Forums >Health and Nutrition>Knee injury and bike riding for rehab
Old , Ugly and slow
I strained my meniscus on the 17th. It is getting better. I am wearing a brace but I have some pain.
Would it be a mistake to use a exercise bike. The ER DR told me to rest it but she did not give me a time frame.
first race sept 1977 last race sept 2007
2019 goals 1000 miles , 190 pounds , deadlift 400 touch my toes
rectumdamnnearkilledem
I would exercise extreme caution with this...and ONLY if your doc gives the OK. Keep the cadence very high...I'm thinking anything under 90rpm is likely too much "mashing" on a healing knee. And make certain the saddle height is correct--too high or too low will not be kind to your knee. Knees are dumb and not babying them when they are hurt just makes them behave stupidly even longer.
Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to
remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.
~ Sarah Kay
I have long legs why would a too high of a seat be bad. It is old exercise bike the speedometer is broken.
I think the reference to the height of the seat is because the height of the seat will change the range of motion your knee goes through and were the strain will be.
As someone who grew up having knee issues I wouldn't bike while healing. I agree with the comment that knees are dumb and if not taken care of properly from the beginning can take a lot longer to heal.
Steph
“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” John Burroughs
Too high for YOU. Too high can put strain on the backs of your knees, too low the front. Improper seat height can tweak all sorts of things.
How much can you adjust tension on this bike? Unless you can spin really easy I'd definitely encourage you to think twice. My MIL had meniscus surgery years ago and overdid/rushed things on her return to running...and eventually quit running altogether, because she continued to have issues.
Ask your doctor what he/she recommends.
The tension can be adjusted to nothing. I have not done anything yet. I guess I will will wait untill the pain goes away
That's really probably the smartest plan. And with knee stuff sometimes trying to carefully work through an injury only serves to extend the injury (ask me how I know this...).
I am going to rest and just do some lifting and stretching. I am old heavy and that knee has always bothered me. The injury was stepping in a hole working in the yard and not while running. I have been trail running since aug 1 which has been better for my knees
I am going to rest and just do some lifting and stretching. I am old heavy and that knee has always bothered me. The injury was stepping in a hole working in the yard and not while running. I have been trail running since aug 1 which has better for my knees
Heh, we have 2 spots in our house that always trip me up...literally. There is a step-down into our kitchen. Several times I have been carrying laundry and misjudged where the step is (generally stepping too early, then tripping when my foot comes down not on the step, but on the floor I'm on). And the top step to our upstairs is a bit shorter than the rest...that one gets me in a similar way. Yay, 1920s house! I've given myself several short-term knee bang-ups from these things.
Singer who runs a smidge
I'm dealing with chondromalacia, so not the same thing. However, my doc advised against bike riding until the pain was gone. Swimming and elliptical are ok.
When it's all said and done, no one remembers how far we have run. The only thing that matters is how we have loved.
Even if she doesn't explain why, Zoomy is a very smart woman and she knows (seemingly) what she's talking about.
If you have a knee problem, I would not recommend biking--like Zoomy said, depending on the angle of your legs, more often than not, biking actually put a lot of stress on your knee joints. You have to feel your way; swimming or pool running wouldn't put much stress on your knee joints; elliptical maybe a little depending on how you do it--frankly, I would still stay away from it... Any sort of "pushing" or "grinding" motion, if the problem is meniscus, I would stay away from. I know it wouldn't give you too many choices. I think the only time you can actually bike is if you can strap your feet to the pedal and apply the pulling action instead of pushing. Even then, I would "talk to your knees" very closely.
Yeah, the clipless pedals/toe-clips point is a really good one...I forget that a lot of folks are working with flat pedals. Only being able to push would make it additionally difficult to ride with a lighter, faster cadence.
Another thing that makes me think further that it's perhaps not a good idea to switch to cycling now is that you don't already have all those pedaling-focused muscles. You could very well end up tweaking things in such a way that they aggravate your knee further as muscles tighten. If you already had a strong cycling background that might change things. Even swimming might be unwise, as Nobby pointed out.
I would really see what your doc recommends.
I am going to listen to everyone here and my wife and just rest untill the pain goes away.