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My Knee is Killing Me!

03.02.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 12 Comments

A while ago, I wrote about the sorry state of my cleats. Finally, over the weekend, I did something about it. I bought new ones.

That night, I sat in front of the TV, diligently swapping out the old, worn cleats for the sharp, bright new ones. I even took time to trace the outline of the old cleats with a magic marker, just like Jeff Hemmel suggested.

Sunday, I did a 33-mile club ride on rolling hills. It was my first time on this route this year, although it’s one we do often. I found that the winter has taken its toll on me — by the time I finished, I was spent.

Monday morning, I woke up and rolled out of bed — and recoiled at the sharp pain in my left knee. Holy cow, did it ever hurt! And throughout the day, it got no better. Walking up and down stairs really was a chore. Downstairs, worse than up.

The biggest problem was, I couldn’t get comfortable with the knee regardless of its position. If I stretched it out straight, it started aching after a bit. If I bent it to relieve the ache, that worked — for about two minutes. Then that position became uncomfortable.

Monday night, I went home and grabbed my left bike shoe. I think I knew exactly what caused the problem. I walk with my feet splayed out a bit. With the old cleats, I positioned the left one so the left foot pointed a bit outwards when clipped in. For some reason, the right foot is just fine pointed dead ahead. But when I installed the new ones, I guess I didn’t pay close enough attention to positioning the cleat so that the left toe would point out a little. Dumb.

This morning, I woke up to more pain in the knee. If anything, it seemed to get worse during the day. I posted my dilemma to my club’s bulletin board, and got a lot of helpful responses, but only one that really addressed my problem. A doctor suggested taking Ibuprofen at the maximum dose. If I could tolerate it, he said the pain would subside after a couple of days.

When I got home tonight, I did exactly that. The Ibuprofen does seem to help. As I write this, I have less pain in the knee than I’ve had, but I’m not out of the woods yet. We’ll see what happens over the next couple of days.

The worst case scenario is, I tore the meniscus in my knee. That’s happened before, in my other knee, about 16 years ago. I had arthroscopic surgery then to deal with it. I hope to avoid another round of that now.

What’s worrying me is that I might be knocked off the bike for awhile. I’ve got the MS 150 coming up next month, and now is the time I have to start building my mileage. A number of other organized rides are on the horizon too, rides that I’d like to take part in. I’ve already decided to skip Pedal Thru the Pines, a wonderful hilly ride through some state parks near Bastrop, Texas this weekend. It would kill me to miss more.

So for now, Bike Noob is out of the saddle. I’m pretty grumpy, and I’m not making things easy on my wife. “For cryin’ out loud, you”re 59!” she told me this evening (my birthday is Thursday). “Stop pretending you’re 29.”

Can’t help it. Biking has made me feel a lot spryer than I’m probably entitled to.

I’ll keep you posted on my recovery.

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Categories // Injury, soreness Tags // cleat, Injury, knee, soreness

A Few Things You Always Wanted To Know About Saddle Sores…But Were Afraid To Ask

10.15.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 3 Comments

HemmelsRide2So there I was, stripped naked, one foot up on the tub, mirror in hand, contorting myself into positions that would make an adult film star proud… all the while hoping no one walked in and said something like “Uh, honey, that’s interesting,” or, “Dad, what exactly are you doing?”

What I was doing, of course, was looking for the source of some recent riding discomfort. Problem was, I had no idea what I was looking for. Sure, I’ve heard mention of saddle sores, but I always thought they were something like a serious case of rug burn, a rough spot that was scraped one too many times by an ill-fitting pair of shorts or poor seat design. Instead, all I found was a small red spot that looked kind of like a pimple. Maybe a spider bite or something. Never seen one? Scroll down; I shot a picture of it.

Just kidding. I wouldn’t do that to you. I also wouldn’t do it to me. Imagine the above scenario of wife or child walking in, but add me trying to take a picture into the mix. Yeah, that’s an image that would be burned into a family member’s memory.

So anyway, back to saddle sores. I didn’t know what I was looking for because I’ve always been fortunate enough not to get them. I used to ride without chamois cream; lately I’ve been trying it out. But either way, I stayed mostly comfortable down there. Numb, yeah, but not subject to anything as nasty sounding as a sore.

