 hours before the trip. the knees themselves warm up quite a bit, even without finalgon and the like. The load on a “warm” joint is much less harmful. The main thing is not to catch a cold and keep it warm all the time.
In normal times, harden the joints (with cold water from the shower, and it’s better not just the knee, but the whole body).
A knee brace will help prevent these misfortunes. If there are no problems, then simple, elastic. In severe frosts - with neoprene and insulation. If you are prone to damage, and after injuries, it is better to use special joint bandages. Knee pads and bandages perform several tasks simultaneously:
Sometimes, even in the warm season, it is worth putting on a knee brace at the beginning of a trip to quickly warm up the knee joint.
In the fall, you will need more clothing: it becomes possible to catch a cold in your joints, and this is already fraught with rheumatic diseases.
You also need to be careful to keep your feet warm. In the rain, it is better not to drive at all or to ride in waterproof, warm pants. In winter, also dress so that your feet are not cold.
Cause - Overload of the knees due to incorrect fit Solution Change the fit: saddle angle/post height/stem/handlebar - all this allows you to change the fit within good limits. Dan Prozorovsky: At first I also suffered. There was a short, slightly raised stem and a CC steering wheel. Either your hands go numb, then your butt, then your knees ache. I couldn't find the right fit.
Now it costs 72 cm of handlebar (ITM Millenium DH with butting and rising), horns, a long stem with a negative angle (looks strange, but it’s comfortable for ME), Bontraiger post, and a simple IKE saddle. The frame is 22 inches, but I myself am 120 kg and 2 meters. Max. mileage per day - 200 km. Asphalt/soil. No negative emotions, except for slight pain in the muscles (and only because I was pushing uphill like a locomotive). After swimming and taking ascorbic acid with gluconates/orotates the next morning everything is OK. Yes, also a double-crown fork, 130 mm. Really working.
Reason : Overload of the knees due to a low saddle. A low saddle is understandable, it’s the same as walking half-bent. Solution Raise the saddle so that the leg is fully straightened at the lowest point.
Lift and ride, then lift again, etc. until it becomes decidedly more uncomfortable.
Cause - Incorrect fore/aft adjustment of the saddle The kneecap should be above the pedal axle when the pedal is at the three o'clock position. Solution Adjust the saddle using a plumb bob.
Cause - Overload of the knees due to incorrect position of the foot on the pedal Solution Place the foot correctly relative to the pedal axis (so that the base of the big toe is strictly above the pedal axis).
Many people, after they are diagnosed with arthrosis, begin to lead a sedentary lifestyle, fearing to once again disturb the diseased joint. Meanwhile, many types of activity are not only not dangerous, but even useful in such a situation.
Skiing is one of the most favorite winter activities in our country. It may seem strange, but the load on the knee and hip joints during a ski walk is even less than during normal walking. It is reduced by sliding: we take fewer steps, so the impact of body weight on the legs is reduced. Therefore, doctors recommend that people suffering from arthrosis regularly ski, alternating such walks with walking in winter.
If you have arthrosis of the knee or hip joint, doctors prohibit jogging and aerobics and ask you to avoid activities associated with lifting weights.
At the same time, the muscles of the thigh and lower leg work, blood circulation improves, and therefore nutrition of the joint, and its mobility increases.
During the warm season, you can also ride a real bicycle. In addition to a good load, it also gives a positive emotional charge.
Visiting a sauna or bathhouse is useful for many problems with the musculoskeletal system, and arthrosis is no exception. Thermal procedures lead to increased blood circulation and improved nutrition of the joints.
Heat helps relieve muscle spasms, which often occur in the affected area, and strengthens and makes the ligaments more elastic. And profuse sweating allows you to remove decay products from the body and activates regeneration processes.
It is possible and necessary to maintain physical activity and enjoy it with arthrosis. But in reality this is only outside the acute period of the disease, when the joint is not too bothered. With severe pain syndrome, this is simply impossible, because in such situations a person not only cannot ski or visit the steam room, but is forced to move around his own apartment with a cane.
Therefore, after diagnosis, it is important to get the disease under control as quickly as possible. This is not only about pain relief, but also about maintaining metabolism in cartilage tissue. The main goal of treating arthrosis is to stop further destruction of intra-articular cartilage. For this purpose, drugs from the group of chondroprotectors are used, which increase the moisture content in cartilage, increase its elasticity and strength, and stimulate regeneration processes in it.
