Knee pain during cardio

shygemini

shygemini

New member
I was hoping i could get some advice about this. In about the past month and a half or so I have been noticing my right knee bothers me at times during cardio, particularly during my spin class (which i do 2 times a week). I am wondering whether this is due to my bike not being set up correctly? I have checked with the instructor and they were not much help, i showed them how it was set up and they said it was fine. I am thinking it might be someting to do with my seat height, but not sure whether it should be higher or lower. I also will sometimes feel it bothering me during my step aerobics class but not to nearly the same extent, and my feeling is that this is leftover pain from my spin class.

My workout schedule is usually:
Mon- day off
Tues- 1 hour boxercise
Wed- 45 min spin
Thurs- day off
Fri- Step aerobics, 1 hour
Sat- Spin, 1 hour
Sun- weight lifting, 1 hour

I also walk to and from work every day, it is 10 minutes each way.

I eat between 2100-2400 calories per day (normally between 2200-2350 calories), and i eat 5 or 6 times a day. I don't think this has anything to do with the question i'm asking but i included it just in case.

I find it strange that this problem started now, when i've been going relgiously to the gym for almost 2 years now, doing both cardio and weights. I change up my schedule every once in awhile but i've always gone between 4-5 times a week, adding new classes to keep my interest.

I thought the problem might be related to my shoes i was working out in, so i bought new ones (and found my foot had shrunk which means the old ones were too big and likely not supportive enough). I've had my new shoes about a month and the pain is better although still not completely gone.

I don't hear any noises (clicking, grinding etc) from my knee, and it is more of a dull pain then anything.

Any advice is welcome!
 
Questions:
Where at in your knee is it?

How bad is the pain?
(if it is hindering you, you should probably go check with a doctor as opposed to asking on the internet)

Can you reproduce the pain by applying pressure to where it usually hurts?

Ideas:
I don't hear any noises (clicking, grinding etc
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Excellent! That should help rule out damage to your meniscus.

If it is just a dull pain in the front part of your knee that is aggrivated by workouts, it could be patellar tendonitis. If that is what it is, that sucks. I've had that multiple times, and it is no fun.

Try taking a couple advil (or generic Ibpr) before your workout, and then ice where it hurts afterwards.

my $.02
 
Thank you so much for the speedy reply! :)

To answer your questions:

Where at in your knee is it? Hm, not something i've thought about too much but on the sides i believe (or maybe the front?). It definately isn't behind the knee. I'll pay better attention next time.

How bad is the pain? It really isn't that bad. It is just a dull achey pain, it doesn't last long during my workouts, and i do not have to stop my workout because of it. It is more annoying then anything..when i am trying to push myself during my exercise class and am unable to because my knee is bothering me.

Can you reproduce the pain by applying pressure to where it usually hurts?
No i can't, i only notice this pain while i am working out. I just tried applying pressure all over my knee right now and there was no pain.

Patellar tendonitis : I looked up what that was on google just now, and it sounds like it *could* be the case, although it said it is diagnosed by being able to duplicate the pain by pressure on the knee (which i can't do). It did remind me that quite some time ago during my step class we were doing a stomping move across the step and it really bothered my knee...maybe that is where this all stems from. I don't do that move anymore.

Could i be putting too much stress on my knee by doing jumping jacks at my weight? I never used to do these but my fitness level has improved drastically and i have no problem doing them now during my classes.
 
Could i be putting too much stress on my knee by doing jumping jacks at my weight? I never used to do these but my fitness level has improved drastically and i have no problem doing them now during my classes.
Click to expand...

If you are asking on a strict weight basis, then the answer is: Maybe. I used to do 500 jumping jacks before and after practices in college, and I weighed a lot more than you do, and they was never the cause. But then again, I am not you, and you are not me, so my anecdotal evidence is bunk.

However, jumping jacks are more of a calf / foot exercise, though, so i would think not. The jumping that they were talking about in what you read about patellar tendonitis refers more to flexed-knee to full extension jumping, not what you do in jumping jacks.
 
hm, well i don't do alot of jumping outside of jumping jacks! i guess i'll just listen to my body and stop doing anything if it is too painful. Things seem a bit better the past couple of days.
 
hm, well i don't do alot of jumping outside of jumping jacks! i guess i'll just listen to my body and stop doing anything if it is too painful. Things seem a bit better the past couple of days.
Click to expand...

excellent!

keep us updated
 
Where exactly on your knee it's happening could be a big help, especially if it's related to the biking. As for your seat setup, basically you want to check a couple things...

1. the bottom of your knee on the bony part should line up vertically with the axle of your pedal when it is out front in the 3:00 position. Basically you should be able to hold a weighted string at the bony part of your lower knee and it fall right in the middle of your pedal. If it's behind it, scoot forward... in front of, scoot backwards.

2. your knees should not extend all the way, but almost should. basically keep the height of the seat as high as possible without having your hips rock. You should not feel a sensation as if you're reaching/stretching for the bottom of the pedal, it should feel natural, and as high as possible while feeling this way. Too high or low and you could hurt the top or bottom of your knees, and too high you could do some weird things to your hips.


You can go well beyond that with a real bike but checking these two things on a stationary will help alot.
 
See A Doctor, Stretch, Dont Screw Around With Your Knees, Its Not Like A Shoulder Where You Only Use It For Certain Stuff. It Bears A Massive Load Everyday. You Will Be Screwed With Out Knee Mobility. That Being Said. Rub Some Dirt On It. Lol
 
thanks for the tips corn!

i'm going to try to sort out my seat position better for next class. I had a spin/sculpt class today and my knees were ok BUT we were doing intervals between being on the bike and on the floor, so i was only on the bike 5 min at a time. I did try putting my seat up higher though so i think that helped.
 
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