So needless to say, I set out in search of a few answers. There was a good article on saddles in a recent issue of Bicycling that defined saddle sores. Apparently, they come in various types — a simple abrasion, something called folliculitis, even an abscess that might need serious medical care. Yeah, that latter one sounds way too foul to me, too, and I know a simple abrasion when I see it. So let’s focus on what seems to be cyclist’s most common problem — folliculitis.

The name offers a hint as to what it is — folliculitis is essentially an infection of a hair follicle. We’ve all probably heard how to avoid the problem. Stuff like getting a good bike fitting, wearing quality padded shorts, standing on occasion, choosing the proper saddle, using lube, not hanging around in your nasty shorts after finishing a ride, blah blah blah. What I rarely seem to read is how to treat it once it happens.

Apparently, keeping the area clean is a good idea. I’m not going to argue that one, as the last thing I want is some nasty bacteria invading the small piece of real estate that is situated between two relatively important body parts. Beyond that, other suggestions include a basic over-the-counter acne medicine with 10% benzoyl peroxide. Yup, you can oxy-cute ‘em! Other suggestions include treating sores with hydrogen peroxide or witch hazel, both of which apparently are astringents. Prescription solutions are available should things turn serious.

Mine’s not too bad, so for now I’m still riding. If you take the same approach, trying changing your shorts or saddle. A certain stitch or rough spot could be exacerbating the problem. Lube appears to be a good idea, although I’ve read some stories of riders being told by their doctors to stop using lube. You can even try Preparation H, apparently. It should shrink swelling and reduce the pain. Some experts suggest dabbing it on a few minutes prior to applying your normal chamois cream.

I thought mine was already on the mend before today’s ride, but two hours in the saddle proved otherwise. Though I wore my favorite shorts, I can feel something has changed. Maybe the edge of the chamois has developed a rough spot or something. I won’t stop riding, but I’m going to pay attention to it. After all, I don’t want it turning into something worse.

I would, however, like to get back to checking out some butts other than my own…

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Categories // soreness Tags // guest post, Hemmel, saddle sore

Maybe it’s the shorts

08.06.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 6 Comments

Went out for a nice training ride this morning. Did 20 miles with a mixture of easy riding on the Veloway, some semi-strenuous hill climbing, and some almost-time trial speeds on the Mopac loop. It was a good ride, and I finished it at an average speed slightly higher than I usually do. But something wasn’t quite right.

The inside of my thigh just below the left butt cheek (sorry if I’m providing Too Much Information) was protesting. About two weeks ago, I developed a saddle sore there, just a small spot not much larger than a big pimple. It causes discomfort when I ride, most of the time. But last weekend, I thought my troubles with it were over.

We did a nice 34-mile club ride through the Hill Country, and although I started the ride with some concerns about the sore spot, I finished with no discomfort at all. In fact, I didn’t even think about it during the ride. When I got home and realized I had ridden trouble-free, I assumed everything was now okay.

Then came this morning’s ride, and I felt like I did two weeks ago. It occurred to me that there might be an explanation.

I rode this morning in my Sugoi shorts. They’re the most expensive shorts I have, probably the best quality. Without doubt, they have the largest chamois pad I’ve ever seen.

When we did the 34-miler Sunday, I was in my Pearl Izumi shorts. I’ve always liked them, but when I bought the Sugois, I figured they automatically relegated the Pearls to second place in my shorts arsenal.

The Pearls are back in first place.

I’m not sure what it is about the Sugois, since at first glance their pad and the one in the Pearls look about the same. But I think it might be that because the pad on the Sugoi shorts is so large, slightly different spots on the pad — like the edge between the raised padding and the indentations — are contacting that tender area in my nether regions. So the Sugois rub the sore, while the Pearls miss it.

My really cheapo Nashbar shorts don’t seem to aggravate the sore either. But their pads are just one flat layer of foam, so in their case, less is probably better.

Have you noticed a difference in performance/comfort/owie protection in your different pairs of cycling shorts?

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Categories // Accessories, soreness Tags // saddle sore, shorts

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