Such products can be made on the basis of chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine, or a combination of both. These are substances that are normally found in the human body and support the functioning of cartilage tissue. However, with arthrosis, there is a deficiency of them that needs to be replenished.
Chondroprotectors are taken in courses that last at least three months and then repeated regularly. You should not stop taking medications ahead of time, even if you feel much better. Only this approach can ensure the joy of movement.
Arthrosis is a widespread disease that affects people of different genders and ages. For many, the presence of arthrosis is the main reason for reducing physical activity to a minimum and switching to a sedentary lifestyle. However, often such a decision can lead not only to a lack of improvement in health, but also to the development of side diseases.
In this article, we will help you figure out whether you can ride a bicycle with arthrosis, as well as how to keep your joints normal with the help of cycling.
Arthrosis is deformation or splitting of the cartilage tissue covering the joint, which sooner or later can lead to disability. There are two types of arthrosis, concentrated in the lower extremities of a person: arthrosis of the knee and arthrosis of the hip joints. In both cases, patients experience aching or sharp pain at the site of joint inflammation, which can radiate to the lower regions of the legs.
Most often, older people are susceptible to arthrosis, in whose bodies irreversible aging processes sooner or later begin to occur, as well as cycling enthusiasts who place an unreasonably large load on their body during training or marathons. However, excessive physical activity is not the only factor in the development of arthrosis in cyclists.
For example, improper cadence (the number of revolutions of the pedals per minute) during long cycling, coupled with regular dehydration during intense cycling, can also cause the joint to begin to put more pressure on the cartilage tissue and deform it, causing inflammation.
Despite the fact that improper riding can cause the development of arthrosis, this does not mean that cycling if you already have arthrosis is harmful to your health. During leisurely movement, the joints move smoothly, along with them a moderate load is placed on the muscles of the thigh and lower leg, which leads to improved blood circulation and, as a result, nutrition of the joints.
Overall, cycling can be an excellent therapeutic exercise for restoring the function of your joints. However, there are a number of restrictions that should be taken into account by patients with arthrosis to ensure safe driving:
• Cycling is contraindicated for people with acute arthrosis, during which joint pain intensifies. In such cases, it is necessary to first remove the inflammation with medication or with the help of physiotherapy, after which you can try to put minimal stress on the legs.
• At the initial stage, you can train on an exercise bike, as it can provide the safest conditions for movement of your legs. Then you can move on to riding a real bicycle, but in this case you should avoid unwanted hypothermia and falling from the bicycle.
• At the first stage of training, it is advisable to spend no more than 30 minutes on cycling. If after several trips the pain does not reappear, then you can gradually increase the driving time to 40-50 minutes. If the pain intensifies while riding, you should put the bike down and consult a specialist.
• Uneven surfaces and significant inclines should be avoided when cycling, as this can place undue stress on the joints and, as a result, create unwanted microtraumas that can aggravate their condition.
• The bike itself should be a sports or semi-sports type due to its light weight. In this case, you should install the steering wheel so that the handles are directed upwards. In addition, the saddle must be adjusted correctly. With a properly installed saddle, you will be able to fully straighten your leg while applying maximum pressure to the bicycle pedal.
Thus, moderate and careful cycling is not only not dangerous, but even desirable for people suffering from arthrosis. And the most positive therapeutic effect from training is achievable only with regular trips - this way you will not only strengthen your joints, but also be able to maintain their normal functioning.
An exercise bike for arthrosis of the knee joint is an important part of the treatment and rehabilitation of the joint in the presence of a pronounced degenerative-dystrophic process. Despite the fact that with arthrosis that has damaged the knee joint, even the slightest movement causes pain to a person, you still cannot completely immobilize the joint and exclude sports, as this will only accelerate the process of destruction of cartilage tissue.
The knee joint is the largest joint in the human body, and it not only serves to provide movement, but also supports the weight of the entire body when walking. It is the lack of necessary physical activity that in most cases is a predisposing factor for a decrease in the nutrition of the joint tissue and the beginning of the process of destruction of cartilage, synovial membrane and other elements of the joint.
