Riding back from an overnight camping trip at Mineral Wells State Park yesterday, my knee told me that if I abide by a very strict "No Hammering" contract and religiously wear a strap around my leg under the kneecap, that it will agree to going along with me on this whole crazy Coast to the Coast idea. The strap made the difference. It went from "Freakin' OW!" to to "Huh - that didn't hurt..." in about 3 miles. Stayed like that for the next 40 miles. Yay, strap.
That said, a month basically off bike made me weak. I'll be commuting again as of tomorrow.
Pics from the park are at home. I'll throw them up. later
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4 comments:
Truman, I'd love to know what strap you are using. I too have had knee problems, mostly because I didn't build a great base last winter and rode hard all season long. Now I am paying for it. Did you use a Chopat?
I couldn't find one. This one's a Walgreen's neoprene strap about 1.5" that goes under the patella. In front there is a hard 'roll' that presses on the connective tissue. Directions say put it in the area closest to the pain, so I had it above the patella at first and that did nothing - maybe made it worse - but once I got it under the kneecap, I was much, much better.
I always thought those things were placebos at best, but it's not true. It keeps the tendon/ligament/whatever from popping back and forth over the bone and getting irritated.
I'm also doing tons of IT band stretches, and squats & lunges to get the backs of my legs in proportion to the fronts.
Man, that is awesome!! Glad to hear you're feeling better. As a type, my knees are killing me. I had a father-daughter dance over the weekend and we almost won the "twist" competition. Now I'm paying for it. The good news is I rode into work tonight and they aren't any worse after riding.
Here's what I'm using:
http://tinyurl.com/3y99ne
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