It is worth noting that increased physical activity, including professional sports, can also provoke knee arthrosis. Knee injuries are common when playing sports. New and old injuries are a catalyst for disruption of the entire joint and lead first to tissue scarring, and then to malnutrition and degenerative destruction. Playing sports as a treatment after an injury that has caused the development of arthrosis must be done in extremely measured doses, and only after consulting a doctor.
Mostly arthrosis occurs without a pronounced inflammatory process, but this is not always the case. As a rule, if arthrosis is provoked by an acute joint injury, then a pronounced inflammatory process may be present. The use of physiotherapy is possible only in the absence of severe inflammation, since in this case sports can cause a worsening of the disease and the occurrence of injury.
If there is no inflammation, but there are signs of degenerative processes, it is very important to determine the stage of the disease, since the specificity and intensity of physical activity necessary to achieve a positive effect depends on this. In the treatment of arthrosis, sport is very useful and is even a necessary condition for restoring joint mobility, in addition, improving tissue nutrition, which will help eliminate or slow down the degenerative-dystrophic process. Among other things, sports can reduce the risk of developing muscle atrophy, which is not uncommon.
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint is a very dangerous disease that can completely destroy the joint in a short time, so it is very important to carry out therapy under the supervision of a doctor, since only in this case can the disease be defeated. The basis of treatment should be medications, and physical activity can speed up the process of restoring joint health, but they must be strictly dosed and agreed upon with both the attending physician and the physiotherapist. Physiotherapy is used after the acute period has stopped.
Walking, cycling and exercise bike can significantly improve the condition of the knee joints with arthrosis of the 1st and 2nd degrees, and the training can be long and intense. If grade 3 arthrosis occurs, you should be very careful when planning your training, since damage to the joint at this stage is very serious and awkward movement can lead to injury.
In the treatment of arthrosis, sport causes great discomfort to the patient, but it is extremely important, as it can significantly speed up metabolism and recovery processes, and in addition, sport allows you to lose weight, which will contribute to the speedy recovery of the joint affected by arthrosis. The main symptoms of the appearance of a degenerative-dystrophic process are:
All these symptoms make training much more difficult, because the patient feels not only obvious discomfort in the knee, but also pain. There are many different options for physical therapy used for arthrosis, including swimming, massage, therapeutic exercises, etc. Among other things, most doctors recommend walking, cycling and exercise on an exercise bike.
Most people can afford to buy a bicycle or an exercise bike, so therapy can be carried out not only in a hospital physiotherapy room, but also at home. Walking, cycling and exercise bike provide different loads. It may seem to many that walking is the least intense process, which can act as physiotherapy even in late stages of arthrosis, but this is not entirely true. In fact, using a bicycle allows you to load your knee and hip joints much less than when walking, and an exercise bike allows you to choose the optimal mode for any severity of the disease, because, as a rule, such units have a built-in computer that allows you to regulate the degree of load.
When walking, the injured joint is subject to not only the stress associated with motor activity in the joint itself, but also the load of the weight of the entire body. The bicycle is much easier to carry, since in this case the body weight is supported by the seat, and the knee joints bear a relatively small load associated with the pressure on the pedals. In addition, if a regular bicycle is used for physiotherapy, then part of the resulting load is transferred to the ligaments and muscles, so the overload of the damaged structures is minimal. An exercise bike is used to create an optimal load at all stages of knee arthrosis, and this method of rehabilitation is extremely convenient, because the patient can exercise in any weather in the comfort of home.
In most cases, cycling, running and walking are used to create an optimal training regimen for stages 1 and 2 of arthrosis. In later stages, cycling as well as walking can be used, but to a more limited extent. In order not to damage your knee even more, you should pay attention to exercise on an exercise bike.
Even if the patient can purchase an exercise bike or has the opportunity to visit a gym or physiotherapy room, the intensity of training should be determined by a doctor, since sports can be harmful and cause new injuries. As a rule, a combination of different methods of loading the knee is prescribed.
At the initial stage of rehabilitation, loads should be low-intensity and short-term. If the patient exercises at home, it is recommended to use the exercise bike for about 3-5 minutes, and the joint should not be heavily loaded. At the same time, training can be done very often, for example, every hour. Approximately 1.5 weeks after the start of a course of therapeutic exercises and exercise on an exercise bike, you can begin to gradually increase the load and duration of the lesson. In this case, an exercise bike for arthrosis of the knee joint will allow you to create an optimally rising smooth load on the damaged joint, which will eliminate the possibility of worsening the problem or muscle atrophy.
Rehabilitation of a knee joint after replacement is a very long process. In the first 2-3 months, it is worth gradually increasing the duration of training on an exercise bike to 30 minutes, and the number of training sessions should be reduced to 3-6 per day. The intensity of training should be constantly monitored and adjusted to provide the joint with the necessary tension and activate recovery processes.
A bicycle is called the healthiest means of transportation. However, the mode of movement on it is associated with the relative immobility of the upper half of the body, and the repetitive, stereotypical movements of the lower half of the body. Sometimes, after cycling, various painful sensations arise in the muscles of the legs and arms, and this is understandable. But if your knee joints hurt after cycling, is this normal? And what does this have to do with?
A bicycle is a unique tool, not only for transportation, transportation of light loads, travel, but also a wonderful health-improving simulator. If we consider it from this point of view, then, first of all, it is intended for training the cardiovascular, respiratory systems, as well as the musculoskeletal system. While riding, of course, the vestibular apparatus and sensory organs are trained.
Like any workout that puts stress on your muscles, cycling can also cause pain. This pain is associated with stress on the striated muscles of the legs and arms. This load is different: the leg muscles (anterior thigh muscles and posterior shin muscles) work with simple support on the pedal, and when using toe clips, antagonist muscles are also involved.
It is these muscles that experience “trained fatigue,” as they should be. When riding with your arms, there is a completely different problem: there is no alternating muscle work, and in the case of using a mountain bike, for example, their static tension arises, associated with their much greater load. Why is this happening? After all, on a mountain bike, a person is leaned forward, and his arms take on the weight of the body, or more precisely, the upper half of the cyclist’s body. Therefore, a mountain bike is adapted for rough terrain, then the arms move.
What to do if your knees hurt after cycling? Here we can talk, first of all, about elderly people. What situation occurs with arthrosis of the knee joint.
Arthrosis is a dystrophic-degenerative disease in which gradual destruction and deformation of the articular cartilage of the knee joints occurs. The disease manifests itself as gradual progression, the occurrence of pain after exercise, as well as “starting” pain after the start of movement. Subsequently, a crunch occurs, limited mobility in the knee joint with possible deformation.
Why do knee joints hurt after cycling?
The fact is that during the “exploitation” of the knee joints they experience significant relief. This may seem paradoxical, but even at the most frequent cadence, cycling protects both the knees and hip joints. After all, if you think about it, the cyclist mostly sits, and only occasionally, and not every day, “screws up the hill,” standing on straight legs.
And if a person moves while sitting, then the main supporting point of half the body weight is the buttocks. And, therefore, all underlying joints bear absolutely no load. First of all, this concerns the hip joint (of course, we are not talking about aggressive skating styles). In these cases, joint protection and bone integrity are in question.
As for the knee joint, it only bears the weight of the femur located above it. And even then only when the pedal is at bottom dead center. When the pedal approaches top dead center, the pressure of the articular surfaces of the femur on the cartilage is reduced to almost zero. And since during this time a person managed to travel a much greater distance than walking, it becomes clear that it is impossible to think of a more gentle means of transportation for arthrosis of the knee joint than a bicycle.
Of course, many may argue: “if your knees hurt after driving, then change to a car.” It’s hard to even imagine greater nonsense. This is very bad advice, and here's why:
The above can be explained with a simple example. Imagine that you spent forty-five minutes in a movie or theater. If you are a middle-aged person, you will probably get out of your chair at intermission with a limp, even with some pain in your knees, and you will have to take two or three false steps before you can walk normally. And if you have ridden these forty minutes on a bicycle, then you will jump to the ground with ease.
Therefore, if your knees hurt after cycling, there is nothing to worry about. In the same case, if there is pain in the knees when riding a bicycle, and, moreover, constantly, then this is a reason to be examined. After all, it is not only the load that is to blame for pain, although this is the most common reason for its occurrence. Sometimes the very fact of intense movement, even without load, can cause pain. This may be a sign of arthritis, or inflammation of the joint, including its capsule.
Remember: cycling is useful for arthrosis of the knee joint; it is both a means of treatment and a means of prevention.
If you have arthritis or an inflammatory lesion, what should you do? It is better to rest your limbs and consult a doctor.
Signs of arthritis, as opposed to arthrosis, are the following:
Arthritis can occur after injury, hypothermia while driving, due to tuberculosis, brucellosis, tick-borne borreliosis, and many other diseases.
You can ride a bicycle with arthritis only when the swelling has decreased, the pain has disappeared, the elevated temperature of the soft tissues over the joint has dropped and its function has been completely restored.
If these pains occur during movement, then, most likely, due to some processes in the joint there may simply not be enough joint fluid, and you need to consult a doctor. If your knees hurt at rest, then you just need to try to reduce the load, and after trips use Ketonal, Viprosal, Apizartron ointments.
The first of them belongs to the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and the rest contain snake and bee venom. They help well with joint and muscle pain. Every cyclist should have such equipment with them.
Arthrosis of the knee joint 2 degrees is a degenerative-dystrophic disease that affects the musculoskeletal system. The disease is characterized by the development of destructive processes inside the knee joint, which leads to damage to the integrity of the hyaline cartilage.
Arthrosis localized in the knee area is called gonarthrosis. This type of disease develops more often than other types of arthrosis, since the knees experience maximum load, supporting the weight of the human body, and when performing a wide range of movements.
Most often, arthrosis of the knees develops against the background of the following factors:
Arthrosis develops gradually. The most severe and practically irreversible form of the disease is stage 4, which is characterized by the formation of severe persistent deformations inside the joint.
The most positive prognosis for the patient’s health is when arthrosis is diagnosed at the 1st stage of development; however, not everyone succeeds in detecting the disease at the earliest stage of its formation. Many people who feel slight pain or discomfort in their knee attribute it to fatigue.
Experts have noticed that most often patients with arthrosis of the 2nd degree of development, as it later becomes obvious, turn to a rheumatologist.
The destructive process with gonarthrosis occurs as follows:
The above processes occur sequentially depending on the degree of development of arthrosis.
The following symptoms indicate the development of grade 2 arthrosis of the knee joint:
To establish a diagnosis, a specialist conducts an external examination of the patient, collects an anamnesis and prescribes an X-ray examination.
On x-rays with grade 2 gonarthrosis, the following changes are visible:
As a rule, grade 2 arthrosis of the knee joint threatens the patient with loss of ability to work. Once a diagnosis of grade 2 arthrosis of the knee joint has been made, treatment should be provided in a timely manner, which will help stop further destructive processes and prevent the development of irreversible consequences of the disease.
Treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint 2 degrees is represented by the following methods:
As a rule, there is no need for surgery for grade 2 knee arthrosis, since the disease at this stage of development is reversible.
Treatment of arthrosis of the 2nd degree is aimed at the following therapeutic goals:
A course of complex therapy is compiled by a qualified specialist individually for each patient. Do not self-medicate.
When prescribing therapeutic procedures, the following factors are taken into account:
Experts are of the opinion that today there is no more effective way to influence this disease than timely initiation of drug therapy. Let's consider what medications and how to treat grade 2 arthrosis of the knee joint.
For gonarthrosis of the 2nd degree of development, the following groups of medications are used:
As a rule, drug treatment of arthrosis of the knee joint at the 2nd stage of development is effective, since irreversible pathological changes characteristic of the later stages of this lesion of the musculoskeletal system have not yet formed in the patient’s body.
Therapeutic gymnastics for grade 2 knee arthrosis involves performing a set of exercises developed by a qualified physiotherapist. Therapeutic exercise will help to activate metabolic and blood circulation processes in the area of the affected joint, and also strengthen atrophied muscles.
Patients with grade 2 gonarthrosis need to systematically perform the following exercises:
Therapeutic gymnastics for grade 2 knee arthrosis involves both dynamic and static load on the knees, which helps to effectively achieve therapeutic goals.
Also know additional exercises for grade 2 arthrosis of the knee joint from the video:
Treatment of grade 2 arthrosis of the knee joint with folk remedies is represented by the following recipes:
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Topic author: Lari (03 Feb 2011 14:06)
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